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People Share The Weirdest Facts They Know

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People Explain Which Luxury Foods They Just Don't Get

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People Divulge Their Biggest 'I F**ked Up' Experiences

People Describe The Worst Meal They've Ever Eaten

People Describe The Worst Meal They've Ever Eaten

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People Explain Which Meals Absolutely Traumatized Them As A Kid

People Share Their Most 'Holy Cr*p!' Facts

People Share Their Most 'Holy Cr*p!' Facts

People Share Which Foods They Can't Believe Their Ancestors Discovered Were Edible

People Share Which Foods They Can't Believe Their Ancestors Discovered Were Edible
Photo by Raspopova Marina on Unsplash

Imagine being hungry during the caveman days and contemplating whether or not you can eat that giant serpent that just slithered across your path.

Or being captivated by the brightness of a berry and assuming it is delicious enough to eat.

In both scenarios, you either lived to share your delectable discovery with others or died from ingesting something not meant for human consumption. That is, if you weren't consumed first.

Thanks to our intrepid ancestors who did all the hard work for us to determine what was good enough to eat, the only thing we need to worry about is the expiration date.

Curious to pick the brain of strangers, Redditor cplfromholland asked:

"What food has made you wonder: 'How did our ancestors discovered that this was edible?'"

Maybe The Third Time's A Charm

"Not exactly a common food, but was watching an episode of one of those survival shows that were popular several years ago. The guy was trying to survive in the South American rainforests and came across a kind of frond eaten by the locals."

"The part that caught me off guard was that he explained the frond couldn't be eaten raw. Trying to eat it uncooked would cause horrible digestive problems, namely diarrhea and cramps, It would be unpleasant but survivable. So the guy boils the frond... and explains that it's still inedible. In order to safely eat this frond you had to boil it once, toss the water out, and then boil it a second time before eating it."

"Some dude a long time ago had to trial and error his way through this; what motherf'ker was like 'yes this made me violently sh*t myself the last two times I tried it, but maybe this time will be different.'"

– Dalstrong_Shadow

All Fish Are Not Created Equal

"Pufferfish. Generally they are extremely poisonous to humans and will cause paralysis or death. However, you can eat it if properly handled. How many people had to die to figure out which parts could be consumed and how they needed to be prepared."

"You still occasionally see people getting sick from eating it at restaurants now. If I recall correctly, I think I once read chefs who use it in Japan must take a written examination regarding the proper food care when handling it before being able to serve it. Absolutely wild to think people take the risk to eat it."

– 7evanUP

Hyper Goats

"Coffee."

"Legend has it that it was goats. A farmer noticed his goats acting differently when eating a certain cherry, and somehow, processing, roasting, and grinding the beans to drink became quite a popular thing."

– Royal_Clog

"That's correct as far as I'm aware - an Ethiopian goat farmer in the 9th century noticed his goats became more energetic after eating the coffee cherry. I'm not sure if he was the one that then took the beans, roasted them and brewed them, but Kaldi, the goat farmer is often attributed with the discovery of the elixir of life."

– wilko790

Edible-Nest Swiftlet

"How bout some bird-spit soup."

– FannyPackHater2348

"In a few Asian countries, swifts nest are collected to make soup. Swifts build their nest with their spit. Their saliva is a delicacy in south east Asia and it is supposed to have multiple health benefits."

– Meanwhile-in-Paris

The Foulest Fruit

"Dudes - who the f'k cracked open a durian and decided that yes, I will eat the thing that smells of dead and onion."

– pm_your_masterpiece

"I got curious and bought one from Chinatown in NYC."

"The man selling it asked me with broken English and a shit eating grin 'you want me open this?' To which I replied 'no, I know what I'm buying.'"

"I opened it on my back porch and the smell made me gag. Tastes like onion custard. Wouldn't recommend."

– Konouchii

"Cancer Lump"

"F'kin Cashews man. The process is so complicated. They grow on the underside of a fruit, like a single testicle w a lump of cancer on the end. Once you take the nut off, you have to fry it past 190 degrees Celsius to process the shells, because inside those shells is not only the cashew, but an extremely caustic acid that will burn you if not cooked out. Who the f'k wanted to eat the cancer lump that bad?"

– Funky_Vro

"Anything that takes multiple steps to make it edible always makes me wonder who had the patience to figure out all the steps."

– obxsoundside

Fungus Among Us

Mushrooms, so many are poisonous, but someone kept trying h them."

– mastercotcot

"'All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once.' - Terry Pratchett"

– little_brown_bat

Aged Dairy

"A lot of dairy products.... sour cream, it's in the name, it's sour, gone bad, but nope, let's just give it a taste, cottage cheese, I don't know where cottage comes from but it's literally curdled.... let's just dig in and see what we got here... I'm sure most of this stuff was discovered during a famine."

– DoSitDown

"Oysters. That mother f'ker was hungry."

– OptymusPrimal

"20,000 years ago: 'Hey, maybe if you pry open this rock there will be something to eat inside.'"

"ker-pry"

"What did you find?"

"Snot"

"Cool I bet it goes with cocktail sauce"

– refreshing_username

Giphy

"Soy sauce. It's a bunch of rotten soy bean juice with salt in it. Who tf thought that was a good idea to try."

– Not_a_Heptapod

food

Things That Were Way More Expensive Than People Anticipated

"Reddit user Jarvis_Strife asked: 'What turned out to be A LOT more expensive than you anticipated?'"

An expensive car sits in front of fabulous, expensive house with a statue
Photo by Anastase Maragos

It feels like everything under the sun is expensive these days.

So maybe when we look at price tags, we're just having a little financial PTSD.

Some items and services that were once doable have turned into a years-long savings plan.

Like where do the cable and internet people get these price points?

Especially for their "services."

Please.

Keep reading...Show less
money

People Describe The Brokest They've Ever Been

ramen in white bowl

Mae Mu on Unsplash

For many people, the difference between being housed and unhoused is a single paycheck.

For some it's a matter of money management, but for most it's the lack of a living wage for many jobs. Add a poor social safety net and poverty is always a footstep away.

Let's face it—many people have lived with a zero balance in their bank account and bills to pay and empty cupboards.

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life

Married People Explain Why They Picked Out Their Specific Engagement Ring

Engagement ring on top of red rose
Photo by Kimberly Fowler on Unsplash

With the elaborate costs of the wedding industry, starting with the engagement ring and going all the way up through the honeymoon and anniversary plans, there are those who will spend all the money and those who will look for savings.

While getting married is absolutely worth spending the money on, how much money is spent is not necessarily reflected of how much the two people love each other, either. It's all up to the couple!

Redditor ClassicJogging asked:

"Married people of Reddit, what made you decide to get the engagement ring you did, and how much was it?"

A Special Bond

"My grandmother pulled me aside five minutes after meeting my now wife, then girlfriend, for the first time, that she really loved her and she would fit right into our family. They had a REALLY good bond for a couple of years before my grandmother passed."

"Her last wish was that I use her engagement ring from 1945 (my grandfather proposed the day the Germans left Norway) when I asked for marriage. I did, she said yes, and we have been happily married for a good few years now."

- Panzerpython

Perfectly Vintage

"I was asked if I wanted a ring... and I surprised myself by saying that I did even though I'm not a jewelry person."

"So we went shopping and I hated all the jewelry store rings. We decided to check out antique stores and we found a cool-looking '50s vintage diamond ring with an illusion setting (makes tiny stone look bigger). It fit. It was $300. It was perfect."

- RitaTome

Recreated Art

"I love vintage rings, specifically art deco style, and had a whole Pinterest board of ones I loved. But it turns out I have giant fingers and most vintage rings are much smaller. Yes, you can size up, but only by so much."

"So my now husband surprised me by getting a ring custom-made in the same style. I adore it and get so many compliments."

- angeliqu

A Last Wish

"My mother was dying of cancer and gave me her engagement ring to give to my wife. It was a low-profile diamond from 1965. I think my father paid $275 for it at Eaton’s."

"We just celebrated our 25th last week. She still wears it daily."

- JustsomeAudioGuy

Full of Memories

"$140, I wanted a more expensive ring for her, but she insisted that I use that money for the wedding."

"I ended up going with a silver ring that looks like the branches of a tree, it has one large amethyst in the middle and two smaller ones in the branches to the side."

"When I saw it, it immediately reminded me of the date we went on when I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."

"We got up early to go to an orchard that was a little while away, the whole ride, she was talking about how frustrated she was with work and I was so happy to be listening to her talk and to spend time with her. We spent all day at the orchard, we got lunch at the farmer's market, went on a hayride, went to a petting zoo, and we picked pumpkins then picked apples as the sun was just starting to get low."

"From there, we went a haunted trail on a ski trail that took us up the hill in a ski lift and we had to walk down. As we went up the hill, we got the most amazing view of the sunset and I knew had found my better half, because I couldn't even imagine anyone else that I would want to watch the sunset with."

- TabbyCabby

Because Science

"My wife is a chemist and agronomist. She was working on her master's in agronomy and part of her thesis project had to do with cobalt and molybdenum."

"So I got her a cobalt chrome engagement ring (which happens to also be 6% molybdenum). For the stone, I went with a manufactured sapphire, because science."

"She absolutely loves it. Cost me less than $300."

- surdophobe

Substantial Savings

"I worked for the jeweler store. I had about a steep discount. I chose five options and let him pick from there since I had to technically buy it. He picked my favorite."

"It is a one-carat ruby set in rose gold, and I love it. Retail it would be around $5000, but for me, it was $900."

"I wanted a ruby as I did not want a diamond, and I am a big history buff."

- Nancy2121

A Good Listener

"My Fiancé remembered that in Freshman year of college, I mentioned I would only take a lab diamond (clear or black), and my dream ring had a specific gemstone on either side of the main stone."

"Fall 2018 to December 2022 and he remembered every detail. From one conversation. He is a blessing and I love my ring."

- Trumpet6789

Post-Engagement Ring

"I couldn’t afford an engagement ring when we got married. It’s been a few years and now I can, so I’m working on a custom ring with a local jeweler we’ve worked with a bunch already. The concept is a subtle subversion of traditional engagement ring tropes and will cost around a grand USD."

- DeepFriedApples

Groceries > Rings

"She gave me pictures of a few rings she wanted. All sapphires, no diamonds. I got one of those for $120. Probably worth in the $200 range today."

"She specifically did not want the 'two months' salary' standard. She would refuse a ring that was expensive enough that somebody would be willing to cut off her hand in order to steal it."

- CaptainTime5556

Important Family Heirlooms

"It was my grandmother's and it was awesome and it was free and she loved it."

- Knute5

"Grandma's club checking in. I was having sort of a deep philosophical moment with this question about how I guess it technically cost me my grandma. But then I had a burrito."

- Hammand

Worth the Pricetag

"Love the shaming on this thread for anyone who spent more than $24.99 on a ring."

"$18k because it’s the only expensive thing she’s ever asked me for and it makes her happy every single day. One year interest-free financing softened the financial blow considerably."

"To each their own! Don’t shame people for spending their money how they choose on the ones they love!"

- Son_Of_A_Plumber

Yay for Pinterest Boards

"My wife had a bunch of floral style rings on her Pinterest page, so I went and got one custom designed from a local jeweler."

"They suggested Moissanite (synthetic diamond) to keep costs down and appearance up. I got three times the stone for half the price of a real diamond. Well worth it. Total ran about 3k for the engagement ring."

- bighairyyak

Everybody's Happy

"I chose the shape of the stone, he chose the actual diamond (size, quality, etc), and then we went shopping together to choose the setting."

"It was a lovely experience! I got a ring I love which I will wear forever and he got to control the situation and feel comfortable with a large component of the cost to keep within his budget."

- jvldmn

Très Relatable

"My wife liked it. 15k."

- BabyTunnel

"All the top voted answers are just cheap rings or inheritance. So I am glad someone posted something else. Although maybe there is something below but Reddit might just upvote certain answers more."

- Additional_Meeting_2

"Dude. Finally a comment in here I can relate to."

"My wife liked it. 12k."

"No hate to the lab-grown, or the many blue and yellow special stones in this thread. But d**n, it makes it sound like the norm! In my experience and my friends' circles…. It’s just diamonds from the jewelry store lol (laughing out loud)."

- howmanywhales

This thread was a great example of "to each their own." Where some will want an expensive ring, others will want something incredibly simple, just like some will want an extravagant wedding whereas others will want to go to the courthouse and have a nice dinner after.

These decisions don't make one couple or one marriage or one love better than the other. They simply reflect that they're different partnerships, and as long as both people are happy, who cares how anyone else would handle it?

engagement ring

Why Being An Only Child Is The Worst

Little boy walking alone down the road
Photo by Victor Chaidez on Unsplash

Anyone who grew up with one or more siblings is bound to have stories of how their siblings occasionally (or frequently) got on their nerves.

Indeed, some people don't even have any sort of relationship with their siblings once they fly the nest.

Those who grew up only children, however, often have trouble accepting that people would cut their siblings out of their lives.

While being an only child can often mean getting your parent's complete love and attention, it also means that you will have to go through many of life's challenges alone, with no peer to turn to for support.

Not to mention, never having anyone to torment and boss around, as many children dream of doing to their younger siblings.

Redditor BroccoliniCarrot was curious to hear what only children thought was the biggest disadvantage of growing up with no siblings, leading them to ask:

"What’s the worst about being an only child?"

Lack Of Playmates

"When I was little, people would give me board games like Monopoly for gifts, and I wouldn't have anyone to play with."

"even Hungry Hungry Hippo sucked playing solo."

"I did master Solitaire though!"- Jesikabelcher

Last One Standing

"When my parents die that’s it."

"I’m just alone."- undertheraindrops

"Family is the most likely group of people to help you when things get tough."

"When your parents pass you have less support."

"Also, aging parents become solely your responsibility."- rubixd

"Taking care of an elderly parent with no one to help."- 3Gilligans

No One To Turn To

"When you are the only one to support your aging parents."- Fantastic_Leg_3534

Forced Independence

"I think because I am an only child I have become used to spending time on my own."

"As a result I am quite antisocial.'

"I don’t mind being around people and can be quite talkative however it exhausts me and I need far too much time on my own to recover."- OstneyPiz

"You become TOO comfortable with being alone all the time, to the point where being alone is the default and interacting with others feels like a chore."

"And that doesn't play out too well in the real world."- DeathSpiral321·

Going Through It Alone

"No one to have a sanity check with."

"My wife and closest friend have siblings and they talk about a close bond with their respective siblings where they could look at the other and effectively say 'mom/dad are crazy, right?'"

"Being an only, I thought some of the sh*t they pulled growing up was normal."

"Having a sibling would have helped counter the gas lighting from parents."- RennSport5280

Making Your Own Conversation Partners...

"As an adult, I sometimes find it difficult to quiet the self-talk because all too often growing up it was all I had."-GreenDolphin86

More For Me?

"I am absolutely not good at sharing."

"Plus and minus was that I got all of my parents' attention, so I had a lot of love and support but also a lot of expectations and not a lot of space to f*ck up."

"Nowhere to hide, no one to blame anything on, and no backup when they were being unreasonable."

"But I also didn't have to split time, affections, or personal belongings with some other gremlin sharing my DNA."=Justheretolurkyall

No One To Keep You In Line...

"No reality check."

"Nobody to confirm that, no, it's not you that's acting nuts."

"Later, nobody to bounce ideas and behaviors off of, nobody to tell you, 'hey, X thinks you're cute' or 'that's not how you ask a girl out, doofus, say this'."

"I should mention that for various reasons, if I had had siblings they would have been older."

"So when I imagine not being an only child, I tend to imagine being a younger brother."

"But I think the reality-check thing would still operate even as an oldest sibling; plus I might have learned to handle responsibility earlier."- ElderPoet

There Is, Indeed, Safety In Numbers

"I am the only son of a single mother."

"I hate this term, but it's called emotional incest."

"Basically my Mom was very young when she had me and there were no men in her / my life."

"As a result, she placed all of that emotional needs of a grown woman on to me."

"My Mom never really raised me as a son."

"At best, she raised me like a little brother she got stuck with after our parents died."

"At worst, she treated me like I was a toxic boyfriend."- ANerdCalledMike

No Scapegoats

"All eyes are on you- can’t get away with anything!"

"Most strict parents ever ( they were older too)."

"Unlike my husband's family growing up with 6 kids."

"Parents hardly knew where the teenagers were or who they were with."- Available_Honey_2951

"When asked by a parent what happened you cannot blame your sibling."- nanodecay

The Eye Of TheBeholder

"People assuming that I was spoiled."- Purlz1st

Having no siblings means never being bullied, teased or tormented, or having to vie for your parent's attention.

Something many people who grew up with older or younger siblings openly say they dream of.

When the going gets tough, however, and these same people realize they always had their brothers or sisters to turn to, they might bite their words and regret ever even thinking of being an only child.


only children