# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 178
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3542 "2023-04-22T20:10:22Z")
I took my box o’ records down to [Bookmans](https://bookmans.com/) and got $10 for it. If I’d had the time for them to look through it, I probably would have upped to $20 or maybe even $50 but my main concern was finding a good home for them. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3543 "2023-04-22T23:40:40Z")
Who is the other hang glider pilot? No windsurfer? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3544 "2023-04-23T00:08:30Z")
I’m not sure how many vinyl records I’ve got; there are some that were my father’s and a few that were mine. I don’t feel like going to count. I’m not sure whether the turntable would work right off if I plugged the assembly in. I think it’s still hooked to speakers etc., but am not sure. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3545 "2023-04-23T05:02:41Z")
We have all our vinyl records, probably around 200 - 250 at a guess. We’ve bought most of our favorites on CD as well, but somehow never got around to disposing of the vinyl. When I asked him for his guess on how many we have, Mr. Legend said, “Counting my dad’s?” His father was a jazz musician who also had a radio show for many years. One wall of his home studio is nothing but floor to ceiling shelves of albums. I’m not counting those (literally or figuratively - maybe the radio station would take a donation no questions asked). ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3546 "2023-04-23T12:54:30Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Who is the other hang glider pilot? well… i’m not a pilot, but i did do a hang glider [“experience”](https://www.flights4all.com/search_exp_result.asp?advert_id=41496) during which the pilot let me take the controls for a minute or two. Scary ! (although from that link i see now it was a microlight flexwing thing, not a hang glider.. it was \>10 years ago !!) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3547 "2023-04-23T13:15:01Z")
I’ve piloted a windsurfer. Very badly. I think i capsized every time i tried to come about. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3548 "2023-04-23T13:18:39Z")
Yes, my one afternoon with a windsurfer went exactly like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3549 "2023-04-23T15:01:22Z")
I went to a nature camp as a kid, and we used to do some foraging. So I’ve had grasshoppers. We caught them, examined them visually for parasites, and then put them in a covered frying pan, and fried them up in some butter. It was like making popcorn. They were done when the popping (jumping against the lid) stopped. I think we just seasoned them with a little salt. They were delicious. Mild, honestly, they tasted like “fried in butter”. I would be happy to eat them again. I imagine locusts are similar. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3550 "2023-04-23T15:44:28Z")
By my “yes” vote I mean I’d certainly try them once (and will, if offered them someplace, or if I see them someplace I’m shopping anyway.) If I like them, I’ll get more of them if readily available. If I don’t, then once will do. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3551 "2023-04-23T17:02:37Z")
I took some hang gliding lessons when I was younger, so I selected that option. I never got very good, but I was serious enough about it that I bought my own kite. The first time I took the training wheels off, I had a hard landing and bent the down tube. I gave up in frustration at that point. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3552 "2023-04-23T17:13:35Z")
So it looks like I’m one of the few unicyclists and the only person who has operated a handcar. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3553 "2023-04-23T17:37:53Z")
I’ve never successfully flown a kite. Granted I haven’t tried since I was a kid and I was probably not trying that hard when I did. I’ve held the string of a kite someone else has gotten up in the air, but I’ve never gone from kite in hand to kite in the sky by myself. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3554 "2023-04-23T17:53:38Z")
Re: languages spoken – alas, only English. I took three years of French, and two years of Latin, in high school, but neither of those left me anywhere close to fluent, and I never continued studying them past high school. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3555 "2023-04-23T17:57:36Z")
Regarding the locusts, the shrimp flavor is what’ll put me off. After an unfortunate incident with shrimp, I basically pass on shrimp or anything shrimp-flavored. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3556 "2023-04-23T18:02:02Z")
Languages - I speak American, English and Extremely Drunken Spanish. I have several hundred witnesses to the fact that I had an extended conversation with the President of Sauza while both of us were hitting a bottle of his private stash. He speaks minimal English. I speak less Spanish than that. But an entire regatta would swear differently. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3557 "2023-04-23T18:03:22Z")
I only speak English but I understand more than a smattering of Spanish and Polish. I’d love to practice speaking Polish because I know my pronunciation is terrible, but I don’t know any fluent speakers. DuoLingo is great for hearing it, but it cant really help me get my pronunciation correct. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3558 "2023-04-23T18:15:10Z")
[Prawns and shrimp are different species.](https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-a-92489) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3559 "2023-04-23T18:15:33Z")
I tried studying Hungarian when I was in college, but I wasn’t able to get a class until right before I graduated (Reagan budget cuts). Most of my family who could/speak understand the language were 2000 miles away, and my mom always criticized my pronunciation. I became self-conscious and didn’t continue with it, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3560 "2023-04-23T18:40:05Z")
I’ve never had locusts but I’ve had plenty of chapulines. They mostly taste like the chili and lime they drown them in, but plain, to me at least, they taste like dirt. Never, ever gotten any hint of anything shrimpy, but maybe that’s just me. I’ve had those corn chips they make with cricket flour and they still taste like dirt to me. Well, they taste like regular corn chips, except at some point in the manufacturing process someone tossed in a handful of dirt. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3561 "2023-04-23T18:47:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I took three years of French, and two years of Latin, in high school, but neither of those left me anywhere close to fluent, and I never continued studying them past high school. Also, unlike those two languages, had I actually had the option to take Spanish, that could have been a language which would have had some utility for me (as I’ve often worked in jobs where we did Spanish-language advertising). But, prior to entering the Catholic high school which I attended, all of us new freshmen had to take a placement exam for our English and math skills. If you scored in the 50th+ percentile on your English exam, you had the choice of taking French or German (as well as the mandatory Latin), and could take up to four years of it; if you scored under the 50th percentile, you were tracked into a different set of courses, and had to take one year of Spanish (and our school didn’t offer Spanish after freshman year). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=177) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=179)