# "Mystery" products which don't explicitly identify what kind they are **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 14, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627 "2025-06-14T14:11:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/101 "2025-06-15T18:53:06Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Even if you have a vetted mailing list (or emailing list), there’s still slop. “The leads are weak!” ---
**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:** [June 15, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/102 "2025-06-15T18:53:44Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > “The leads are weak!” “Coffee is for closers, Jophiel.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/103 "2025-06-16T03:45:22Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Does anyone here remember the margarine that WAS dyed pink or blue, aimed at children? No, but I remember always seeing “Color Added” on the box and being disappointed that the color was ALWAYS yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/104 "2025-06-16T10:44:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They do taste a lot like butter, at least when spread cold. For cooking purposes the results vary. I used those spreads for years, and never realized why my grilled cheeses were so disappointing. Gotta have butter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/105 "2025-06-16T11:05:13Z")
Grilled cheese made from Kraft Singles on Wonder Bread with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. That’s an American tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/106 "2025-06-16T12:19:36Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Even in Japan, getting real wasabi isn’t a given in restaurants. Whether it’s real or not 90% of it ends up in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/107 "2025-06-16T12:38:13Z")
Whatever the Mystery Product is; if the effects last more than 4 hours - you should see a doctor… or… start a podcast. Either way, death is always a side effect. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/108 "2025-06-16T12:54:12Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Meta, Google, and other digital media companies provide tools and data which help marketers to target better, but their data aren’t perfect, and they often don’t have good information on the sorts of demographic and psychographic information that a particular marketer would prefer to be able to use. For a simple example, for many medications, the target market is only people with a particular disease. The Algorithms might be able to make educated guesses for some diseases in some cases, but in most cases, they can just do vaguely-correlated demographics like age, or no information at all. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/109 "2025-06-16T13:02:43Z")
YouTube’s [Project Farm guy did a 13-minute video](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=41HBPqdMxfI&pp=ygUWYXV0b21vdGl2ZSByZWZyaWdlcmFudA%3D%3D) on non-R-134a refrigerants. It’s also a super-speed course on correctly adding and removing auto refrigerants. It’s not the tightly controlled comparisons that most of his videos are, but the results point toward lower performance and reduced safety. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/41HBPqdMxfI/maxresdefault.jpg "How Dangerous is Fake Car A/C Refrigerant? Let's Find Out!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41HBPqdMxfI) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/110 "2025-06-16T13:21:10Z")
You actually thought it was butter??? …They don’t call Country Crock ‘margarine’ even if it is, because today’s thinking considers margarine to be unhealthy. Obviously people still buy and use it… My mother never used real butter ever, she called it oleo in the store but ‘butter’ at home. … I cleaned out her cupboard when she was old and was amazed - she lived alone and had very little company, but the cupboard was filled with empty Country Crock containers. For storing bits of leftovers. Where did they all come from? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/111 "2025-06-16T16:15:03Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Whether it’s real or not 90% of it ends up in the trash. Not from my plate. I love the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/112 "2025-06-16T16:38:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > “Slop,” or “wasted impressions.” Cost of doing business. If you’re selling a high-priced product, or using the ad to build top-of-mind awareness among a small niche audience, the cost may still be worth it, even if 99+% of the people who see your ad will _never_ buy your product. That reminds me of 30+ years ago when I used to watch the Sunday morning news programs. It seemed like a lot of the ads were for defense contractors and stuff. I used to wonder about the wisdom of spending so much money to advertise your product to such a small demographic. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/113 "2025-06-16T16:48:23Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > That reminds me of 30+ years ago when I used to watch the Sunday morning news programs. It seemed like a lot of the ads were for defense contractors and stuff. I used to wonder about the wisdom of spending so much money to advertise your product to such a small demographic. Twenty-plus years ago, one of my clients was ADM (Archer-Daniels-Midland), a massive ag processor. Running ads on the Sunday news shows was an important part of our media plan for them, and it was specifically to build awareness and positive impressions among Senators and Representatives (and their staff members) who were on the Agriculture committees, and lobbyists who did work in the ag and food sectors. The clients absolutely felt that it was worth the investment, even if 99.999% of the people who saw the ads were not their target. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/114 "2025-06-16T16:51:40Z")
I remember those ads. The tagline at the end, “ADM. Supermarket to the world.” ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/115 "2025-06-16T17:40:35Z")
There’s a new eye drop called “MIEBO” The commercial has a warning - ### The exact way Meibo works is not known ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/116 "2025-06-17T01:06:17Z")
The first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title was [Marvel Mystery Oil.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Mystery_Oil) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/117 "2025-06-17T13:44:10Z")
I once saw a saran-wrapped package in the refrigerated part of a supermarket, alongside the chicken, beef, and pork. The package said simply **MEAT** ..as if challenging you to buy it or identify it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/118 "2025-06-18T00:34:48Z")
Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2025, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/119 "2025-06-18T00:40:13Z")
I got a can of **PORK** from my Daddys house after he died. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627/120 "2025-06-18T00:51:44Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I thought that certain products aimed at kosher and vegan consumers still used them. Yeah, butter is better for you than margarine. If you avoiding butter because of Jewish dietary laws or because you will not consume any animal product, that doesn’t really matter. Someone avoiding animal products for whatever reason needs to read labels VERY carefully - a LOT of non-butter spreads use casein, which is derived from milk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-products-which-dont-explicitly-identify-what-kind-they-are/1019627.md?page=7)