# I'm a Tongue Roller, I Have an Extra Tooth, etc **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 19, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083 "2022-01-19T23:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/21 "2022-01-20T14:35:56Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Cilantro is vile and smells like stinkbugs. I love cilantro… but I agree, it does smell like stinkbugs. I didn’t realize this until I lived in Maryland, which is being invaded by the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Now, whenever I eat something with cilantro in it, I have a brief moment of panic as I wonder if a stink bug fell into the pot while it was cooking. _Again_. So anyway, cilantro tastes good to me (stink bug comparisons aside). On the other hand, celery tastes absofuckinglutely awful to me. It’s like someone dragging their fingernails down a chalkboard. And it’s in _everything_. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/22 "2022-01-20T14:40:12Z")
I can roll my tongue and I make a point out of peeing after eating asparagus. I’m not sure what it’s called, but I have the power to cloud men’s minds by hollering, “Hey! Y’all look over there!” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/23 "2022-01-20T14:40:21Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > I love cilantro… but I agree, it does smell like stinkbugs. I didn’t realize this until I lived in Maryland, which is being invaded by the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Now, whenever I eat something with cilantro in it, I have a brief moment of panic as I wonder if a stink bug fell into the pot while it was cooking. _Again_ . They’re edible, so no worries! They make a great substitue if you’re all out of cilantro… > **[Jumiles (Stink Bug) Salsa](http://cannundrum.blogspot.com/2018/03/jumiles-stink-bug-salsa.html)** > > Jumiles are stink bugs in the Taxco region of Mexico, Guerrero State, that are collected to be eaten. They are eaten raw (whole or ground)... RE: all the asparagus pee mentions, I have an asparagus pee story that may be a bit TMI, so be warned… I never tried asparagus until I worked at a place in my early 20s that had an employee cafeteria. They occasionally served asparagus, and I fell in love with it to the point that I started buying fresh asparagus at produce places and eating tons of it all the time. When I started noticing constant asparagus pee smell, I had no idea what it was, and I thought I had a bladder infection. I actually went to a urologist, who tested me for infections and all manner of STIs (I passed all tests). It wasn’t until awhile later that I put two and two together. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/24 "2022-01-20T16:19:55Z")
I have what other people like to call a “Gene Simmons” tongue. It’s very long and I can touch my tongue to my nose quite easily. For some reason, I’ve never thought of my teeth as anything genetically passed down, I thought it was all environmental. So I’m not sure if this counts, but it took a really long time to lose all my baby teeth. I was at least 18, maybe even 19 or 20 when the last of my baby teeth came out. ETA: I just Googled it and it appears that delayed tooth eruption can, indeed, be genetic. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/25 "2022-01-20T18:06:49Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I have what other people like to call a “Gene Simmons” tongue. Did your parents have your [lingual frenulum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenulum_of_tongue) clipped as a baby to assist in nursing? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/26 "2022-01-20T18:56:18Z")
Forgot to add: and I can make the Vulcan ‘V’ salute with ease. Even William Shatner couldn’t do that (or so he once claimed, on the _Tonight Show_ 😉 🙂 ). ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/27 "2022-01-20T19:14:55Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Did your parents have your [lingual frenulum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenulum_of_tongue) clipped as a baby to assist in nursing? Oh, this is fascinating. First of all, no, they did not. But I just took a good look at the underside of my tongue, and I don’t see any frenulum at all! ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/28 "2022-01-20T19:35:15Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Oh, this is fascinating. First of all, no, they did not. But I just took a good look at the underside of my tongue, and I don’t see any frenulum at all! The lack of frenulum could be self developed. Are you an ardent performer of cunnilingus? ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/29 "2022-01-20T19:59:58Z")
I can roll my tongue sides-upwards, into a U shape, like many folks–but can anyone roll theirs downwards? With the upper surface of the tongue up and the sides down? I’ve never seen anyone do that. ---
**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 20, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/30 "2022-01-20T20:04:11Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > I thought that tongue thing was debunked though. What do you mean by debunked? All us kids could roll our tongues, but our mom couldn’t. We laughed our asses off at her attempts. > [@panache45](#): > > And there is no part of my body that is absolutely symmetrical. Even my fingers aren’t the same length on each hand. Oh, man, sometimes I wonder if I’m a chimera\*, I’m so asymmetrical. Even my ears are different heights on my face, so wearing glasses without them going askew is really hard. - There are twins in the family line, so it’s not impossible. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I used to be able to hold my palm upward, then push down on my thumb until the tip touched my arm. I could never do this. I was born with shortened ligaments in my thumbs, and I have really limited range of motion as a result. Mainly because I wouldn’t do the stretching exercises the doctor wanted me to do when I was a freaking baby, _mom_. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/31 "2022-01-20T20:09:16Z")
I can roll my tongue. I had five wisdom teeth. My end of 2nd toes (the ones next to the big toe) are bent. Like the one in this picture, but not not quite as much. And my 3rd toes are flattened like the ones in the picture. > **[Extremely Bent Second Toe On Two Stock Photo 1627484689 | Shutterstock](https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/extremely-bent-second-toe-on-two-1627484689)** > > Find Extremely Bent Second Toe On Two stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/32 "2022-01-20T20:11:56Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > I’m right-handed but pretty good with my left. (Sometimes if I have a cup or something in my right hand and I have to write something down, I find it easier to write with my left hand than to switch the cup to my left before writing.) I’m right-handed andcan’t write well in the normal manner with my left hand, but my left hand is very comfortable with mirror-writing. No idea what that’s about. I can also wiggle my eyeballs side-to-side. Sort of a shimmy effect. I’m told it looks quite peculiar from the outside. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/33 "2022-01-20T22:40:05Z")
I can open my eustachian tubes at will without swallowing, and hold them open. I can also swallow without opening them, though if I don’t specifically try to do this, they open when I swallow. I can’t do any of this on specifically one side or the other, though, it’s both or none. I have no wisdom teeth, extracted or erupted or hidden or migrated or anything else. I can sometimes blow air out my tear ducts, though it’s not comfortable and makes a mess on the inside of my glasses. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/34 "2022-01-20T23:55:35Z")
I can do the inverted roll, but not the cloverleaf tongue. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/35 "2022-01-20T23:56:57Z")
I always wanted to be able to flip my eyelids up. I don’t know of any blood relatives who can do it. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/36 "2022-01-21T08:41:38Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > What do you mean by debunked? All us kids could roll our tongues, but our mom couldn’t. We laughed our asses off at her attempts. It was thought by early researchers in inheritance to be a simple dominant/recessive trait, and it’s still being included in biology lessons as such. Later research have shown though that it is more complicated than that. > **[Myths of Human Genetics: Tongue Rolling](https://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythtongueroll.html)** > > Whether you can roll your tongue is NOT determined by a single gene; this page reviews the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/37 "2022-01-21T08:44:15Z")
The page above is just one from a whole site with updated science on many of these traits: > **[Myths of Human Genetics: Introduction](https://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythintro.html)** > > Most of the visible traits used to demonstrate human genetics, such as attached earlobes and tongue rolling, are NOT determined by single genes; these pages review the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/38 "2022-01-21T10:32:09Z")
It’s not as uncommon as some of the things that’ve been mentioned, but I have [hitchhiker’s thumbs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchhiker%27s_thumb) - I can bend both of my thumbs backwards at the knuckle by almost 90 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/39 "2022-01-21T13:47:49Z")
I’m your polar opposite. I clicked through a link on the page **naita** posted, which shows the [spectrum](http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/myththumb.html#thumbgraph) of thumb shapes you could have, and mine is the very top one. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083/40 "2022-01-21T13:56:25Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > I only ever had three wisdom teeth, two on the right and one on the left, so I was always a bit asymmetric. I had five wisdom teeth removed when I was younger. I can’t roll my tongue at all. I didn’t realize the asparagus-pee-smell thing was genetic … I thought that just happens to everybody! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-tongue-roller-i-have-an-extra-tooth-etc/958083.md?page=3)