# Weird little facts of life. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981 "2008-12-28T18:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/21 "2008-12-28T23:52:51Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Soft drinks are better out of glass than aluminium or plastic. But milk is best out of an aluminum cup. A brightly colored one like Aunt Dorothy had. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/22 "2008-12-29T00:09:30Z")
Soup tastes best when it’s _this close_ to being too hot. As a corollary of sorts, fruits taste best when they are _this close_ to being inedibly rotten. When you buy a pair of jeans that fit you perfectly in the store, they shrink just enough to be uncomfortable/give you a muffin-top when you wash them. If you buy a pair of jeans a _shade_ too loose thinking they’ll shrink a bit when you wash them, they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/23 "2008-12-29T00:26:04Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Soup tastes best when it’s _this close_ to being too hot. > > As a corollary of sorts, **fruits taste best when they are _this close_ to being inedibly rotten.** > > When you buy a pair of jeans that fit you perfectly in the store, they shrink just enough to be uncomfortable/give you a muffin-top when you wash them. If you buy a pair of jeans a _shade_ too loose thinking they’ll shrink a bit when you wash them, they don’t. This makes me sad because if you don’t eat fruit within that 2 hour window it either isn’t ripe enough or it is so overly ripe that it starts to attract bugs. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/24 "2008-12-29T00:33:30Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > When you buy a pair of jeans that fit you perfectly in the store, they shrink just enough to be uncomfortable/give you a muffin-top when you wash them. If you buy a pair of jeans a _shade_ too loose thinking they’ll shrink a bit when you wash them, they don’t. Why do they DO that??? Most frustrating thing ever!! All cold drinks taste better in a tall glass than in a short stubby one. You think you’re out of ketchup. You see ketchup at the store. You buy ketchup. You were _not_ in fact out of ketchup and now have three bottles because you did that a couple weeks ago too… A child’s pee reflex is triggered by dressing him in a snowsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/25 "2008-12-29T02:35:14Z")
If you’ve placed your order in a restaurant and decide to light a cigarette to help pass the time, your food will arrive before you’re halfway finished smoking it. This works even if you lit the cig 2 seconds after the server finished writing your order. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/26 "2008-12-29T03:26:59Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > You think you’re out of ketchup. You see ketchup at the store. You buy ketchup. You were _not_ in fact out of ketchup and now have three bottles because you did that a couple weeks ago too… Nobody ever ever runs out of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/27 "2008-12-29T03:31:19Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > But milk is best out of an aluminum cup. A brightly colored one like Aunt Dorothy had. No, milk is best out of a \*\*\*tin \*\*\*cup. But that’s probably what Aunt Dorothy actually had… ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/28 "2008-12-29T04:02:39Z")
Once you find an interesting, intellectually-stimulating TV show that you like, it will be cancelled before the end of the first season due to all attention being given to the mind-numbing dance/reality/eat my mother’s food contest shows. I hate american television shows. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/29 "2008-12-29T04:05:52Z")
If you leave for work (or anyplace else, for that matter) a bit early, the roads will be clear, there will be few cars on the road, and all the lights will be green. If you leave a tad late, the opposite will be true. And/or you will be low on gas. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/30 "2008-12-29T04:23:32Z")
If you lay down a bottle or can of soda it goes flat faster than a standing one. Even if the bottle hasn’t been opened yet. The cooler the soup the better the taste. It’s never the right temperature outside to wear your favorite jacket. You’ll either sweat in it or freeze anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/31 "2008-12-29T04:30:34Z")
There is never enough cheese to go with the whine. Any change to the SDMB will result in at least one complaint thread. Ice cold milk always tastes best when accompanied by chocolate cake. Television news reporters are only able to ask questions of public figures where the viewers already know the answers. The only person who doesn’t know the answer ahead of time is the reporter who asked the question. The other line always moves faster. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/32 "2008-12-29T05:20:51Z")
The speed your hair grows is determined by whether or not you’re trying to grow your hair out or are maintaining a short hairstyle that needs frequent trims. Obviously, when it’s the former, your hair grows very slowly; the latter causes hair to grow quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/33 "2008-12-29T05:41:35Z")
How good your hair turns out is inversely proportional to whether you are going out socializing. Just mooching around the mall - perfection! Your staff Christmas party - what the hell happened to your head? Corolllary: Just mooching around the mall hair perfection turns to crap the second an ex is in sight. All food tastes better when made by someone else. The more eagerly you are anticipating a call, the longer it takes to come in. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/34 "2008-12-29T06:11:22Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Ice cold milk always tastes best when accompanied by chocolate cake. I demand to know how you can see inside my head! > [@](#): > > Television news reporters are only able to ask questions of public figures where the viewers already know the answers. The only person who doesn’t know the answer ahead of time is the reporter who asked the question. And the public figure always answers a different question. One he wasn’t asked. > [@](#): > > The other line always moves faster. What would happen if you and I stood in both lines. My guess is the resulting conflict (how does the _other_ line move faster if _both_ lines are the _other_ line?) would cause a divide-by-zero error and the universe would fold in on itself. > [@Tijuana\_Golds](#): > > It’s never the right temperature outside to wear your favorite jacket. You’ll either sweat in it or freeze anyway. Or both. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/35 "2008-12-29T07:49:27Z")
Ice cream tastes better with a plastic spoon rather than a metal one. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/36 "2008-12-29T07:59:16Z")
You’re always low on milk when you need to bake something. Fried chicken tastes best straight out of the fridge for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/37 "2008-12-29T10:27:53Z")
- If you have a MAG-LIGHT, the one which holds 3 D-sized batteries, you can also use 4 C-sized batteries instead. During the blackout on Friday I had to find a solution for getting some light since I was well unprepared for it and my D batteries were pretty well used up. Quite a surprise this was. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/38 "2008-12-29T12:30:31Z")
No matter how well-stocked your pantry is, for any given dish you will be missing one and only one ingredient required to make that dish. Even if you decide to make a different dish that doesn’t require that ingredient, you will still be missing one and only one ingredient. Robin ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/39 "2008-12-29T12:46:30Z")
> [@Queen\_Bruin](#): > > Tea or ramen made from boiling water on the stovetop tastes better than boiling water from the microwave. Don’t ask me why but it does. I’m with you on the cups too, **Lobsang**. I’ve heard that this has to do with soap residue in/on ceramic mugs and cups, especially if you have a dishwasher. Ceramic just doesn’t rinse as cleanly as it could. Rinsing a cup thoroughly in hot water before you heat water in it might produce better results. My little facts: - Curly-haired people want their hair to be straight, straight haired people want their hair to curl. - Even with the exact same ingredients, it’s never possible to make a sandwich as good as that one your mom/spouse/grandpa/brother made for you yesterday. - Your iPod battery will die at the exact point on your cross-country journey when you enter a zone with only four things on the radio: music in a language that is not your own, 1940s country gospel music, political talk from a perspective not your own and local talk shows discussing esoteric issues and people that you only understand if you live within a 20 mile radius of the station. - The more urgent your need to speak to someone/call for some type of information or assistance, the higher the chance that your cell phone battery will die. - The more unusual and fresh a television show the higher the chances of it being shuffled around the schedule, frequently pre-empted and disappeared ASAP. (Farewell _Pushing Daisies_, safe travels _Journeyman_, we hardly knew ye.) - The chances of the news media correctly identifying the name of the community in which an event occurred rise proportionately with the outrageousness of said event. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981/40 "2008-12-29T12:53:24Z")
Every decade is the ugliest. Every generation is the stupidest and the least informed. Every technological change is the most dehumanizing. All of the above facts work backwards as well as forwards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-little-facts-of-life/478981.md?page=3)