# Oddest things you've had at hand for a situation **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038 "2018-04-08T21:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/21 "2018-04-10T12:27:52Z")
Thought of another thing: a [bear barrel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear-resistant_food_storage_container): I was at a party where we were talking about our upcoming hikes and some of them were talking about purchasing a bear barrel, and I happened to have one in the car so I grabbed it so they could see the size and weight. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/22 "2018-04-10T12:57:15Z")
I’d say the goofiest story like this wasn’t me, but my husband. Back when he used to drop off our daughter at school on his way to work, they started arguing about whose hair was the finest. "Well let’s just settle this right now,"said my husband, stopping the car and pulling out the micrometer he just happened to have in his pocket. Their hair diameter was exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/23 "2018-04-10T13:44:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I think I’m going to start carrying \*\*Jennshark \*\*around in my car. Just whistle and I’ll be there with bbq fork and bear horn. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/24 "2018-04-10T13:50:42Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > We needed something to draw a ticket out of for a doorprize. I went to my car and came back with the classic fish bowl. I couldn’t even believe it. I really have no excuse for it, a friend gave it to me for reasons I don’t remember. This strikes me as incredibly funny! I’ve been giggling since I read this. May be apocryphal, I read this on a personal stories website: a woman was making an omelette and the doorbell rang. She went to the door holding two eggs she was on the verge of cracking into the bowl. It was her neighbor at the door, come to ask if she could borrow two eggs for a cake mix. Eggs handed to flabbergasted neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/25 "2018-04-11T04:57:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > One of them randomly says 'I could go for a nice big pickle right now", to which I responded “hold on, don’t go anywhere” and about two minutes later I have a nice big pickle for her. And the look she gave you when you arrived with the pickle was one of amazement or one of bemused pity?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/26 "2018-04-11T07:05:46Z")
“We need a pirate treasure chest for the wedding reception.” “Hang on, let me go to my truck.” Yes, this is a thing that happened, and I did in fact return with a treasure chest filled with a suitable assortment of (plastic) golden coins and costume jewelry. Other random things produced from the truck on request include a gargoyle, a sword, a ninja outfit, a Tesla coil, and materials for making a besom. (Though I should note that not all of these were at the same time.) Of course, I’ve also dug out many other, more commonly useful items as well. A friend was once inspired to write “Police Box” in the dust on the rear glass. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/27 "2018-04-11T20:02:47Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Friend was complaining about the lack of the correct bbq tool. I zipped out to my car and brought back the long-ass bbq fork that was on the front seat. She was astounded. I had the fork in my car because the day before I dropped the cap of the car’s windshield washer tank into the engine and tried to fish it out with the long fork (couldn’t find the cap, I put the fork in the car in case the lid surfaced after some driving – it never did). I know hot dogs aren’t the healthiest food ever but did you at least wash the fork first before using it on the hot dogs? 😃 ---
**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:** [April 11, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/28 "2018-04-11T20:37:42Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I know hot dogs aren’t the healthiest food ever but did you at least wash the fork first before using it on the hot dogs? > > 😃 Exactly what I was thinking!😃 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/29 "2018-04-11T20:41:19Z")
Another BBQ implement story: In my camping days I used to have some BBQ tongs in my kitchen kit. One day I was having lunch at Joshua Tree’s “Cholla Garden” when a family drove up and made the mistake of letting their dog run loose. Sure enough, within a minute or two the dog had managed to get a joint(small detachable cactus segment) stuck in it’s nose and was howling away. The BBQ tongs were just the thing to pull the cactus off (and possibly save a long trip to the nearest vet) On another trip, this time at Florida Caverns State Park, I was able to help a fellow tourist who had locked himself out of his car. I happened to have a metal coat hanger and his window was open just enough so that he could reach in and pop the lock to get back in. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038/30 "2018-04-11T22:21:51Z")
A group of friends and me were out on the town one night, amd happened into a bar we went to frequently enough that we knew the bartender. Some folks were already at the bar, drinking mojitos - a combination of rum, lime juce, and fresh mint for those not familiar. A bunch of us took one look and started exclaiming ‘omg those look so good, let’s have mojitos.’ The bartender heard us and came over and said “sorry I’d love to make you mojitos but we just ran out of mint“ I reached into my purse pulled out a huge bunch of mint and slapped it on the bar. The bartender looked at the mint, looked at me and started laughing his ass off, as so did all my friends. It was the best timing ever, and we all got mojitos. Back story: the bar/restaurant we’d just left had an excess of mint, and was closing after tonight’s service for their normal Sunday/Monday ‘weekend.’ The bartender knew I cooked a lot, and the mint would have gone bad by the time Tuesday rolled around, so asked if I wanted it. I took it, and thus had it at the ready when the other bartender told us he was fresh out. But what were the chances of one place having too much mingt and giving it to me, the next place being out, and we all decide we want a drink needing it? Crazy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddest-things-youve-had-at-hand-for-a-situation/812038.md?page=1)