# Things you are shocked people don't know **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 19, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348 "2016-09-19T14:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/161 "2016-09-21T22:07:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Where do olives fit in? I would guess “fruit” based on the above. Actually, to be honest, I don’t really think I’ve ever heard olives referred to as either one or the other. They just kind of are. Neither. They’re a condiment, not a side dish. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/162 "2016-09-21T22:13:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I can’t think of a single vegetable that’s salty without adding salt… Well, true - it’s just the mental association of vegetables as salty dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/163 "2016-09-21T22:59:07Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > **Something else you can’t put in the microwave:** a raw potato, apparently. I do it all the time… but what you do is poke several holes, nuke for 5-8 minutes depending on size, then let them sit for another 10-15 minutes as the internal steam finishes cooking them. Very important to poke _multiple_ holes and not over cook them. Or yes, you’ll find out that potatoes, like most carbon-based things, can burn very nicely. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/164 "2016-09-21T23:03:56Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, true - it’s just the mental association of vegetables as salty dishes. Well…celery is kind of salty, but fruits v vegetables is a sweets vs savory classification, so I understood exactly what you were trying to say. This is kind of where rhubarb ends up in a bit of weird zone. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of rhubarb referred to as a fruit, but, in American cooking at least, it definitely takes on a fruit role more than a veggie one. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/165 "2016-09-22T06:15:42Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > The easy way to remember - Mexico is America’s beard. Well, I did know a lot of Texans who considered it the country’s merkin. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/166 "2016-09-22T06:17:10Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I’m surprised that people think it’s okay to drive just off your port stern on the freeway. In such a way that they aren’t passing you, but their headlights reflect in your side mirror. Or worse, they drive right next to you, so if something catastrophic happens (a tire blows), one car will plow into the other, causing a major accident. sounds like you live or do quite a bit of driving in/through in Utah. I’ve run into one person who was certain that driving was a right, not a privilege. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/167 "2016-09-22T10:41:20Z")
> [@pieceoftheuniverse](#): > > But, looking more generally at the [definition of “vegetable,”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable) you can see that it uses the same root word as “vegetation” - “a plant or part of a plant that is used as food.” That’s the oldest definition of the word, and applies to everything. Yes, a cucumber is a vegetable. So is a strawberry. And apples, and carrots, and anything else that grows. > > This last definition I prefer because it helped resolve a long-standing family argument to just call everything a “vegetable,” and then we can have a good chuckle about it. OK for biology class, not useful in the kitchen. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/168 "2016-09-22T11:56:02Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > No one. I was the one who didn’t know; my coworker was the shocked one. Or are you railing against my post not fitting the OP perfectly? If so, I profoundly apologize for my transgression. I’m shocked that your coworker was shocked that you didn’t know Soweto was a syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships; that seems like a pretty esoteric bit of knowledge for anyone outside of South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/169 "2016-09-22T12:39:41Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > There is actually a very obvious example of where state law can be more stringent than federal law - minimum wage. The federal government sets a minimum wage, but the states can go above that minimum wage (though not below). > > The credit card rule is likely that the federal government has set a ceiling of $10 for requiring use of a credit card and the states are free to set lower ceilings, as long as they don’t set higher ceilings. I don’t clearly recall what the original issue was, and what I was intending to defend or criticize, so I’ll be bowing out of this discussion of laws. Feel on much firmer grounds re: the vegetable vs fruit discussion! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/170 "2016-09-22T12:45:13Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > The thing I’m surprised more people don’t know is that different dialects of English are not incorrect, and claiming they are is very close to racist, or at least classist, most of the time. There is vernacular English, and literary English. If you are writing a play, or a first person novel, and can produce flawless vernacular more power to you. But for formal writing, technical writing, proofreading, and so on, you need to learn standard Amriaca > [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > Recent shocker, I encountered a United States born and educated freshman (recent high school graduate) that did not know the Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States judicial system and that their decisions overrule the decisions of lower courts. And they get to vote. I have met people in their 30s, who someone missed that they were sending the presidential to the electroral college. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/171 "2016-09-22T12:57:46Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > But for formal writing, technical writing, proofreading, and so on, you need to learn standard Amriaca > > And they get to vote. > > I have met people in their 30s, who someone missed that they were sending the presidential to the electroral college. Yes, yes you do. ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/172 "2016-09-22T13:45:35Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’m shocked that your coworker was shocked that you didn’t know Soweto was a syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships; that seems like a pretty esoteric bit of knowledge for anyone outside of South Africa. I’m sure lots of people don’t know it inside South Africa. I know I didn’t know what it stood for until somewhere in my late teens. In my defence I have never lived anywhere near Soweto. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/173 "2016-09-22T15:40:57Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’m shocked that your coworker was shocked that you didn’t know Soweto was a syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships; that seems like a pretty esoteric bit of knowledge for anyone outside of South Africa. It’s pretty esoteric for most people in South Africa, too (not me, of course 🙂 ) This is because it has the _feel_ of a word in an African language (not Afrikaans, I mean a Bantu language) and so even the ones who speak a Bantu language as a mother tongue just assume it comes from one of the other ones… I have, in fact, lived on the outskirts of Soweto. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/174 "2016-09-22T15:57:05Z")
The thing that always shocks me is how people (and by this I mean, like, 95% of people, most places) just don’t know thing one about the rocks in the place they live. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/175 "2016-09-22T15:58:57Z")
This thread has a bit of ivory tower syndrome; posters are saying that they are shocked that other people don’t have the knowledge about the poster’s hobbies or interests that the poster does. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/176 "2016-09-22T16:19:58Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I thought columns were Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric. Or was that ironic, Ricardo Montalbaum, and Nemo’s friend? > 😃 Yes. You see, I actually don’t even know the few things I thought I knew. > [@](#): > > Where do you (and apparently Feynman) draw the line? Do you know any of your friends/family by name? Can you distinguish between your dog and cat, or are they both just “mammalian pets”? Do you go to a restaurant/grocery a la Repo Man and just order “food and drink”? Treat any ills with “medicine”? > > I suspect that with many answers here, we will differ as to the level of precision/expertise expected of an average individual. I see your point. But “clouds” and “rocks” and “trees” actually gets me through the day without any difficulty. I need to distinguish between cats and dogs because my wife might say " did you let the dog out?" She doesn’t say “let the larger pet out please.” I care what type of food I get, so I need to be a little more precise than “I need food.” Knowing the names of flowers would be important if I was sent to the store to pick up some rose bushes (but thankfully, I am not). Everyone has their own knowledge set. Trees and flower names are great for people who have experience or interest in such things. I’ve been around many such people all my life. It just never rubbed off on me. On the other hand, based on my time cleaning fish in Alaska, I can easily tell you if a salmon is a salmon, and also if it’s a King (Chinook), Red (sockeye), Silver (Coho), Pink (humpy), or Chum (dog). ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/177 "2016-09-22T17:33:18Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > \*How to merge on a damn freeway from an acceleration ramp. Folks, people already on the highway have the right a way and should not have to speed up, slow down, or change lanes to adjust for you. \*That “right of way” is the name of a common legal- and traffic-related concept and “right a way” is not. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/178 "2016-09-22T17:39:56Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > \*That “right of way” is the name of a common legal- and traffic-related concept and “right a way” is not. That “right of way” is a concept, period. Just yesterday, I turned left at a four-way intersection. I had the green arrow, meaning I had the right of way. Another driver directly opposite me was turning right (on red). She did not have the right of way. She blocked the intersection, making gestures and yelling at me to get out of the way. Just because it’s legal to turn right on red doesn’t mean you get to do it even if another driver has the right of way. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/179 "2016-09-22T17:49:34Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Ricardo Montalbaum Is that Mr. Roarke’s half-German half-brother? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348/180 "2016-09-22T18:42:11Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I see your point. But “clouds” and “rocks” and “trees” actually gets me through the day without any difficulty. I need to distinguish between cats and dogs because my wife might say " did you let the dog out?" If “plants” and “birds” and “rocks” and “things” get you through your day, does your horse need a name? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-are-shocked-people-dont-know/766348.md?page=10)