But what was once foreign can become local very easily. The Mercedes you see here in the United States was very likely built in Alabama, not Germany.

So these days, where do goldfish come from? Are they, like so many ordinary things we take for granted these days, made overseas?

Our government's trade figures tell you it's a pretty good shot. Imports of "ornamental fish" (commodity code 0301.10.0000 if you're interested) outweighed exports by $18.6 million in 2004 at a ratio of more than two-to-one.