# Silly, weird, perhaps unanswerable questions about movies and TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401 "2013-03-31T03:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/381 "2024-05-01T05:15:06Z")
"I’m sorry that Doctor Jones has been… well, _detained_ while doing, umm, _research._ But don’t worry, his classes will be taught by the university’s top men. _Top. Men."_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/382 "2024-05-01T06:50:06Z")
There was a _Popeye_ brand of canned spinach on sale when I was in grade school. I must have been in fourth or fifth grade when I finally got to try it after nagging my mother to buy some. I took a forkful and spit it out immediately, thinking it was the vilest thing possible. Of course, I like canned spinach now, just as long as it’s incorporated into something like an omelet or lasagna. Fresh spinach I’ll eat too if its smothered in olive oil 🤭 and garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/383 "2024-05-01T06:58:20Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > There was a _Popeye_ brand of canned spinach on sale Never saw that, but I do remember “Pop-I” bagged spinach in the produce section when I was younger. No passing off the intellectual property there, right? Well, kinda, I guess, but maybe not worth it. > [@terentii](#): > > Fresh spinach I’ll eat too if its smothered in olive oil 🤭 and garlic. That is tasty! Maybe add some crumbled feta cheese to that. That’s what I do. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/384 "2024-05-01T07:00:58Z")
Just about any salty cheese will do, from Feta to Parmesan. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/385 "2024-05-01T07:11:49Z")
This is what I remember having. Allen’s apparently still produces it. [![](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.wVUGmNt711yThQAiOZGNaAAAAA?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) ](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.wVUGmNt711yThQAiOZGNaAAAAA?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/386 "2024-05-01T07:23:48Z")
Oh gosh. Allen’s. I don’t think I ever ate their canned spinach, but they were a famous brand in Canada for canned and bottled juice. I think every morning up until I was 11 or 12, Mom made sure that Sis and I had a glass of Allen’s apple juice at breakfast. (Hint: Mix it with 7-Up later in the day for a nice carbonated apple drink.) Thanks for that. I cannot find any images of “Pop-I” spinach, but I do remember it in the produce section. . ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/387 "2024-05-01T10:59:09Z")
A tribe of cannibals has captured the hero and is preparing to cook him alive in a giant metal stewpot. Where did they get the stewpot? ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/388 "2024-05-01T11:44:24Z")
I wonder who first popularized the big pot? I’m gonna guess a cartoonist for something like Puck. It’s been in every media. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/389 "2024-05-01T12:17:06Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > …how come the emcee never asks “Why?” > > I don’t know why, but I’m glad they don’t ask. _Card Sharks_ used to drive me nuts. > > “We asked 100 people, are you left-handed? How many said yes, they are left-handed?” > “Well. Jim, I think that’s going to be a pretty small number. I know a lot of people, and only a few of them are left-handed. My uncle was left-handed and he…” > > Just give a damn number already. They ramble on like they’re being paid by the word. Depending on the game show, they may be encouraged not to answer immediately. I’m thinking of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, for instance. If the contestant just answered every question immediately, the show would be much shorter. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/390 "2024-05-01T13:35:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Depending on the game show, they may be encouraged not to answer immediately. I’m thinking of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, for instance. If the contestant just answered every question immediately, the show would be much shorter. I expect you’re right that contestants were instructed to drag things out a bit. _Deal or no Deal_ would have been a very different show if everyone involved would just get on with it, already. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/391 "2024-05-01T14:33:47Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > There was a _Popeye_ brand of canned spinach on sale when I was in grade school. Now THAT makes a lot more sense than all those cans of frozen orange juice concentrate with a big Donald Duck head on them. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/392 "2024-05-01T14:51:42Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > A tribe of cannibals has captured the hero and is preparing to cook him alive in a giant metal stewpot. Where did they get the stewpot? What, just because they’re cannibals they can’t know metalworking? ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/393 "2024-05-01T14:55:51Z")
They’re cannibals, but they have a giant cooking vessel business. Who do you think supplies the US military? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/394 "2024-05-01T15:05:20Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > A tribe of cannibals has captured the hero and is preparing to cook him alive in a giant metal stewpot. Where did they get the stewpot? From Missionaries? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/395 "2024-05-01T15:07:35Z")
Harbor Freight? Canadian Tire? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/396 "2024-05-01T15:10:26Z")
Is the pot necessarily metal? Might be clay. The oldest literary reference I know of to cannibals’ large cooking pots is _ **She** _ by H. Rider Haggard. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/397 "2024-05-01T15:11:15Z")
Walmart! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/398 "2024-05-01T15:11:31Z")
Wouldn’t stewing him lose all the flavor? You’d think they’d bury in a charcoal pit under wet leaves, luau style. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/399 "2024-05-01T15:25:32Z")
Maybe they thought roasting him over a fire on a slowly rotating spit would be too much of a cliché. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/400 "2024-05-01T15:25:37Z")
Incidentally, such giant pots were made for the purpose of scalding hogs: dipping them briefly in boiling water so as to remove the hair and bristles from the hide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401.md?page=21)