Edgar Allan Poe sold “The Raven” to a newspaper for $15.

In Turkey, cell phone numbers on business cards are labeled “GSM” instead of “cell.”

Apple brandy in Lower Normandy France is known as “calvados.” Combine it with apple sorbet and you’ve got “le trou Normand” (“the Norman hole”), a small drink served between courses that’s supposed to re-awaken the appetite.

Russia does not like American chicken because of the chlorine bath our companies use to disinfect chickens after slaughter.

What do Hijab, Niqab, Burqa, Al-Amira, Shayla, Khimar, and Chador all have in common? They are all different styles of headscarves worn by Muslim women.

This article appears in February 12 • 2010.

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