# Incredibly common products which the store clerk never heard of **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225 "2021-09-23T21:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/323 "2021-10-01T00:37:04Z")
Heh, just remembered a good one that I think I’ve told here before. I was on a biz trip in Germany with a colleague and he had backpain and insisted on Tylenol. Why a guy prone to backpain didn’t bring his own is beyond me but we went to a German drugstore. They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak German. The very helpful ladies behind the counter had no idea what we meant but kept trying. I knew the active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen\* but this didn’t come up in their database… Finally one clerk just googled it and found that acetaminophen is more commonly known as paracetamol in most of the world. Dude got his pills and we were on our way. - I distinctly remember trying to write it on a slip of paper, stumbling on the spelling and probably had half the letters wrong. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/324 "2021-10-01T00:48:18Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Finally one clerk just googled it and found that acetaminophen is more commonly known as paracetamol in most of the world Also in the UK: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/L0y7FWh2EYc/maxresdefault.jpg "Pretty Paracetamol .•\*•. Fischer-Z (lyrics) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0y7FWh2EYc) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/325 "2021-10-01T02:12:27Z")
Sniff in a very superior manner and explain that, unlike SOME people, you care about the planet and refuse to buy bottles that will go in the landfill and instead prefer your paper wrapped bar of soap. This should go over a treat. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/326 "2021-10-01T05:17:24Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I might try making some - have an apple tree that’s given a ton of cooking apples A crock pot makes great apple butter and its very easy. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/327 "2021-10-01T06:38:28Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > acetaminophen is more commonly known as paracetamol in most of the world. An opportunity to trot out my dad joke! Q: Why do they keep running out of aspirin in the jungle? A: Parecetamol (parrots eat ‘em all). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/328 "2021-10-01T08:25:07Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Heh, just remembered a good one that I think I’ve told here before. > > I was on a biz trip in Germany with a colleague and he had backpain and insisted on Tylenol. Why a guy prone to backpain didn’t bring his own is beyond me but we went to a German drugstore. They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak German. The very helpful ladies behind the counter had no idea what we meant but kept trying. I knew the active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen\* but this didn’t come up in their database… Finally one clerk just googled it and found that acetaminophen is more commonly known as paracetamol in most of the world. Dude got his pills and we were on our way. > > - I distinctly remember trying to write it on a slip of paper, stumbling on the spelling and probably had half the letters wrong. Reminds me of the time I had blisters on my feet while visiting Paris. I remembered my mom using lamb’s wool for blisters, so I went into a drug store to buy lamb’s wool. With my limited knowledge of French, the best I could come up with was “hair of little sheep”. The pharmacist thought I wanted yarn for knitting. I finally took off one of my shoes and showed her my blisters. I got what I needed. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/329 "2021-10-01T08:31:13Z")
> [@Tarataratara](#): > > I use it as a jelly or jam on toast, English muffins, bagels, etc. It’s also very good on top of cottage cheese. When I was growing up mom often served cottage cheese with apple sauce on top. Now, when I see pre-made cottage cheese “doubles” I see pineapple, blueberry, mango, all sorts of flavors…except apple. Why is that? In fact, I’ve mentioned using apple and gotten all sorts of puzzled reactions, as if no other family ever put apple sauce on top of cottage cheese (pretty sure we aren’t the only ones). I image apple butter world also work well. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/330 "2021-10-01T09:17:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I had no idea perfuming drawers was a thing, but I don’t really keep any of my clothes in drawers. Now I’m picturing you painstakingly hanging your socks and undies on hangers. Perhaps the kind with little clips? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/331 "2021-10-01T12:20:20Z")
I use one of those closet wire rack drawer/basket set-ups, so a sachet would be kinda pointless, given the open design of those things. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/332 "2021-10-01T12:48:03Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Well, I’ve never seen, used, nor heard the names of grass whips and sling blades Billy Bob Thornton? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sAgSUFT4cVk/maxresdefault.jpg "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade - Sling Blade (2/12) Movie CLIP (1996) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAgSUFT4cVk) ---
**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:** [October 1, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/333 "2021-10-01T16:25:14Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I can tell when someone/place uses oil instead of lard in Mexican cooking … and even Hispanic overly healthy diet types swear you cant cook pork or beef in their dishes correctly without using lard … dang it I want carnitas now lol Me, too! ---
**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:** [October 1, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/334 "2021-10-01T16:30:11Z")
Looks more like salsa than ketchup to me. It’s really chunky looking. Is that typical? ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/335 "2021-10-01T22:08:28Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I wonder what they call a can of tomato sauce then. And I wouldn’t call a plain ol’ can of tomato sauce “marinara.” I recently was looking for pizza sauce recipes. One of the recipes had “tomato sauce” as an ingredient. This was useless to me because I had no idea (still don’t) what “tomato sauce” means to the recipe writer. Similarly I had a recipe that called for a “spice bag”. Which presumably is some standard combination of spices where the writer lives but in Ireland means something [completely different](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_bag). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/336 "2021-10-01T22:41:44Z")
[Tomato Sauce.](https://www.hunts.com/tomato-sauce-and-paste) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/337 "2021-10-01T22:47:34Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Now suet, that’s a modern mystery. I have a chili recipe that wants suet but no one carries it. (and considering what it is, maybe they shouldn’t!). Supermarkets here in the UK also carry vegetable suet (okay for vegans). I have tried it and it’s okay. We mostly use it for dumplings, but also for steak and kidney pudding. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/338 "2021-10-01T22:50:17Z")
I’ve mostly seen suet sold as bird feed, especially in colder months. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/339 "2021-10-01T23:10:23Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Tomato Sauce. Still not sure what it is though, or rather what would be the equivalent on our supermarket shelves. We don’t have a product marketed as “tomato sauce”, and the term tomato sauce is used to refer to ketchup. We do have: canned tomatoes (whole or chopped, with or without herbs) tomato purée passata pasta sauces of various kinds ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/340 "2021-10-01T23:23:47Z")
It’s probably closest to pasta sauce. Generally, it is neutrally flavored (not a lot of added garlic, for example), so you can flavor your sauce to taste. Hunt’s says: > Made from all-natural, vine-ripened tomatoes simmered with salt, spices, and natural flavors for seasoning, Hunt’s Tomato Sauce contains no added sugar, corn syrup, or other sweeteners. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/341 "2021-10-01T23:27:44Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > In East Texas we called that thing a YoYo. Same in other parts of Texas. Yo-yo and idiot stick. As a kid we had mowers, if you got handed a yo-yo it was for doing something dumb. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/342 "2021-10-02T00:15:02Z")
Tomato sauce is a staple in the US. It’s cooked tomatoes that have been pureed and strained, (no seeds) that will be used as an ingredient in making a more complex sauce or seasoning. The ingredients in the can in front of me say: Roma tomato puree Sea salt Citric acid Onion powder Garlic powder Spices There’s very little onion or garlic, and even less “spices”. It mostly tastes like salted tomato. The texture is thin and liquid. Thicker than orange juice, but much thinner than ketchup. I don’t know what passata is, nor does my phone’s spell-checker. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=18)