Fact-or-Fake Friday: Terrible Theme Restaurants
What follows are three stories about theme restaurants with very ill-advised themes. Two of them are real…and one we made up. Can you guess the fake? (Answer is at the end of the post.)
Weird, Wonderful World
Are You Saying It Wrong? Selling Like Hotcakes
The phrase “selling like hotcakes” is used to describe an item very popular with consumers, that’s flying off the shelves and in large amounts. But why is hotcakes the go-to popular good? Well, it was never really meant to.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Pop-Pop
What with outdoor festivals, fairs, and other outdoor entertainments, it’s definitely the time of year when Uncle John’s cotton candy intake goes through the roof, much to the chagrin of his doctor. Why? That stuff isn’t healthy. Whether you call it cotton candy, fairly floss, or candy floss, it’s comprised almost entirely of sugar and air, and a brightly-colored food coloring, usually pink, although blue is also popular.
Fact-or-Fake Friday: Senior Prank Edition
What follows are three stories about the traditional “senior prank.” Two of them are all two true; one, thankfully, isn’t—we made it up! Can you guess which one is bogus? The answer is at the end of the post.
Where Everybody Still Knows Your Name
The last episode of Cheers aired in 1993, but if you’re still missing it, here are a few Norm-worthy Cheers bars you can visit in real life.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Hot Dog!
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. Today’s question: Why don’t McDonald’s and Burger King sell hot dogs?
Ask Uncle John Anything: Where The Ice is Always Greener
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. This week’s question comes from reader Lisa A., who asks…
Why is Iceland called that if it’s green, and Greenland is called that if it’s covered in ice?
Ask Uncle John Anything – A “Cerealized” Feature
Why is cereal eaten with milk, and not some other liquid? The cereals made their way to the general public by the turn of the century, and so did the idea of eating them with milk. In fact, early advertisements for these new-fangled foods depict cereal next to milk, gently suggesting how it was to be eaten to those unfamiliar with breakfast cereal.
The Secret History of KFC
Beginning with its first location in an old gas station in 1930, Kentucky Fried Chicken how boasts 18,000 locations worldwide. But KFC’s history includes a few odd footnotes. And here they are.
AUJA – No Purchase Necessary?
What does it mean when a company has a promotional contest, but the fine print says “no purchase necessary”? Can you really still win?
It’s the result of some pretty complicated federal broadcasting laws. For some reason, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a clause called “the lottery law,” which states that federal lotteries are illegal.
Klingon Beer, Zombie Beer, Westeros Beer
How do you prove that you’re a true fan of Star Trek, The Walking Dead, or Game of Thrones? Drink these pop-culture-inspired beers.
The Federation of Beer – as in the United Federation of Planets from Star Trek – has licensed the Star Trek name to create a beer called Roggen Dunkel to be brewed in Indiana.
The Mystery of Seattle’s Mystery Coke Machine
Seattle has long been a proudly weird place, but one of its weirdest elements is a vending machine. Really. Here is the mysterious story of Seattle’s mystery Coke machine.
AUJA – Tony’s Tony and Oscar’s Oscar
Only one person named Oscar has ever won an Academy Award, nicknamed “Oscar” by an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences librarian who remarked that the bald statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar.
AUJA – Why are weathermen called meteorologists?
Like the names of many scientific disciplines, “meteorologist” comes from Ancient Greek. The study of weather study kept the name meteorology, and now means a study of the atmosphere, weather, and climate.
7 Things You Didn’t Know About Coca-Cola
It’s one of the oldest and most distinctively American products…but how much do you really know about Coke?
- Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton, a trained doctor, served in the Civil War…for the Confederate Army. He made it to the rank of colonel, and in combat he suffered a wound that left him addicted to morphine. He created Coca-Cola as a way to break himself (and he presumed, many others) of that addiction. It worked, although in the 19th century, Coca-Cola contained both alcohol and cocaine, with the former phased out the latter ultimately replaced with caffeine.
AUJA – Who is John Doe?
Until their identity can be ascertained, crime victims or unknown suspects are usually referred to by police (and the media) as “John Doe” (for men) or “Jane Doe” (for women). Why are unidentified people referred to as “John Doe” or “Jane Doe”?
Dirty Pasta
Careful what kind of pasta you order, because you might just be inadvertently saying something dirty.
AUJA: Why is “Fido” a generic name for dogs?
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and for what he doesn’t know, he has a massive research library. So go ahead: in the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!)
