Field research embarrassment story:

The Canary Islands was a stop-off for Spanish ships returning from the Americas.

So it is still home to some ancient Incan(?), and v weird-looking, potato varieties.

Being a geek, I had to go learn about them...

( http://grancanaria.com )

I went to a local market in Las Palmas and a really generous señora spent ages telling me in Spanish about all the different varieties & their colourful names.

Then she said, her favourite potato variety is a rare one called ‘Kin Ay Waa’.

My brain nearly exploded...

(: ibid)

That sounds just like Quechua, an indigenous Andean language that I only speak a few words of.

Had they retained the original name even after 500 yrs? How does it compare w modern Quechua?

Could that happen w other crops too? How come no one has reported this?! Was I the 1st??

Apparently I was in luck. The kind lady had just received a sack fresh in this morning.

She tore through the paper lining...

I was practcising my Nobel prize acceptance speech in my head...

Then they came out.

‘Kin Ay Waa’ was ‘King Edward’