# Amazingly stupid things overheard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 28, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599 "2011-12-28T04:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/221 "2012-01-04T04:09:12Z")
Overheard in a sizable Asian metropolis, practically shouted by an older American man in Loud Slow English For Foreigners: “THIS. IS. MCDONALD’S. _ISN’T IT_? SO WHY. THE HELL. DON’T. YOU. TAKE. _ **AMERICAN MONEY?!?!?** _” I swear it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/222 "2012-01-04T04:25:26Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > I’m not really seeing the amazing stupidity here. Doesn’t “pickles” in the US usually refer to pickled gherkins, which are closely related to cucumbers? > > Certainly, the question could be interpreted in other ways, but the answer as given isn’t wrong. In the US, “pickles” tends to refer to pickled cucumbers. Gherkins are just a kind of cucumber commonly pickled. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/223 "2012-01-04T04:36:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > A coworker and her husband were planning to visit friends in Montreal. She was going on and on about all the winter clothing they’d have to take with them. > > It was July. Was she traveling from NE Ohio? Because that’s pretty much the same climate! ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/224 "2012-01-04T04:55:09Z")
“Hey Look, Twins! I’ll bet they’re sisters.” “That’s the best thing about cats, they’re good for protection.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/225 "2012-01-04T05:17:24Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I was having tapas with a Dutch/Czech guy in Madrid a few years ago and he ordered a Quesadilla, explaining to me that it was “kind of like two crepes with melted cheese and roasted peppers between them”. I told him I was from California and we had them there, too. > > Not really a stupid thing, just minor cultural ignorance (and I had plenty of my own as well). I was greatly amused by the idea that someone would try to explain a (Mexican) tortilla to me as “like a crepe”. Look at the conversation from his end. You say he’s Dutch: crepes are everywhere, there. The first time he encountered a quesadilla, he thought “oooh, it’s almost a cheese and peppers crepe!” and that’s how he describes them to others. In Spain it is common for students to take a trip with their class mid-way through college (the “Pass of the Equator”). Ours was to Greece. At one point we saw a donkey-pulled cart parked and one of my friends started to pull out her camera, saying “oooh, how typical!” The local temperature fell so rapidly that she stopped midway and said “have I just asked my farmer great-grandfather to leave his grave and give me a beating with his donkey’s bones?” “Yes.” “Ow.” ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/226 "2012-01-04T06:08:48Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I was standing on the lawn outside the U.S. Capitol, in the shade of the rotunda, when two people came strolling down the path. One asked the other, “Where is Capitol Hill anyway?” In their defence, Washington DC seems to be pretty damn flat. At least when you visit Mount Royal, there’s a mountain in sight (albeit a small one…) :dubious:😉 As big as [Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas)is, it fits into the province of Québec twice over with room to spare. Nunavut is a [bigger territory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_provinces_and_territories_by_area). Interestingly, Texas would rank sixth in size if it were a province of Canada (:eek:). Alaska is smaller than Nunavut, but bigger than the rest. Not only does Canada suffer from the “how big is it really?” issue, there’s also the “where are all the people?” issue over a gigantic area of land. In conversations with Europeans, I’ve often mentioned that I’ve visited large parts of Europe, but very little of Canada. Often, they are incredulous; it really is hard to comprehend that Montreal and Vancouver are further apart than London UK and Moscow (and there’s another thousand kilometers heading east from Montreal. Forget about going north!) Ok, something stupid I heard lately… “Hitler was trying to create some master race…the Avians…or something like that…” In that person’s defence, he was very tired and very drunk, but it was still hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/227 "2012-01-04T06:42:11Z")
A brilliant young physician once asked me; “What kind of licence do you need to be a witch doctor” ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/228 "2012-01-04T08:45:29Z")
I once had a panhandler ask me in a conspiratorial whisper, “They say black people are from Africa, but then why do they speak English?” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/229 "2012-01-04T12:46:40Z")
So has anyone clarified what pickles are yet? :rolleyes: > [@voguevixen](#): > > Not a stupid thing overheard, but very very strange. A guy on the commuter train said: “Yeah, I know how chicken be tho.” “Yeah, I know how _she can_ be, though.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/230 "2012-01-04T14:00:24Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > Once was out grocery shopping with my mom. The lady in front of us was buying two half-gallon cartons of milk, mom was buying a gallon. My mom remarked to her that it was something like, $4.50 for two half-gallons of milk, but only $3.75 for the gallon. The woman replied “Oh but we can’t drink that much milk.” That’s not necessarily stupid - she might have meant “We can’t drink that much milk before it goes off.” I’ll often buy two 2-pint bottles of milk rather than one 4-pinter, even though it works out more expensive, so that I can put one unopened one in the freezer. If I bought a 4-pint bottle, chances are it would spoil before I got through it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/231 "2012-01-04T14:33:30Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > That’s not necessarily stupid - she might have meant “We can’t drink that much milk before it goes off.” Except that she was already buying two half-gallons. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/232 "2012-01-04T14:42:47Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Except that she was already buying two half-gallons. Yes, which means she only has to get through half a gallon in the time it takes for milk to go off, rather than a whole gallon. The second half-gallon can go in the freezer and be defrosted when needed. That way, you only need to go to the shop once, you get the same amount of milk, and it lasts longer. The only downside is having to pay a bit more for two smaller containers over one big one. I’m still not seeing why this is stupid. I suppose if you _really_ wanted to save money, you could buy a whole gallon, decant half of that into a smaller container and freeze that, but for the sake of 75 cents that’s a lot of faffing about. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/233 "2012-01-04T14:49:09Z")
People freeze milk? I had no idea. I guess I assumed it would develop weird ice crystals or something. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/234 "2012-01-04T14:59:22Z")
My mother used to do that. No problems at all. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/235 "2012-01-04T15:00:46Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > People freeze milk? I had no idea. I guess I assumed it would develop weird ice crystals or something. Sure, you can freeze milk with no problem at all. I didn’t know anybody _didn’t_, at least anybody who only goes grocery shopping once a week. Once opened, milk won’t last a week in the fridge in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/236 "2012-01-04T15:05:09Z")
Non-fat milk will last at least 2 weeks past its sell-by date - at least in my house. Just Monday I dumped the last mouthful of a bottle dated Dec 19 - it was \*just \*starting to smell funky. I had a friend eons ago who used to make up a quart with dry milk, then mix it with whole milk. As long as it was really cold, it tasted OK, and it was cheaper than buying a half-gallon of milk. Guess that’s what you do when you have a bunch of kids… ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/237 "2012-01-04T15:08:06Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Sure, you can freeze milk with no problem at all. I didn’t know anybody _didn’t_, at least anybody who only goes grocery shopping once a week. Once opened, milk won’t last a week in the fridge in my experience. Interesting. I had no idea. I have three kids, so in my experience milk won’t last two days in the fridge. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/238 "2012-01-04T15:28:54Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Non-fat milk will last at least 2 weeks past its sell-by date - at least in my house. Just Monday I dumped the last mouthful of a bottle dated Dec 19 - it was \*just \*starting to smell funky. That’s because non-fat milk is essentially slightly cloudy water 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/239 "2012-01-04T15:38:00Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > A brilliant young physician once asked me; > > “What kind of licence do you need to be a witch doctor” Not that dumb a question. In the U.S. alone, at least three states license homeopaths (purveyors of magic water). ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/240 "2012-01-04T15:40:39Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > That’s because non-fat milk is essentially slightly cloudy water 😛 More for me then. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599.md?page=13)