The Old “Come On In the Gravel Pit, Rover, I Won’t Bite” Routine

Pike, a predatory freshwater fish esteemed by both sportsmen and gourmets, live pretty high on the food chain. How high? Last May, an American Staffordshire bull terrier needed six stitches after being bitten by a giant pike at a gravel pit in Holland.

Boss Bhindi, Choice Chole, Idliest Idli

“California’s Best Indian Restaurants” lists over 200 restaurants in 90 California communities. This is the real thing--it includes India Currents Magazine readers’ balloting in categories such as best bhindi masala (spicy sauteed okra), chole bhature (curried garbanzo appetizer) and idli sambhar (steamed rice cakes with lentil sauce). Send $6.45 (book rate; add 50 cents for first class postage) to Restaurant Guide, P.O. Box 21285, San Jose, Calif., 95151.

New Chocolate in Town

Fannie Mae, the Chicago-based brand of chocolates beloved in the Midwest, is spreading out, having bought the Fannie Farmer chain in the East and now moving into Pavilions markets in California. There are already Fannie Mae shops in the Arcadia, Westminster and Rancho Mirage Pavilions, with Westside and Burbank following soon. For West Coasters’ convenience, all candies are priced the same, $8.95 a pound . . . good news for Pixie Pieces fans.

The Banana Cure

A research institute in New Delhi has found that 75% of chronic indigestion sufferers report partial or complete relief on being treated with capsules of powdered dried bananas. ( Dried bananas?)