# 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:** 75
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1482 "2023-01-14T22:36:33Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Do you people without coffee makers not drink coffee, or do you make your coffee another way We pour hot water over a filter filled with coffee in a cone. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1483 "2023-01-14T22:46:20Z")
Do you have instant coffee in the USA ? (ie, soluble granules.) I drink it all day. I’m not a connoisseur. And i put milk & sugar in it. I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1484 "2023-01-14T22:47:41Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Do you have instant coffee in the USA ? (ie, soluble granules.) We certainly do. My impression is that it used to be far more common than it is nowadays, before the exploding popularity of both fancy coffee chains (Starbucks etc.) and home coffee makers (Keurig etc.). ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1485 "2023-01-14T22:51:24Z")
My late father-in-law made instant coffee for me every morning when we visited their house. One of my favorite memories of him. I’m not normally an instant coffee drinker, but the way he made it, it was delicious. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1486 "2023-01-14T22:53:16Z")
I’m surprised; _every single_ character in any US books/tv/films i’ve read/watched have a pot of coffee on the go. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1487 "2023-01-15T00:11:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We pour hot water over a filter filled with coffee in a cone. Ditto. > [@pjd](#): > > Do you have instant coffee in the USA ? We do. I don’t usually get it, though. What I do often do is make extra when I make a pot; reheating my freshground coffee once tastes better to me than instant coffee does. (Reheating more than once begins to be another matter --) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1488 "2023-01-15T00:28:00Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I voted for the 70s, because for me that was 3rd grade to graduating from high school. I voted the 70s for similar reasons. Not only a chance to do better in school, but to have my head in a better place regarding all the sexist tropes of the era. Mind you, I was already fighting many of them but my self image was very poor and I didn’t speak up about the abuse that students (and some adults) heaped on kids. Now, I do. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1489 "2023-01-15T02:41:19Z")
I voted “the Eighties” - when I became an adult, went to high school and college, met my future wife, etc. Very good times, but with foreknowledge they could’ve been even better. I like coffee a lot but have never been truly satisfied with the coffee I’ve made for myself at home. These days I leave it to the pros, at coffeeshops and restaurants. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1490 "2023-01-15T07:28:43Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Do you have instant coffee in the USA ? (ie, soluble granules.) > I drink it all day. I’m not a connoisseur. > And i put milk & sugar in it. > I don’t care. **Jerry:** Oh, I’m glad you’re here, so we can get this all straightened out. Would you like a cup of tea? **Bookman:** You got any coffee? **Jerry:** Coffee? **Bookman:** Yeah, coffee. **Jerry:** No, I don’t drink coffee. **Bookman:** Yeah, you don’t drink coffee? How about instant coffee? **Jerry:** No, I don’t have- **Bookman:** You don’t have any instant coffee? **Jerry:** Well, I don’t normally- **Bookman:** Who doesn’t have instant coffee? **Jerry:** I don’t. **Bookman:** You buy a jar of Folger’s Crystals, you put it in the cupboard, you forget about it. Then later on when you need it, it’s there. It lasts forever. It’s freeze-dried. Freeze-dried crystals. **Jerry:** Really? I’ll have to remember that ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1491 "2023-01-15T15:26:57Z")
I use instant coffee when we’re in the camper. A jar of Taster’s Choice is a lot more compact than a coffee maker and easier to clean up after than a french press. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1492 "2023-01-15T15:50:17Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@Procrustus](#): > > > > We pour hot water over a filter filled with coffee in a cone. > > Ditto. didn’t think to add – There are also other types of drip pots; percolators; and French presses; and probably something I’m forgetting about. And somebody somewhere is probably still just boiling coffee grounds in a pot and filtering them (or not) afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1493 "2023-01-15T16:00:21Z")
A little shocked to see Flo winning the insurance mascot poll in a virtual landslide. I’d rank them as Gecko/Mayhem/Flo myself-I can’t stand that little green bastard and his faux politeness, his accent, his everything. Mayhem of course is just an asshole, albeit a very annoying and stupid one. Flo is Flo, just find her boring and tend to tune her out anymore. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1494 "2023-01-15T16:59:06Z")
I do use a cafetiere (which apparently is also called a French press !) if my GF wants a cup, but i don’t think that counts as a “coffee maker”. And it’s a bugger to clean. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1495 "2023-01-15T17:26:48Z")
A siphon coffemaker. They used to be popular, in the 40’s and 50’s, but they are still around. > **[We Tested Four Popular Siphon Coffee Makers—These Were The Best Ones](https://www.seriouseats.com/best-siphon-coffee-makers-6746392)** > > We tested four popular siphon coffee makers—evaluating how easy they were to set up, how well they brewed, and more. These are the best ones. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1496 "2023-01-15T17:38:12Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > A little shocked to see Flo winning the insurance mascot poll in a virtual landslide. I’d rank them as Gecko/Mayhem/Flo myself I didn’t vote. I honestly don’t find any of the three annoying. Most of those ads have at least _some_ degree of cleverness; the ones that don’t still don’t actively annoy me. The Limu Emu, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1497 "2023-01-15T19:44:38Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I didn’t vote. I honestly don’t find any of the three annoying. That is exactly what I was coming here to say. I honestly don’t find any of them annoying, so I didn’t vote. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1498 "2023-01-15T19:47:07Z")
For the rental driving poll, I voted same as I drive my own, but a better option would be ‘drive MORE carefully than your own’. I have an older car, and if I got a scratch on it pulling too far into a space, or tapping something in the garage, I wouldn’t care. But with a rental, I’m going to be out up to my deductible, and possibly have a minor accident to take up with my insurance costs down the road. Not to mention, that I’m generally driving an unfamiliar vehicle, where I’m not fully sure of the stopping distance, turn radius, and the like. So yeah, for multiple reasons I drive in a much more paranoid manner the few times I’ve had a rental. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1499 "2023-01-15T20:07:13Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > For the rental driving poll, I voted same as I drive my own, but a better option would be ‘drive MORE carefully than your own’. Yeah. I didn’t vote, because if I’m driving somebody else’s car, whether rented, borrowed, or taking a turn at the wheel: I drive extra carefully; for all the reasons @ParallelLines gives. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1500 "2023-01-15T20:18:24Z")
Fair enough, but really the intent of the poll was to investigate the commonly held belief that people abuse rental cars, so the thought that some people might drive _more_ carefully didn’t enter my mind. If you do drive more carefully than when you’re in your own car, please select the “I drive exactly like my own car” option. Think of it as the “I don’t abuse rental cars” option. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1501 "2023-01-15T20:48:13Z")
I have known someone who deove their rental harder than their regular car. But they were in their mid twenties and still in that "nothing terrible can happen to me " phase [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=76)