The Question

Dear Nobody’s Tougher Than Shaun,

I enjoy cooking and was just wondering—what is the origin of the falafel? Also, what exactly does it mean “to blave” and why, oh why, does Keanu Reeves have such an uncool name in The Matrix? After all, a movie hero should have a much more awesome name than “Neil”!

Comment by Karen — 10/3/2004 @ 11:02 am

The Answer

Falafel, eh? Interesting story. The falafel originally comes from Egypt, where it was made with fava beans, but, as it moved northwards, chick peas were substituted. Today the falafel is a truly Middle Eastern food, and is (ironically enough) claimed by both the Palestinians and the Israelis as a national food. So don’t be fooled: even though falafel mix is sold by the Near East company, it’s actually from the Middle East. Tricksy!

To Blave! Which, we all know, means “to bluff”. Nothing about True Love here! What, you thought I couldn’t answer? Inconceivable! Never go up against S. McQuaid when DEATH is on the line!

Finally (and this will come as a shocker to many), the “hero” in the Matrix films is not in fact named “Neil”. Although Neil is a very heroic name and actually means “the powerful or mighty”, that is not his name in the credits. In fact, in the credits, his name is “Neo”, which means “new”.

Honestly, I’d rather powerful or mighty than just plain new. I mean, yeah, okay, so I’m not going to spoil in a week, but freshness does not stand up against the power and might of the Neil.