# 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:** 339
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6764 "2023-09-12T17:54:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And i don’t think I’ve ever been invited to one without the other. In all fairness, my husband has a huge family. 200 people show up to church, so it’s not like we’re gonna be missed. And I don’t know how it’s done elsewhere, but around here, people find the fanciest cathedral that they can, meet the priest for the first time and then end up having a ceremony at a location that’s not even tied to their regular religious community. Then the priest during the wedding talks about how successful the couple is going to be after knowing them for a handful of meetings. It’s a very strange way of doing things, IMO. But I was Protestant growing up so what do I know? ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6765 "2023-09-12T18:07:24Z")
All three of my schools are still standing and have been majorly rebuilt, with the middle school being renovated over Covid, so that added to the fun. My middle school now looks like a prison - the grounds used to be a lot more open. And it’s all dark gray. Because there’s not enough gray clouds and fog in the PNW. We don’t have too many things to be repaired - we just finished a major renovation, and we got a lot of little things done at the same time. The big things are replacing the carpets and painting the walls in four rooms. No hurry though, even though the carpet’s rather sad. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6766 "2023-09-12T19:07:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Fwiw, i never kneel, and certainly don’t line up for communion. I usually do stand when the congregation stands. AIUI you’re not supposed to line up for communion unless you’re Catholic and meet whatever other requirements there are to take communion that day, which I presume you’d know if you were Catholic (I think you used to have to be fasting, but I don’t know whether they’ve changed that.) And of course they’re kneeling with straight faces; it’s a normal part of the service. I’m not entirely certain whether non-Catholics are expected to kneel; I’d probably look that up before going. I’d stand and possibly kneel as respect for the proceedings, but I don’t say any words I don’t agree with (at any service). I’m not interested enough in any sports to care who wins; other than possibly a vague hope that my school district isn’t doing badly enough to upset the kids. I don’t usually even know who’s playing. If I expected to be miserable at a wedding, I wouldn’t go. But I don’t generally get invited to weddings that I’d expect to be miserable at. If there’s a bottle in front of me, I can presumably decide whether I want to drink from it or not, depending on what’s in it and my mood at the time. I know I don’t want a lobotomy. I didn’t vote in the preparing for war because I think it depends on how you prepare. Some kinds of preparations may be more likely to bring a war on; others, more likely to deter one. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6767 "2023-09-12T19:18:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > AIUI you’re not supposed to line up for communion unless you’re Catholic and meet whatever other requirements there are to take communion that day, The priest is actually prepared to “bless” non Catholics who want to stand in the line, for whatever reason. There’s even a gesture to tell him that’s what you are there for. I don’t recall the details, but a Catholic friend explained it to me, and I’ve seen it done. I just step out of the way and let the Catholics who want communion file past me. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6768 "2023-09-12T20:01:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The priest is actually prepared to “bless” non Catholics who want to stand in the line, for whatever reason. There’s even a gesture to tell him that’s what you are there for. I don’t recall the details, but a Catholic friend explained it to me, and I’ve seen it done. I just step out of the way and let the Catholics who want communion file past me. It does depend on the extraordinary minister of holy communion, since the Church doesn’t actually approve of this practice in its very limited commentary. Here’s a good article by someone trying to figure the whole thing out. > **[Communion Blessing?](https://www.massexplained.com/communion-blessing/)** > > Placating entitlement or benevolent inclusion? Should those who can't receive Communion come forward? ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6769 "2023-09-12T20:31:38Z")
Huh, I’ve only seen the priest bless people, not a nearby lay minister (Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). The context where i saw it was a service that included singing by a large teenage choir, and i don’t know why they were there, but only about half of them were Catholic, and they were all expected to file along towards the priest when it was time for the Catholics to receive communion. So about half of them got communion, and the rest got a blessing. Which seems more reasonable in the context of “we asked a lot of non-Catholics to beatify our service with their voices” than in the context of Catholics who aren’t in good standing. The thing about leaving children alone in the pews was also an interesting perspective. I wonder what Catholics usually do with the little ones? I’d have thought they just walked along (or were carried) by a parent but skipped the communion part. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6770 "2023-09-12T20:40:57Z")
3 out of 4 of the elementary schools I attended (seriously, why weren’t the school polls mutiple choice?) still exist as elementary schools. The school I went to kindergarten through second grade closed immediately after my second grade school year and I have no idea what the address was, so I can’t check to see if the building was repurposed. The middle school still exists, and the high school got a big addition in 2018 when it turned 30. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6771 "2023-09-12T20:48:05Z")
My wife, who is not Catholic but is versed in many things religious, says either they do the crossing the arms/get a blessing thing, or the priest might say “remember your baptism“. Or, if they are not unusually boisterous, they can just wait in the pew. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6772 "2023-09-12T21:08:30Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > The school I went to kindergarten through second grade closed immediately after my second grade school year and I have no idea what the address was, so I can’t check to see if the building was repurposed. You could try looking for history of X school district, or some such. At any rate, if you want to take it that far. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6773 "2023-09-12T21:15:42Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > My high school hasn’t changed much since it was founded in 1558 ! My elementary school is still around and getting close to celebrating its centenary (in 1926) which is danged old for the Westside of Los Angeles! > [@kayaker](#): > > I will show up for the reception unless it is dry. Then again, I do not think I’ve ever received an invite to a dry reception (not the crowd I roll with). I went to a Mormon wedding once. Reception was nauseatingly sweet fruit punch and bad cake. The hall (or whatever they call it) was empty less than 45 minutes after it began. I was raised Catholic, and we were left in the pew if mom (and later dad, he was a convert) went to communion at the same time. It wasn’t a big deal. Little babies would be with their moms in the “crying room.” I _love_ pumpkin pie and like it extra spicy. I don’t care for the flavoring in anything else. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6774 "2023-09-12T22:21:16Z")
I attended multiple elementary schools. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6775 "2023-09-13T00:05:45Z")
I was reading the choices in Karen Lingel’s “Vegetable Robots Change our Life” poll and I thought they were going to be revealed as the titles of Robt. Williams’ paintings. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6776 "2023-09-13T02:47:18Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > seriously, why weren’t the school polls mutiple choice? [Because multiple choice polls in Discourse are broken and lose their votes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discourse-losing-poll-results/986624), so I’ve stopped using them. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6777 "2023-09-13T04:30:36Z")
My elementary school and middle school are both exactly how they were when I went there. It’s in the town I worked in so I had reason to go in both many times over the years. My high school is the still there but they have done some major renovations and expansion. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2023, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6778 "2023-09-13T07:13:02Z")
My elementary and middle schools are the same. They’ve done a few upgrades to the classrooms, but the buildings haven’t changed. My old high school, on the other hand, was completely rebuilt. In place of a sprawling one- story hexagonal red brick building, it’s now a hideous concrete two-story building (all new school construction in our town has had a Brutalist design for the past 15 years or so). I _have_ liked weddings, but it all depends on the circumstances. The less involved I am in the wedding, the more fun I generally have. The guests at my daughter’s wedding looked like they were enjoying themselves, but although I was very happy, I was just too exhausted to really enjoy the party. The wedding of my daughter’s best friend from high school? **That** was a blast. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6779 "2023-09-15T03:08:30Z")
I like chili either with beans or without beans. (I now prepare to get lectured by both sides.) ---
**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:** [September 15, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6780 "2023-09-15T03:33:04Z")
I’m not sure what chili without beans even is. It might be great, but I’m not sure I would recognize it as “chili”. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6781 "2023-09-15T03:44:27Z")
I grew up in Southern NM, and while there are variants, I feel this represents the majority option on chili: > **[New Mexico Chile Verde (Green Chili) - A Spicy Perspective](https://www.aspicyperspective.com/new-mexico-chile-verde-green-chili/)** > > This New Mexico Chili AKA Green Chili is a savory and bold recipe for spicy chili lovers! Made with pork and green chiles, no beef or beans. Growing up, that sort of stuff was considered Texas style chili and far inferior. To my tastes (and I acknowledge people are different) you’re supposed to put the emphasis on the chiles themselves, so a milder flavored meat like pork is perfect. It’s also a lot lighter IMHO, and easier to deal with in hot months, but that may all be in my head. This is close to what I use, but living in Colorado it’s harder to get good hatch chiles, and I’m much more likely to sub Corona or another light flavored beer for half the chicken stock. ETA - while I have my opinions, I’m not diving into the first/most authentic/most correct wars. That way lies madness. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2023, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6782 "2023-09-15T05:36:52Z")
Ooh, there’s nothing I love more than diving into food wars! Chile verde isn’t “chili”; it’s a completely different thing that no one thinks of outside New Mexico. That’s just as well, because they’d just screw it up. I voted “with beans” because I prefer it without meat (talk about screwing a dish up, eh?), so mine is all beans. I would not eat the century-old Hydrox cookies, but I’d be willing to try the bog butter (based solely on the reputation of peat as a preserver), the olive oil, and the aged cheese. If it weren’t so late, I might be tempted to go back downstairs and “try” some of the aged cheese in my refrigerator right now! ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6783 "2023-09-15T05:54:09Z")
[![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/EN2aByo.jpeg "Imgur: The magic of the Internet") ](https://imgur.com/EN2aByo) Okay, which one of you bums did this? Jeezis crackers, what’s wrong with you people? I give you this chance to connect with part of the Great American Past, and - whatever became of commitment, anyway? Man, I’m done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=338) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=340)