# Food Related Myths? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861 "2009-01-04T22:50:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/61 "2009-01-05T23:52:22Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Huh? I thought it was the other way around: skins taste crappy, but have all the nutrients. Nope. [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/397/it-is-true-all-the-vitamins-in-potatoes-apples-etc-are-in-the-skin) has addressed the potato skin scam. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/62 "2009-01-06T00:23:41Z")
People used to tell me, “Don’t let the mushrooms soak, they’ll absorb the water!” I never figured out why that would be much of a problem: if you’re eating them raw, they’ll be firmer, and if you’re cooking them beyond a certain point, they’re going to release their own moisture anyway, so an extra few milliliters of water isn’t going to hurt. > [@overlyverbose](#): > > My grandfather used Listerine to clean vegetables sometimes. I think, for him, it was the Jewish version (or just the crazy, not-religiously-affiliated version) of Windex from _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_. He also washed his hair in Listerine because he was convinced it prevented dandruff. Listerine is antiseptic and I think astringent, so it can be helpful against certain kinds of dandruff, or just when your hair is too oily. I don’t think I’d ever want to wash vegetables with it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/63 "2009-01-06T00:50:32Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > People used to tell me, “Don’t let the mushrooms soak, they’ll absorb the water!” I never figured out why that would be much of a problem: if you’re eating them raw, they’ll be firmer, and if you’re cooking them beyond a certain point, they’re going to release their own moisture anyway, so an extra few milliliters of water isn’t going to hurt. Regardless, Alton smashed this one. His testing found that while, yes, mushrooms absorb a certain amount of water rather quickly, that amount does not increase significantly with time (as in soaking). ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/64 "2009-01-06T02:13:49Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Many cultures, from Latin America to East Asia, have a system of hot/cold food. Basically every food is either “hot” or “cold” (and it doesn’t always make sense. I believe in Mexico all soups are “cold”) and there are all kinds of dangers awaiting the person that mixes hot and cold food wrong. Actually, this likely has to do with [Humorism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism), or the “Four Humours”. It’s a medical theory from ancient and medieval Europe, but there is also a variation in [Ayurvedic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humours_(Ayurveda)#Tridosha_system) Medicine, also. I didn’t realize a lot of it still carried over, though. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/65 "2009-01-06T03:09:20Z")
Canola oil, aspartame, and sucralose are all deadly poisonous to humans. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/66 "2009-01-06T04:39:38Z")
> [@longPath](#): > > If you eat aged Cheddar Cheese before bed you will have nightmares. Hmmm. I must have slept through them. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/67 "2009-01-07T15:57:50Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > Check the **Join Date** pal! 😃 I did,no offence meant to you but you’ve got to admit it IS kind of spooky. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/68 "2009-01-07T16:09:38Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I would be very much surprised if that is part of the theology of even the most extreme Orthodox sect. > > I will admit the “pork -\> Hell” thing may be part of some extreme versions of Islam, tho. Forgive me for not using a smiley. I do know you won’t actually go to hell; I was just going along with the spirit of your original post on the subject. So, anyway: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/69 "2009-01-07T17:01:40Z")
One I heard from my husband and his family, is that eating ice cream after you eat crabs will upset your stomach. The odd thing is, I have yet to find anyone else who had heard this myth. Initially I though this was a Maryland-based myth (I met my husband shortly after moving to Baltimore from Indiana, and his family are all born-and-raised Baltimoreans), but I’ve talked to other born-and-raised Baltimoreans who have never heard this. May be related to the fish and milk thing that previous posters have mentioned tho. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/70 "2009-01-08T19:41:36Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > I did,no offence meant to you but you’ve got to admit it IS kind of spooky. I sometimes read your posts and for a second think “When did I write that???” Seems I made a post about your name, but can’t find it right now. Anyway, I don’t make enough noise around here to be noticed 🆒. l4l [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861.md?page=3)