# A lady at a restaurant didn't know what carrots or cucumbers were. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230 "2012-09-09T21:15:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/and_his_buzzer_goes/32/377_2.png) [@And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/And_his_buzzer_goes)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/61 "2012-09-10T17:51:03Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’ll bet you have some foreign word for [Belgian Endive](http://www.belgianendive.com/) also. I don’t know if you’re serious or not, but of course ! Being a belgian we don’t call them belgian endive, it’s witlo(o)f. Brussels sprouts for that matter are just called sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/62 "2012-09-10T17:53:31Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > **Acsenray** , jicama is pronounced hick’ uhmuh and h for j is Spanish as far as I know. I know how _jicama_ is pronounced, but it’s not spoken, in English, with a “good _Spanish_ accent.” I’m nitpicking here, but pronouncing it as it is usually pronounced in American English /hɪ kə mə/ is not how it sounds with a good Spanish accent – /hi kä mä/ ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/63 "2012-09-10T17:59:20Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Upthread was discussion over Clementines - are those the same as the little oranges marketed as “Cuties”? They are small, mandarin-like, seedless oranges with loose, easy-to-peel skins - usually sold pre-packaged in bags or boxes. Those are the ones. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/64 "2012-09-10T18:14:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Ah, this happened in Britain, right? So what was really said was more like “Ay, me aul coont, wot voes faffing ginger faste loik?” 😃 No… the entire conversation was conducted in English. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/65 "2012-09-10T18:49:45Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > I was just in line at Chipotle behind a guy who didn’t know what brown rice was. > > Server (making burrito): Would you like white or brown rice? > Guy: _Brown_ rice? What’s that? > Server: Uh. . .it’s like rice. . .that’s brown. . .and tastes a little different. Here _points._ > Guy: Oh. Okay, I’ll try that. > > He looked and sounded like a regular American dude maybe 25-30 years old. Maybe it’s possible he’d never encountered the stuff, but it was pretty strange. Yeah, but it’s cool that he was willing to try it. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/66 "2012-09-10T19:07:02Z")
> [@troubledwater](#): > > I DO clearly remember being in the produce section of a standard American supermarket, watching a little old lady (who did not sound like she had been raised elsewhere) get surprised that the produce guy wouldn’t let her buy a single stalk of celery. How could anyone expect that at the supermarket? (I might try it a the food co-op or the farmer’s market - but not at Safeway.) I could understand that. Back in the day, I dated a guy who had an excessively sheltered grandmother. She didn’t even realize that there had been a depression. She had a maid/cook that did all the work around the home, and didn’t listen to the radio. \ Very odd little old lady, but sweet. She had never even gotten a glass of water for herself, if she wanted anything the maid got it for her. She didn’t even go shopping for clothes, her maid did. Honestly, that sort of lifestyle would drive me insane very quickly. So if someone was recently screwed over by the whole financial crash to the extent of losing a full time cook, I could see them trying to buy a single rib of celery. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/67 "2012-09-10T19:57:43Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > We pronounce it Clementeen in England and it’s not quite the same as a Mandarin. Wikipedia respectfully begs to differ with you: > [@](#): > > A clementine is a variety of mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), so named in 1902. > **[Clementine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine)** > > A clementine (Citrus × clementina) is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange (C. × deliciosa) and a sweet orange (C. × sinensis), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who first discovered and propagated the cultivar in Algeria. The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into 7 to 14 segments. Similar to tangerines, they tend to be easy to peel. They are typically juicy and sweet, w They are so... ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/68 "2012-09-10T20:05:44Z")
On a Singapore Air flight from SanFran I saw a word I didn’t recognize on the dinner menu. I asked the FA what it was and she just stared in shocked silence. The expression on her face said, “Oh great. Another American who only eats meat and potatoes”. I ordered the dish anyway, and enjoyed it. Later I called the same FA over and told her that the next time an American asks what ‘capsicum’ is, tell them ‘bell pepper’. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/69 "2012-09-10T20:14:38Z")
I don’t know the difference between white and dark meat chicken. I don’t know how to order coffee. Don’t drink it. I don’t know how to buy cigarettes. The guy behind the counter said “hard or soft pack” but I didn’t understand what he meant. I don’t know how to order eggs. Scrambled is all I can tell them. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/70 "2012-09-10T20:29:43Z")
> [@Rich\_Mann](#): > > Later I called the same FA over and told her that the next time an American asks what ‘capsicum’ is, tell them ‘bell pepper’. Yes, capsicum = bell/green/sweet pepper = mango (pepper) Also – courgette = zucchini aubergine = eggplant coriander leaf = cilantro = Chinese parsley kiwi fruit = Chinese gooseberry mutton = sheep or goat, depending on which country you’re in In the United States, “pickle” means sour-pickled cucumber. > [@control-z](#): > > I don’t know the difference between white and dark meat chicken. Control-z, these are all questions you could learn the answers to in 15 seconds and know for the rest of your life. White = Breast and wing - lower fat, lower cholesterol and generally drier meat Dark = Leg (drumstick and thigh) - more moist, flavorful meat, fattier, more cholesterol > [@](#): > > I don’t know how to order coffee. Don’t drink it. Black (no sugar or cream) With or without sugar With or without cream (or other milk product) > [@](#): > > I don’t know how to buy cigarettes. The guy behind the counter said “hard or soft pack” but I didn’t understand what he meant. You couldn’t work this out? Do you want the cigarettes in a package that’s made of stiff cardboard or soft paper-lined plastic? It’s like being asked if you want your groceries in plastic or paper bags. I’ve never smoked a day in my life, and I wouldn’t need this explained to me. > [@](#): > > I don’t know how to order eggs. Scrambled is all I can tell them. If you’ve _eaten_ eggs, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t know how to order them. The most common answers are: Hard boiled Scrambled Sunny-side up (In India, this is called “poached”) Over easy There are several other styles, but those should cover you ---
**Author:** ![Bilbo1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bilbo1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bilbo1967)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/71 "2012-09-10T20:50:43Z")
One of my son’s friends stopped for a meal some time ago (he’d have been about 10 years old). I was making home-made chips (OK, fries). When I asked him if he wanted some, he asked, “What are you making them out of?”. When I replied, somewhat bemused, “Potatoes”, he swiftly said, “Uh, no thanks then”. I don’t think he’d ever had anything other than pre-prepared fries, and had no idea they were made from potatoes! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/72 "2012-09-10T20:51:57Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Wikipedia respectfully begs to differ with you: Huh! I know clementines, tangerines, mandarins and satsumas as different oranges to buy in the market. Maybe what I think of as a mandarin is a darcy? ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/73 "2012-09-10T21:21:50Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > You couldn’t work this out? Do you want the cigarettes in a package that’s made of stiff cardboard or soft paper-lined plastic? It’s like being asked if you want your groceries in plastic or paper bags. I’ve never smoked a day in my life, and I wouldn’t need this explained to me. Yeah, but maybe there’s other differences. Maybe the hard pack can’t accommodate as many cigs so there’s fewer at the same price but they justify it with your cigs not getting crushed. > [@Acsenray](#): > > If you’ve _eaten_ eggs, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t know how to order them. > > The most common answers are: > > Hard boiled > Scrambled > Sunny-side up (In India, this is called “poached”) > Over easy > > There are several other styles, but those should cover you Your mom has made fried eggs with a runny yolk for you every Sunday morning since you were a kid. You have no reason to know how to order it, you just ask your mom to make you eggs and she knows what you want. I can never remember what the names for the types of eggs I like are - I order them in restaurants so rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/74 "2012-09-10T21:27:33Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Yeah, but maybe there’s other differences. Maybe the hard pack can’t accommodate as many cigs so there’s fewer at the same price but they justify it with your cigs not getting crushed. You don’t smoke. Why do you need to know any more than that? > [@](#): > > Your mom has made fried eggs with a runny yolk for you every Sunday morning since you were a kid. You have no reason to know how to order it, you just ask your mom to make you eggs and she knows what you want. I can never remember what the names for the types of eggs I like are - I order them in restaurants so rarely. 1. Almost any waiter is going to understand “fried eggs with a runny yolk.” It’s their job. They’ll work with you. 2. The four names for eggs I gave you are extremely descriptive and you already know one of them. There’s no reason for you not to be able to remember the other three. We’ve already established that you like fried eggs with runny yolk. That means you want to choose either “sunny side up” or “over easy.” 3. My mom didn’t have to name things for me either, but if I want something the way my mom made it, I can still describe it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/75 "2012-09-10T21:36:13Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Yeah, but maybe there’s other differences. Maybe the hard pack can’t accommodate as many cigs so there’s fewer at the same price but they justify it with your cigs not getting crushed. Hard pack and soft pack have an equal number of cigarettes, at least in the United States, usually 20 per pack. If there is a price difference, it isn’t much, maybe 10¢ or so. You’re not being shortchanged on product. If you are charged more for a hard pack, it’s just for the convenience of it being made from stiffer material. I’m not a smoker, however. I used to sell them, but it’s been quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/76 "2012-09-10T21:49:19Z")
Oh, yes, and if you really did need to know whether to ask for a hard or soft pack, you could always ask. Like the person who’s asking you to get cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/77 "2012-09-10T22:20:07Z")
Hard pack is nice because your smokes don’t get bent and crushed if you keep your pack in your pocket. Soft pack is nice because, while it contains the same number of cigarettes as a hard pack, one always “hides” in the corner, so just when you think you’re out, you find the last one like a special gift from the tobacco gods. 😉 WhyNot, former smoker ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/78 "2012-09-10T22:41:30Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yes, capsicum = bell/green/sweet pepper = mango (pepper) > Control-z, these are all questions you could learn the answers to in 15 seconds and know for the rest of your life. > > White = Breast and wing - lower fat, lower cholesterol and generally drier meat > Dark = Leg (drumstick and thigh) - more moist, flavorful meat, fattier, more cholesterol > > Black (no sugar or cream) > With or without sugar > With or without cream (or other milk product) > > You couldn’t work this out? Do you want the cigarettes in a package that’s made of stiff cardboard or soft paper-lined plastic? It’s like being asked if you want your groceries in plastic or paper bags. I’ve never smoked a day in my life, and I wouldn’t need this explained to me. > > If you’ve _eaten_ eggs, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t know how to order them. > > The most common answers are: > > Hard boiled > Scrambled > Sunny-side up (In India, this is called “poached”) > Over easy > > There are several other styles, but those should cover you Thanks. When the guy said hard pack I was thinking how dense the tobacco was packed within the paper in each cigarette. How should I know, I don’t smoke. The point is some things considered common knowledge aren’t necessarily needed or known by everyone. I still don’t know what “over easy” means. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/79 "2012-09-10T22:56:28Z")
“Over easy” means flip the egg once onto its other side gently. This makes sure the egg cooks on both sides and seals the yolk so it doesn’t run all over the egg before it’s served. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230/80 "2012-09-10T23:51:35Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > “Over easy” means flip the egg once onto its other side gently. This makes sure the egg cooks on both sides and seals the yolk so it doesn’t run all over the egg before it’s served. Yes, and there is also “over medium” and “over hard” or “over well.” The “easy” part refers to the doneness of the egg yolks. There is some argument of what is considered “easy.” It usually means cook so the white is completely cooked through, but the yolk is still runny, but at some diners it means a little runniness in the white. In those diners, “over medium” is whites cooked through, whereas in most restaurants, “over medium” is that area between soft and hard where the yolk begins to thicken. Other common ways of ordering eggs not mentioned: Soft boiled - Cooked whole, in shell, so that the white solidifies, but the yolk is liquid Poached - cooked in liquid, usually water. (Apparently, not in India, though.) Basted - cooked in a pan and the top is basted with butter or hot water (with a covered lid.) Basted eggs might not be known in every diner, but the other two should be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lady-at-a-restaurant-didnt-know-what-carrots-or-cucumbers-were/634230.md?page=5)