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Monday, May 4, 2009

Old Wives' Tales



I just finished this great book by Thomas Craughwell, Old Wives' Tales: Fact or Folklore? I must say that I wasn't super surprised by most of the myths and truths he discusses. It's not that I already knew the answers to each of them...it's more that common sense usually has a way of trumping myths and legends.

However, I was surprised to find that behind every one of the "tales" Craughwell elaborates on, there is an interesting story of how this myth or truth came to be.

So, I thought it would be fun to play a little Tales game. I'll list a few here and then you come on and tell me which ones are true and which are false. (You can even elaborate on your answers with your own stories or thoughts...yes, I'm trying to get you people to write :) !!!) Tomorrow I'll post the answers and some more tales. Now, I know you've got Google right there handy and you can just look up the answers...but that would be CHEATING!!!...and you have more integrity than that, right? :) Have fun!

Tale #1: "Lightning never strikes the same place twice."
Tale #2: "Thumb-sucking causes buck teeth"
Tale #3: "Wait an hour after eating before swimming."
Tale #4: "Craving spicy food means you're having a boy."

2 comments:

  1. Lightning....I think I have heard stories about it striking the exact same spot twice. Isn't that what lightning rods do, is attract the lightning to hit the rod and then ground it so that the buildings are undamaged?
    Andy knows a guy who has been struck by lightning multiple times and is still in good health...I know that's not the point, though.
    Thumbsucking and buck teeth...my personal opinion is that it could possibly cause buck teeth if the thumb put constant pressure on the inside of the gums or two front teeth, but I have known thumbsuckers with teeth that seem to be fine.
    Food cravings and babies...every body is different, but I don't think that craving spicy foods is a 100% accurate way to tell you are having a boy. I would say this one is false.
    I never craved spicy foods, I did crave oranges and watermelon with Matt, though.
    I know there is one more, but I can't remember what it is so I will have to read the blog again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Swimming...I have read that the swimming thing is false. It is possible to have cramps an hour after swimming but it is not necessarily caused from digestion. Other factors come in to play.

    ReplyDelete

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Mrs. Sarah Coller

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