Greece devotes 60 percent of its cultivated land to olive-growing. It is the world's top producer of black olives and boasts more varieties of olives than any other country. Greece holds third place in world olive production with more than 132 million trees, which produce approximately 350,000 tons of olive oil annually, of which 75 percent is extra-virgin. This makes Greece the world's biggest producer of extra-virgin olive oil, topping Italy (where 40-45 percent of olive oil produced is extra virgin) or Spain (where 25-30 percent of olive oil produced is extra virgin).

Peppercorns are, by monetary value, the most widely traded spice in the world, accounting for 20 percent of all spice imports in 2002. The price of pepper can be volatile, and this figure fluctuates a great deal year to year; for example, pepper made up 39 percent of all spice imports in 1998. By weight, slightly more chile peppers are traded worldwide than peppercorns.

The fork as an eating utensil was introduced in the Middle East before the year 1000. First introduced to Europe in the 10th century by Theophanu, Byzantine wife of Emperor Otto II, the table fork had, by the 11th century made its way to Italy. The fork's arrival in northern Europe was more difficult. For many years it was viewed as an unmanly Italian affectation. The Roman Catholic Church expressly disapproved of its use: "God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks — his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to Him to substitute artificial metallic forks for them when eating." It was not until the 18th century that the fork became commonly used in Great Britain.

Konjac is a plant that is grown in China, Japan and Korea for its large starchy seeds. The seeds are used to create a flour and jelly of the same name. It is also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin. In the late 1800s, Konjac powder was added to the first national currency of Japan to prevent counterfeiting, but it was stopped after rats began to eat the bills.

In 1992 chewing gum was banned from Singapore. Chewing gum was causing serious maintenance problems in all areas of the city-state. After the 1987 launch of the $5 billion mass transit train system, it was reported that vandals had begun sticking chewing gum on the door sensors of the trains, preventing the doors from functioning properly and causing disruption of train services. Surprisingly, after the ban no known black market for chewing gum ever emerged in Singapore, although some citizens did occasionally manage to smuggle some from Malaysia for their own consumption. In 2004 the ban was revised to recognize the proven health benefits of certain gums that contain calcium lactate to strengthen tooth enamel. The sale of this newly categorized medicinal gum was allowed, as long as it was sold by a dentist or pharmacist, who is required to record the name of the purchaser.