title: Python not summing (add) numbers, just sticking them together
body: <p>So I just started learning how to code (completely new at this) and I decided to go with Python... So I recently am learning how to use functions to do math and I was making my own "coding" to see if I can come up with the result I want which is use functions to add x + y and give me a result but I keep getting the literal x + y and not the sum of those two numbers. eg. 1 + 1 = 11 (instead of 2)</p>
  
  <p>Below is the code, can anyone please tell me what I am doing wrong. Thanks!~
  (and yes, I am using a book but it is somehow vague on the explanations [Learn Python the Hard Way])</p>
  
  <pre><code>def add(a, b):
      print "adding all items"
      return a + b
  
  fruits = raw_input("Please write the number of fruits you have \n&gt; ")
  beverages = raw_input("Please write the number of beverages you have \n&gt; ")
  
  all_items = add(fruits, beverages)
  print all_items
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>FYI, the code the book gave me was:</p>
  
  <pre><code>    def add(a, b):
      print "ADDING %d + %d" % (a, b)
      return a + b
  
  def subtract(a, b):
      print "SUBTRACTING %d - %d" % (a, b)
      return a - b
  
  def multiply(a, b):
  print "MULTIPLYING %d * %d" % (a, b)
  return a * b
  
  def divide(a, b):
      print "DIVIDING %d / %d" % (a, b)
      return a / b
  
  
   print "Let's do some math with just functions!"
  
  age = add(30, 5)
  height = subtract(78, 4)
  weight = multiply(90, 2)
  iq = divide(100, 2)
  
  print "Age: %d, Height: %d, Weight: %d, IQ: %d" % (age, height, weight, iq)
  
  # puzzle
  print "Here is a puzzle."
  
  what = add(age, subtract(height, multiply(weight, divide(iq, 2))))
  
  print "that becomes: ", what, "Can you do it by hand?"
  </code></pre>