Re pineapples : they're a sign of welcome here in New England. Many homes have brass doorknockers in pineapple shapes.
When friends visited from New Delhi (Mr& Mrs Roshan Lal Jaswal) we were entertained by the local Rotary club as my friend was a Rotarian in India (District 93 if I remember correctly.)
Since they are vegetarians Roshan and Leela were served fresh fruit & yogurt, the fruits arranged in a split pineapple. During his short remarks to the assembly Roshan mentioned that the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality in India.

So - a question : How did pineapple get to be THE symbol of hospitality? Apparently world-wide!