# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 269
**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:** [January 19, 2025, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5362 "2025-01-19T21:27:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And you know, not having been in a combat zone in the military, I can’t blame guys who started then. I heard that cigarettes were included in G.I.'s food kits during WWII, and that’s when a lot of young guys took up the habit. My dad, however started when he was 12, so years before he was in the army/war. I was not only inside the California State Capitol (both chambers), but I was a California State Assemblywoman! Well, in the Junior Legislature. We took over the building during a legislative break for three days. It’s a great memory for me … other than having Ronnie come talk to us at the beginning of our session. He was as fatuous – and as orange – as you’d expect. I was a group of three from our group, and our leaders doubled as the overall leaders for the whole gaggle of kids, so we had very light supervision. Not that we went wild; we were three fairly well-behaved girls. But I had a total blast. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5363 "2025-01-19T22:04:13Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > That’s really a straw man. The fact is that people do make interesting polls, polls that are of personal interest, but sometimes they neglect to consider all the possible options. That’s the complaint. I guess my response to that would be for you to make your own poll then. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5364 "2025-01-19T22:11:10Z")
Likely to recommend: zero. I just don’t recommend message boards to people. Nothing to do with my opinion of the site. ---
**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 19, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5365 "2025-01-19T22:40:02Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I heard that cigarettes were included in G.I.'s food kits during WWII, and that’s when a lot of young guys took up the habit. Yup. My father was a doctor with the armed forces during the war, and he was furious about it. He knew long before the Surgeon General announced it that the things weren’t good for you. – if somebody I knew were looking for a good message board and asked me for a recommend, then a 10. If they didn’t bring it up, probably about a 2 – I’ve occasionally mentioned a discussion on the board, but I think I’ve only once been asked which board in response. I don’t usually go around recommending things to people out of the blue (well, aside from recommending produce to customers at the farmers’ market. But I don’t generally do even that in casual conversation unless the subject comes up.) – didn’t vote in that one. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5366 "2025-01-19T23:53:03Z")
Both: there’s a new series, but they’re talking about boinking in the old one. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5367 "2025-01-20T00:14:20Z")
Paul Simon: “Everything looks worse in black and white” Nope, I disagree! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5368 "2025-01-20T00:15:33Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I heard that cigarettes were included in G.I.'s food kits during WWII, and that’s when a lot of young guys took up the habit. Yes, a C ration had a little accessory pack with salt, sugar, coffee, matches and yes- a five pack of cigs. ---
**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:** [January 20, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5369 "2025-01-20T00:31:10Z")
Paul Simon warned me, but I didn’t listen. Then they took my Kodachrome away. ---
**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 20, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5370 "2025-01-20T18:19:49Z")
What is a “gut routine”? I mean, I pay some attention to what I feed my gut; but the only routine thing about it is that I eat every day. ---
**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 20, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5371 "2025-01-20T18:31:35Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > What is a “gut routine”? This needed to be one of the choices (though possibly with “What” replaced by “WTF”). ---
**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 20, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5372 "2025-01-20T18:52:15Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > What is a “gut routine”? I honestly don’t know. The ad I saw talked about how you should add their product to your “gut routine”, as if they presumed the audience would already understand the term. And for that matter, it seemed to presume the audience already has such a routine. ---
**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:** [January 20, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5373 "2025-01-20T18:56:13Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > The ad I saw talked about how you should add their product to your “gut routine”, as if they presumed the audience would already understand the term. And for that matter, it seemed to presume the audience already has such a routine. I would suspect that their audience (well, technically, their “target market”) is people who _do_ have a “gut routine” (even if they might not call it that), and know exactly what they’re talking about. It’s likely that the ad you saw, like most ads, reaches people, like you, who aren’t actually in the target market, and who will never actually be in the market for their product. In the ad industry, we call that “waste” or “slop,” and it’s simply a cost of doing mass-market advertising, particularly for niche products like that one. ---
**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 20, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5374 "2025-01-20T19:01:17Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > What is a “gut routine”? > > I honestly don’t know. The ad I saw talked about how you should add their product to your “gut routine”, as if they presumed the audience would already understand the term. And for that matter, it seemed to presume the audience already has such a routine. Pooping mostly. Gut routine and gut health and gut reset all come from people who want to sell you gut cleansing products. ---
**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 20, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5375 "2025-01-20T19:37:09Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I would suspect that their audience (well, technically, their “target market”) is people who _do_ have a “gut routine” (even if they might not call it that), and know exactly what they’re talking about. I also kind of assumed they’re hoping some portion of the audience who doesn’t already have one will respond by going “Am I supposed to have a gut routine? Maybe I’d better start one!” Which presumably invloves buying the advertised product. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5376 "2025-01-20T19:56:00Z")
American restaurant portions sizes are ridiculously large, so I almost always end up taking food home. Usually get at least one more full meal, maybe two. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5377 "2025-01-20T20:18:21Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > American restaurant portions sizes are ridiculously large, so I almost always end up taking food home. Which is generally something I like. My “go to” meal is a cheeseburger and fries, and i dont order double/triple burgers. I can usually finish that. My other common choice is pizza, and yeah, there I often order a medium and take half home- which is eaten. ---
**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 20, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5378 "2025-01-20T20:25:05Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > American restaurant portions sizes are ridiculously large Appetites come in different sizes, and what is “ridiculously large” for a small, sedentary person might be just barely enough to satisfy a big, physically active guy. My SO very often takes leftovers home. I am much less likely to, but I am open to the possibility. I don’t do so “often,” but probably a bit more than “rarely,” so I wasn’t sure which option to choose. ---
**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 20, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5379 "2025-01-20T20:26:31Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Pooping mostly. Gut routine and gut health and gut reset all come from people who want to sell you gut cleansing products Oh. Except in rare cases I think those are generally a very bad idea. Human bodies are not supposed to have “clean” guts; we’re supposed to be full of a healthy microbiome that is only likely to be seriously damaged by attempts to clean the guts out. ---
**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 20, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5380 "2025-01-20T20:37:29Z")
Gut routine / Gut Health - Kinda/sorta. Mostly no, but I have been making an effort to increase my various fiber intakes, which is gut routine adjacent. But most people talking about such things are talking about various cleanses, purges, or “custom” probiotics, all of which read as “woo” to me. Leftovers - It varies a lot. I have a pretty good idea of my appetite (too big) and the ease of overeating. Still, my wife and I go out _veeeerrrrry_ rarely these days, so we normally are ordering exactly as much as we eat. Still, sometimes there’s that variation, and so we’ll both occasionally bring home food, and it’s _most_ often eaten because it’s something we _really_ like. The exception is it getting pushed behind something else in the fridge and forgotten until no one feels like taking a risk (more her than I). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5381 "2025-01-20T21:23:56Z")
I think I’m thankful they’re not calling it gut _hygiene_. Or maybe they are. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=268) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=270)