# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 354
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7071 "2023-07-30T16:21:39Z")
Discussed by Fierra, back in the day. > **[Do the British not rinse dishes after washing them?](https://www.straightdope.com/21344249/do-the-british-not-rinse-dishes-after-washing-them)** Uh - I can check the dishwasher manual if you want? j ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7072 "2023-07-30T16:34:10Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I can confirm that this happens in my household. I rinse, but I think I also use more soap than my spouse when I wash dishes. Have you ever tasted soap in the food you eat off of those plates? > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Uh - I can check the dishwasher manual if you want? If that was for me, I don’t know what you mean. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7073 "2023-07-30T16:40:36Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Have you ever tasted soap in the food you eat off of those plates? They wipe them dry with a towel. I doubt there’s significant residue left. But I still use this as an opportunity to poke fun at our inbred cousins and their provincial mores. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7074 "2023-07-30T16:42:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They wipe them dry with a towel. I doubt there’s significant residue left. But I still use this as an opportunity to poke fun at our inbred cousins and their provincial mores. FWIW, the British way of washing dishes is also the German. Maybe the US is the outlier? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7075 "2023-07-30T16:45:22Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Have you ever tasted soap in the food you eat off of those plates? Never. (To my surprise.) It’s counterintuitive, but a tiny bit of soap residue seems not to matter at all. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7076 "2023-07-30T16:45:33Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I don’t think people generally realize just how many vineyards there are in the UK. Take my home county of Sussex, for example (strictly two counties there days, East and West Sussex). Broadly speaking, South of London, and stretching from the sea about half way to the capital > > Sussex is currently home to 138 vineyards (!). Which kinds begs the question, how many in the country, then? And the answer to that is, weeeellll… it seems to depend on who you ask. But this web page has enough detail to come over as reasonably persuasive: > [The Phenomenal Growth Of English Wine - Carling Partnership](https://www.carlingpartnership.com/insights/the-phenomenal-growth-of-english-wine/) > > Surprising, eh? Makes me wonder: if it ever becomes possible to not merely halt but to reverse global warming will Britons really want to go back to the Little Ice Age, when the Thames froze over hard enough that people could build bonfires on the ice? ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7077 "2023-07-30T17:06:35Z")
It surprises me, too. After eating messy foods, I wash my mouth and chin with soap, being very careful to keep my lips pressed together tightly until I’ve rinsed myself thoroughly, and I _always_ get a soapy taste in my mouth. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > FWIW, the British way of washing dishes is also the German. Maybe the US is the outlier? Huh, I thought it was just a few older people in the UK. I’ve lived in apartments with enough cockroaches to consider leaving the soap on the dishes, but even so, I’d wash and rinse them before use. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7078 "2023-07-30T17:20:13Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > FWIW, the British way of washing dishes is also the German. Maybe the US is the outlier? We’re quite happy to be the outlier from antediluvian European habits. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7079 "2023-07-30T17:21:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That’s nuttier than a fruitcake. got ya. Missed spelling day in school. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I can confirm that this happens in my household. I rinse, but I think I also use more soap than my spouse when I wash dishes. I’m having to travel back and forth from my own home, to my moms. My mom is gone now so I’m the only one here sorting stuff out. ('cept my dog that comes along). It’s very, very easy for one person to use one plate, one bowl one glass and a fork a spoon and knife. Just wash each time after using. Done. It’s sort of like camping. But no, I don’t cook here. I cook a lot at home though. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7080 "2023-07-30T17:40:11Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > If that was for me, I don’t know what you mean. Sorry, that clearly didn’t come over as I had intended - a jokey observation about how Britain has changed. I should have put a wink smiley on it to make that clear. My bad. j ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7081 "2023-07-30T18:37:57Z")
Thanks for the clarification. You did fine. I’m running a little slow this evening and got it a minute or two after responding to you. I remain puzzled about not rinsing. I agree that some kitchens aren’t well designed, and of course we have to consume less water, but my kitchen’s quite small, as in other apartments I’ve had, and I’ve never had any logistical difficulties. Using cold water, I rinse whatever pot is dirty, fill it halfway with water and detergent (washing-up liquid), wash the dishes, put them on the counter next to the sink, rinse them and let them dry in a rack over the sink. Done, in about a square meter of floor space. Maybe I’ve misunderstood something (running slow this evening), but I don’t understand how the design of the kitchen is a reason for not rinsing. ETA: The only reference I’ve seen about design is in Cecil’s column, linked upthread. I thought I’d seen it mentioned in the other link I posted. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7082 "2023-07-30T21:59:24Z")
Maybe it’s from a time when running water, especially hot, was either expensive or unavailable (washing anything when you have to pump or haul the water and heat it is like one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules). At least in a Boy Scout troop camping situation the standard was to have a basin of wash water and a basin of rinse water: you washed, shook off as much of the soapy water as possible and then dipped to rinse. Was something like that why kitchen and laundry double sinks were standard for so long? ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7083 "2023-07-30T22:08:05Z")
I’ve noticed the not-rinsing on a British TV show; probably _The Good Life_ (retitled _Good Neighbors_ in the U.S.). That was made in the mid-'70s, so it may be a generational things. Or maybe they just didn’t want the extra sound of the rinsing to distract from the dialog of the characters. I did a sailing trip where we had to wash all the dishes in cold salt water. We still rinsed them. I never noticed any residual taste of soap, or salt. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7084 "2023-07-30T22:13:44Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I did a sailing trip where we had to wash all the dishes in cold salt water. We still rinsed them. I never noticed any residual taste of soap, or salt. I believe that modern detergents work much better (read “far less crappy”) in sea water than traditional soap. I’ve also heard that shampoos with sodium lauryl sulfate as the active ingredient work well for salt water bathing. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7085 "2023-07-30T22:18:16Z")
On the suggested packing list, I was advised to bring soap and shampoo that worked in salt water. I think I found some at REI. I think there was one fresh-water shower on board, and one with salt water. I don’t remember what we used to wash the dishes. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7086 "2023-07-31T03:07:01Z")
Peter Graves and James Arness were brothers. I wonder how I missed this? ---
**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:** [July 31, 2023, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7087 "2023-07-31T11:27:45Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > _Spiders in Space_: Little spiders like to balloon. No, not twisting long balloons into animal shapes (though that would be \*tre \*cool), but traveling distances by turning their butts skyward, letting out a thin thread of web and allowing the wind to pick them up and dispersing them all about. The rides can be long duration (\>weeks: spiderlings can survive weeks traveling with no food} and they can reach high altitudes (into jet streams; they’ve been found up to ~5km). > > As an arachnophobe, I’m distressed that I can’t even escape spiders by moving to the top of Mt. Everest (BTW, the high, cold winds at the summit are jet streams). And, the thought of spiders bumping uglies in the mile-high club disgusts me! I recently learned that spiders rely on electricity for their ballooning behavior: > **[Spiders Fly Riding Electric Currents — Biological Strategy — AskNature](https://asknature.org/strategy/spiders-surf-on-electric-fields/)** > > Spiders travel thousands of miles through the air using their silk to ride electrostatic repulsion instead of the wind. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7088 "2023-07-31T11:40:22Z")
Interesting article! But, distressing to learn spiders have harnessed electricity. Soon, they will develop electric _people_ prods to stun us before jumping on our faces and biting us. Why can’t animals just stop evolving!?! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7089 "2023-07-31T12:41:16Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Peter Graves and James Arness were brothers. > I wonder how I missed this? And they never appeared onscreen together, though Peter did direct one episode of _Gunsmoke_ (“Which Dr.”, in which Matt Dillon was a peripheral character). ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7090 "2023-07-31T13:20:51Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Climax Saskatchewan. Climax, Minnesota and Embarrass, Minnesota [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=353) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=355)