Ha! I've decided to share more of my knowledge with thee! Here lies...wait. This isn't a funeral. Ehem. Here we have...no. That sounds like a museum exhibit introduction. Well, it seems we'll have to do without fancy words and say that "Here it is!" Warning: If you have a delicate stomach, you might not want to read on. However, that is up to you. It's not all unpleasant though. I don't think so anyways. Some of it is interesting. Enjoy! :)
*The average person swallows and average of three spiders a year. Yes, I said spiders.
*The average American eats about one pound of bugs a year. Not deliberatly (though some would care to disagree due to a small trend among certain individuals who dine on the critters). So, think about what you're nibbling along with that gourmet fettucini, your sandwichs, toast, cereal, canned food, etc. Example: "Hey Honey!! How about them two scoops of beetles! Gotta love those!" (Think about the catchy cereal phrase, "Two scoops of raisins in every box!")
*The amount of maggots allowed in each can of canned mushrooms is regulated. ("I'm sorry, sir, but you've exceeded the amount of maggots allowed!")
*the actual colour of margerine before it gets coloured yellow, is gray.
*I've been told that fire ants taste like lemons.
*The city of Auburn, Washington, USA, was once called Slaughter. And its one hotel at that time long ago, the Slaughter House. (Now wouldn't you have just loved to stay there....)
*ever noticed that the original 5 marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal are gone? Yup. The first new one they came up with was the Horse shoe, I believe.
*Crow is dark meat. Please...don't ask me how I know this...
*Crow brains are white. Also, don't ask about this one either.
*If you pour undiluted bleach onto maggots they turn into a pulpy, white mass resembling the crow cranial matter discussed directly above this fact.
*With the amount of preservative chemicals put into Twinkies, they have a longer shelf life than average people have lifespans.
*The saying: "raining cats and dogs" came from the Middle Ages when houses were built lower (hence easy access to roofs)with thatched roofs. Thatching isn't known to hold in heat so well so when it was cold out, cats and dogs would sit on these roofs for warmth (like how cats sit on car hoods in modern day). When it rained hard, the thatching became slippery, forcing the cats and dogs to come off the roof to seek shelter. Hence, 'raining cats and dogs.'
*The saying: "rule of thumb" also came from humanity's history when wife beating was acceptable. It came to a point when the beatings got out of hand and wives ended up with broken bones and the ilk, so, the authoritative officials of the time came up with the rule that a husband couldn't beat his wife with anything larger than the width of his thumb, therefore, preventing the broken bones, death, or whatnot.
*The nursurey rhyme: Ring around the rosey, a pocket full of posey, atchoo, atchoo, we all fall down, (There's versions with ashes vs. atchoo, I don't know what was up with that), describes the Black Plague that swept through Europe from the East carried by rats, fleas, and sailors of trade ships. I believe the 'ring around the rosey' was for the plague symptom of having reddish ring-like markings on the skin (don't remember), posey was a satchet of herbs that people carried around on their persons believing the mixture contained would protect them from catching the plague (which was air-born anyhow and the herbs only slowed the inevitable), and finally, the Bubonic Plague caused flu-like symptoms as well as bubons, swellings, under the arms. Those who contracted the disease had as little as 24 hours to a couple days to live. Example, there were cases that some people went to sleep one night and never woke the next morning.
© 1997 ravenswood_castle@hotmail.com