# Obvious things about real life you realize after the millionth time **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352 "2016-03-09T00:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [March 16, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/121 "2016-03-16T20:13:13Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Dunno - if you’re familiar with the concept of ripe and unripe fruit, it should be sort of obvious. Most fruits go from green to something else as they ripen. You mean like how limes are unripe lemons? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/122 "2016-03-16T22:10:46Z")
> [@vertizontal](#): > > I’ve been a big fan of **tartar sauce** my whole life. > Also, my whole life, when glancing at a spice rack, I often see **Creme of Tartar**. > I always assumed that Creme of Tartar was a primary ingredient in tartar sauce. I still feel kind of bad about an encounter in the supermarket a few months ago. An older man was wandering in the baking aisle with a list and asked where to find cream of tartar. We were a ways down from the spice area so I pointed there and said it’s where the spices are. I feel like I should have told him he was looking for a small container of powder, and not a can of cream like you might think! ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/123 "2016-03-16T22:55:21Z")
> [@vertizontal](#): > > I’ve been a big fan of **tartar sauce** my whole life. > Also, my whole life, when glancing at a spice rack, I often see **Creme of Tartar**. > I always assumed that Creme of Tartar was a primary ingredient in tartar sauce. I remember my mother making lemon meringue pie when I was a kid, and putting cream of tartar in the egg whites as she whipped them. That was about the extent of my experience with the stuff, and it never occurred to me to wonder what it actually was. So upon reading your post, I looked at the [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate), and found it mildly interesting that, unlike many other things in the spice rack, cream of tartar is a pure chemical compound, potassium bitartrate. Apparently, it forms in wine, and I guess that’s why it has a more “traditional” sounding name, because humans have been using it since before we knew what molecules and ions were. Sort of like we don’t normally call table salt “sodium chloride” in everyday use. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/124 "2016-03-16T23:44:39Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > But other unripe fruits aren’t generally eaten in an unripe condition because they taste awful that way. And in the case of bell peppers, that’s still true. The green ones are nasty. The other colors are nice. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/125 "2016-03-16T23:53:51Z")
My wife and I drove by a field with a horse at the fence one time. The horse was obviously male. She said, “Did you see the size of the c\*\*k on that horse?”. I said, “It must be hung like a horse”. She looked at me in amazement and said “Is that what that expression means?” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/126 "2016-03-17T00:35:40Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > My wife and I drove by a field with a horse at the fence one time. The horse was obviously male. She said, “Did you see the size of the c\*\*k on that horse?”. > > I said, “It must be hung like a horse”. She looked at me in amazement and said “Is that what that expression means?” I guess your cover is blown. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/127 "2016-03-17T03:22:44Z")
I wish! She doubled down by saying that she thought the expression just referred to the fact that horses were big animals in general. My wife is delightful combination of naïve and crass. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/128 "2016-03-17T03:29:18Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > This is getting off-topic, but I thought the proper way to address mail to New York City, regardless of the destination borough, was simply “New York, NY”? The mail will get there if you address it that way (assuming you include the Zip code), but here’s how to do it right: Manhattan: “New York, NY” Brooklyn: “Brooklyn, NY” Staten Island: “Staten Island, NY” Bronx: “Bronx (or The Bronx), NY” Queens: “[Neighborhood], NY” – for example, John Smith, 12-47 159th Street, Flushing, NY. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/129 "2016-03-17T12:31:33Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > She said, “Did you see the size of the c\*\*k on that horse?”. 😕 Cook? Cork? This is the Straight Dope. Give it to us straight. [sub]Or did she actually say it with asterisks in the first place?[/sub] ---
**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:** [March 17, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/130 "2016-03-17T12:59:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 😕 > > Cook? > > Cork? > > This is the Straight Dope. Give it to us straight. > > [sub]Or did she actually say it with asterisks in the first place?[/sub] I’m sure she did. **Marlonius** ’s wife appears to be talented. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/131 "2016-03-17T15:07:21Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 😕 > > Cook? > > Cork? > > This is the Straight Dope. Give it to us straight. > > [sub]Or did she actually say it with asterisks in the first place?[/sub] I wasn’t sure of the profanity policy, so erred on the side of caution. Rest assured, she said cock. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/132 "2016-03-17T15:39:48Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > My wife and I drove by a field with a horse at the fence one time. The horse was obviously male. She said, “Did you see the size of the cock on that horse?”. > > I said, “It must be hung like a horse”. She looked at me in amazement and said “Is that what that expression means?” I’m glad both of your survived the experience. It sounds like the kind of situation where keeping one’s car in the appropriate lane can get kind of tough. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/133 "2016-03-17T15:45:57Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > I wasn’t sure of the profanity policy, so erred on the side of caution. > > Rest assured, she said cock. So she saw something like this?: [https://www.documentsanddesigns.com/images/Universal\_Birds/Stationery/E\_Stationery\_Horse\_and\_Rooster.gif](https://www.documentsanddesigns.com/images/Universal_Birds/Stationery/E_Stationery_Horse_and_Rooster.gif) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/134 "2016-03-17T15:49:07Z")
Yeah, but which one is Danielle? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/135 "2016-03-17T17:04:02Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > I wasn’t sure of the profanity policy, so erred on the side of caution. For future reference: if [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288434) was OK, then I’d say pretty much anything goes. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/136 "2016-03-17T21:00:34Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > For future reference: if [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288434) was OK, then I’d say pretty much anything goes. OMG, that thread contains profanity! ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/137 "2016-03-18T02:53:41Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > So, inside the little flappy door that covers the opening to the gas tank on my cars, there’s this weird U-shaped fixture. > > \*It’s for holding the fuel cap while you’re filling up. \* It turns out I didn’t have to be putting the fuel cap on the car roof, chasing it when it inevitably rolled off, etc. for those many, many years. > > It was… not a good moment for me when this truth suddenly dawned. Here in New York (the Land of Dumb-ass Laws) the fuel cap is used to subvert a dumb-ass law prohibiting fuel nozzle latch locks. [Don’t get caught by the Gas Station Police!](http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/business/2014/10/22/law--order-filling-station-unit/17712147/) ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/138 "2016-03-18T11:02:36Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I didn’t realize this until I bought a house where this was the case. The town in your mailing address has nothing to do with where your house is. It is where the post office with your Zip Code is. People in more rural states probably grew up knowing that. I grew up in a relatively densely populated part of the most densely populated state. When I bought a house in a more rural part of the state I realized how the system worked. Now for 10+ years I’ve had to explain “The address says X but I actually live in Y.” My aunt lives just outside city limits of City A, technically in Town B. She has satellite TV and shitty dialup internet because the City cable company won’t give her service because she’s geographically outside their coverage area, and the cable co. that covers Town won’t give her service because she has a City address. > [@Arcite](#): > > This is getting off-topic, but I thought the proper way to address mail to New York City, regardless of the destination borough, was simply “New York, NY”? Pretty sure NY, NY is only Manhattan. Of course, you can write whatever you want on the city line of the address and the USPS dgaf as long as you use the right ZIP code. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Not according to Kirk Cameron. Then again, monkeys are athiests. Lol Cameron’s pastor using the banana as an example of God’s Intelligent Design. Fits just so in the hand, easy to open, easy to eat [inadvertently mimics a blowjob]. Well, yeah, the banana was intelligently designed … by humans via selective breeding. The wild plantain is an ugly lumpy green thing full of seeds. The yellow Cavendish banana we know today is the second try at a commercial banana – the original banana, the Gros Michel (i.e. “Big Mike” in English), was wiped out by a blight because every banana is a clone. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/139 "2016-03-18T13:10:41Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Japanese) the songwriter has denied that the song has anything to do with masturbation and said that the phrase “turning Japanese” was basically just nonsense, although the quotes aren’t sourced. At the time, the consensus seemed to be that the protagonist was “turning Japanese” because he was obsessed with a girl’s picture, playing on the stereotype of the Japanese tourist with the ever present camera. More importantly, is it “psyched lone ranger” or “cyclone ranger?” ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352/140 "2016-03-18T14:40:07Z")
I finally remembered one of my own. My Grandfather’s name was Frank, but I didn’t realize that. I thought his name was Grandpa. Even by the age of 6, I hadn’t figured this out, even though I knew my parents had actual names besides Mom and Dad. I remember being at my Grandparents’ house and one of the dogs puked on the floor. My mom made a move to clean it up, and then Grandma said it was okay, “Frank would do it.” Then my grandfather cleaned it up. I was irritated that Frank was shirking his duties and leaving everything for Grandpa. We saw them once a year, and that was the trip that I finally came to know they had actual names. I don’t think I even figured it out myself - my mom had to explain it to me. Six is way too old to still be in the dark about that in my opinion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-real-life-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time/748352.md?page=6)