Grains of Paradise(was:RE: SC - Juniper berries

[The Cheshire Cat]

>Greetings!
>
>OK, now you have really piqued my curiosity.  Why are they illegal?
>
>Mind you, I have no idea what plant they come from, I just know what they
>taste like.
>
>Yours,
>Avelina

I've had a bit of experience with this sort of thing, having only just
recieved a little package sent to me by a good gentle in America mid last
year.  All the excuses I got from customs were pretty vague, mind you,
noone could find the botanical name to figure out what they were.  They
gave me the rundown about wood products and other such stuff and held onto
the stuff like a dog on a bone.  They asked if they had been 'treated' like
all wood products should be, to which I replied that I bloody well hoped
they hadn't since they were a foodstuff to which they huffed and puffed a
bit.  "Ok, officer.  I realise that the name 'Grains of Paradise' sounds a
little suss.  But I don't know the Botanical name."

Mind you.  This is from the same people that confiscated one stick that I
found in Japan, only to return it to me by registered post three years
later, after I had forgotten all about it and what I picked it up for in
the first place.

  Ended up having to compromise a little when it came to the fest stuff I
was preparing.

BTW:  Does anyone out there know the botanical name for them?  I might be
able to get them in without a whoel lot of fuss and heartache if I can
wrangle a supplier here in Australia.  Doesn't help that I can't find a
match in any of the books.

- -Sianan

******************************************************************************
Marina Denton
sianan at geocities.com

		How can you let sleeping dogs lie
		if you let the cat out of the bag?

					-Yes Prime Minister
******************************************************************************  


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