Sometimes you get some fantastic advice or hear a rather profound quote, but for whatever reason it doesn't click with you right away.
That's totally normal: life and experiences have a way of shaping us and then, when we least expect it, waking us up to the full weight of the words we've simply heard but never really internalized, let alone processed.
After Redditor call_me_keef asked the online community, "What's a profound quote you heard but didn't really understand til years later?" people were eager to share their stories. Take note: You might learn something new today.
"[I] Didn't really understand..."
"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
Didn't really understand completely til Twitter came out.
"Looking back..."
When my first child was born, my Grandmother said to me "The days will be long, but the years will be short." Looking back, she was absolutely right.
"Now that I think of it..."
"You'll never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from."
It's a Cormac McCarthy line in No Country for Old Men, I just thought it was a nice way of saying s*** happens, get over it. Then you go through some break ups, lose some jobs, and I can see where my life might have gone had those "bad" things not happened and it all made sense. Don't judge a bad break until you have time to see the full scope of it, sometimes it's a good thing.
Now that I think about it I had a friend in high school who was playing flag football one day. He went for a pass and ran into a tree or something, had a nasty goose egg so he went to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken, get a concussion eval. They did a CT scan and everything was normal except for the large tumor near his brain stem. That accident probably saved his life.
"I'm surprised..."
Giphy
I'm surprised how many times I go back to Alice in Wonderland and find something profound.
"Which way do I go?"
"Well that depends on WHERE you want to get to?"
"Oh, it really doesn't matter..."
"Then, it really doesn't matter on which way you go!"
"I thought it was kinda cool..."
"You are where you're meant to be."
My yoga instructor said that to the class one day during a typical routine, when a noticeable amount of people were missing. I thought it was kinda cool acknowledging that they were supposed to be in class, but were needed somewhere else (probably trying to meet a deadline for a project or something, but still).
"I never really thought..."
"From all the words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: What Might Have Been."
I never really thought too much about it until I came to a realization that every day was just the same as the last. I missed opportunities, and time with friends. I noticed that the time I had with these people would run out. I don't like looking back now but instead I take this knowledge and I don't waste a single moment of the time that I have.
"It means..."
"The shackles that bind you will set you free"
English translation from Zen Buddhism.
It means that the difficulties you experience will become the path to you becoming a better version of you. IF you use them as such.
Which does not mean that the shackles will become undone. Stevie Wonder was born blind. Nothing can be done about it. Yet he's won 25 Grammy awards and enchanted millions of people with his music.
Everyone faces difficulty. Everyone grows old, falls apart, get sick and dies. Those shackles will not come undone. Freedom arises from how you respond to difficulty.
"Not really a profound quote..."
Not really a profound quote but the phrase "Not if I see you first" - I thought it was just a corny way to reply to "see you later" "see you soon" etc., but it's actually sort of an insult. It implies that if the person sees you first then they will avoid you. Meaning, if I see you first, I'll run away or hide so that I don't have to deal with you.
"Basically..."
A song lyric actually:
"And then one day you find that ten more years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun."
Basically you wake up one day in your mid-40's and you can't understand why the last 25 years have gone by so fast. Not because I feel like I've been missing out, but I've become so consumed by what I have to do every day (job, family, health, finances) that it occurs to me that the life I have led since I became an adult is one huge blur. If the next 25 years go by just as fast, I'll be at the end of my life. It seems so short.
"While fiction is easy to understand..."
"The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense." - Mark Twain
It implies that our world and reality is horrible and confusing. While fiction is easy to understand and that fiction should fell problem less. a perfect example of this is Star Wars. Each movie starts out saying a long time ago to imply that the troubles that our main characters have faced are gone and done with. Star Wars also states in the beginning of each movie in a galaxy far, far away to imply that whatever really happens won't affect you.
Burgers, fries, peanut butter. Apple pie, hot dogs, cheesesteaks. American food is a big part of our daily lives, but it's not normal for everybody around the globe.
When was the first time you tried sushi? Or the first time you had curry? Have you even been able to try escargot? The world is full of so many fascinating foods, and some of those foods are American--especially to non-Americans.
<p>u/SheldonLewis354 asked:</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lt73db/people_not_from_the_usa_what_american_food_are/" target="_blank">People not from the USA, what "American" food are you most interested in trying?</a><br></p><p>Here were some of those answers.</p><p><br></p>
<p class="">These foods are all staples of our diet, yet some people have yet to try them. Is there anything on this list you are dying to try?</p>
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A Little South In Your Mouth
<p>Proper Jambalaya from Louisiana</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Heiminator/" target="_blank">Heiminator</a></p><p>Gumbo, jambalaya, and a real authentic muffaletta should be your top three. A GOOD shrimp po boy is a good one to add to the list as well.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DocHoss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DocHoss</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_36" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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The List Goes On And On
<p>I really want to have some American pancakes with the bacon and maple syrup! I just recently discovered iHop is a pancake restaurant!!!! A restaurant......for pancakes?!!</p><p>Oh and a hotdog from New York street vendor with "everything".....whatever everything is and then a pretzel for later.</p><p>Some runners up that I'd like to try: twinkies, egg nog, Mac and cheese, a full thanksgiving dinner experience, key lime pie, pumpkin pie, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Mountain Dew</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/surebegrandlike/" target="_blank">surebegrandlike</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_2" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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A Nommy Dessert
<p>Pumpkin pie. I don't think I'd like it, but I'd like to try it.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Gooner1798/" target="_blank">Gooner1798</a></p><p>It's my favorite pie! It has a pretty great flavor, just sweet enough with a nice soft texture. You absolutely have to put a dollop of whipped cream on top before eating though.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/abe_the_babe_/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">abe_the_babe_</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_3" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p><strong>Have you ever even thought of living a life without these foods?</strong></p>
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Variations On A Theme
<p>A Philly cheesesteak.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/FairyBread10/" target="_blank">FairyBread10</a></p><p>Trust me, they are NOT all made alike</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Maximum-Recover625/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Maximum-Recover625</a></p><p>Word. As someone who lives in Philly, it's amazing to see what ends up being considered a "Philly Cheesesteak" on menus around the country lol. Even here in Philly we gatekeep what a legit cheesesteak is lmao.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MikeyMortadella/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MikeyMortadella</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_5" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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A Smoky Lil Treat
<p>Texas BBQ</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/gurren975/" target="_blank">gurren975</a></p><p>Smoked brisket is insanely good when done well. I've just started smoking my own during covid (because why not?) and it is so yummy! Brisket Mac n Cheese was seriously unhealthy but phenomenal..</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Punkinsmom/" target="_blank">Punkinsmom</a></p>Uniquely Artery Clogging
<p>Corndogs. I have never seen it in my country. I never got the chance to eat it when I was in the USA. So I really would like to try it. </p><p>Specially since I saw an episode of GMM where Rhett talks about how much he loves corndogs.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/badthoughts87/" target="_blank">badthoughts87</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_6" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Combo Plate
<p>One of those whole hog bbq pulled pork and slaw burgers</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SmashYaGash/" target="_blank">SmashYaGash</a></p><p>Yeah, that's definitely an eastern North Carolina meal.</p><p>Western NC does smoked pork shoulders (or Boston butts as some call them). Eastern NC is where the whole hog comes from - historically speaking, it's the oldest style of regional barbecue in the country, beating out the colonization of Texas by almost a century.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/LongPorkJones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LongPorkJones</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_7" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p><strong>Are you getting hungry just reading this list?</strong></p>
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They're After Me American Cereals
<p>I was literally Googling American sugary cereals last night, making my mouth water. </p><p>All these amazing things my husband and I would love to try - Reese's Puffs, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch... What are they?! Must.... Taste.....!</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ArtNorvelle/" target="_blank">ArtNorvelle</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_8" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Expanding On Fritos
<p>I had Fritos once. OMG we have no equivalent. I don't know if they are illegal here or what but I could sense instant attraction pure nommynom.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/qarrmeh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">qarrmeh</a></p><p>Three words: Frito. Chili. Pie. It's just three basic ingredients: Bag of Fritos corn chips, a can of Hormel chili (or equivalent of homemade chili, which is better), and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix, bake at 350ºF for like 20 minutes or until everything is hot and the cheese has melted, serve. Top with salsa if you'd like.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/PatrickRsGhost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PatrickRsGhost</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_9" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Corn In A New Way
<p>Grits.</p><p>I've heard it mentioned in movies for years, and I've always wanted to try it.</p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Fred_Perry/" target="_blank">Fred_Perry</a></p><p>Be aware that there are two distinct factions of grits:</p><p>Grits with butter, pepper, salt, and maybe cheese.</p><p>Grits with butter, brown sugar, and maybe honey or syrup.</p><p>If you go into it expecting one, but get the other, you'll be surprised. People will fight over which is better or 'the right way', despite the fact that they're both delicious. Personally, I mix it up, with butter, pepper, sugar, and honey. That way I'm always an outcast, but at least I have good food.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MedusasSexyLegHair/" target="_blank">MedusasSexyLegHair</a></p>
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Unfortunately, it's no secret that people are becoming the victims of human trafficking all around us.
Every country, city, town, and region can be the site of abduction, where a vulnerable person is groomed to be free labor or the victim of predatory sex
<p>But even though we know it's happening, it's difficult to locate. To do so requires a trained eye that knows the warning signs to look for. </p><p>Luckily, some Redditors used a thread to inform themselves--and all of us in the proess. </p><p>PermanentSeeker asked, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">"People who help fight human trafficking: what are some tips you have for spotting illegal activity, and reporting it?"</a></p>
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<p>Some comments wasted no time giving pragmatic advice. </p><p>They offered specific signs and behaviors to look for, how to double check, and what to do when the unfortunate truth seems likely. </p>
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Missing Things
<p>"I had a loved one pulled into the sex trafficking industry as an adult. So, I can offer a couple pointers for spotting adults who are being sold as sex workers."</p><ol><li>"Missing shoes. It's hard to run away in a city barefoot. Blisters are a dead giveaway."</li><li>"Not carrying a cell phone, identification, or the purse or wallet to put it in. Their pimp likes to hold these hostage to prohibit contact with the outside world and to make it difficult to purchase long distance transportation."</li></ol><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/gomxb1t?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">LoneQuietus81</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_2" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Trust Yourself
<p>"I worked as front desk for a hotel, had a couple of experiences with this."</p><p>"Look for groups of 2-3 where one person does all of the talking, specifically when the other(s) look scared, are overly covered, cringe when the talker is speaking, or look under the influence of something."</p><p>"Ensure you get ID from all parties when you suspect something is going on, note down their room number and names given, trust your gut, what we call a 'gut feeling' is a combination of millions of tiny factors you might not knowingly be aware of, tiny details like hitched breathing, microexpressions, specific lying tells, environmental factors, etc."</p><p>"These all add up and let your subconscious mind make connections that your general mind might not. Trust that feeling if you suspect something is wrong, and contact the police to inform them of a suspected human trafficking issue."</p><p>"Both times my gut told me to call it in I ended up regrettably being correct."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/gommblj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">tsavong117</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_3" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Memorized Lines
<p>"Where I live, human trafficking is a big problem and there was a huge bust at a hotel not too long ago."</p><p>"Usually hotels, motels, and airlines are trained to look out for signs of trafficking. Red flags include those who are very scared or nervous around specific people or talk like their following a script."</p><p>"Those who are targeted usually come from broken homes or poor countries with the promise of a better life or how all of their problems can be solved by doing X. It can also include being showered with expensive or luxury gifts as a start of the luring in process."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/gom77wi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Kevin-W</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_4" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Prevention
<p>"Here in Spain we get a lot of women from eastern Europe and sub saharan Africa, some pay for their trip to europe this way, some are blackmailed and some are lured offers of jobs like cleaning, or low level administrative jobs (secretaries, paper pushing) and end up on in a roadside brothel."</p><p>"If you´re a young woman in a poor area of eastern europe and you get a offer for a easy job in germany, france, spain or the netherlands. be VERY suspicious."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/golqok8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Aevum1</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_5" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Litmus Test
<p>"My sociology professor told us if we ever see a child at a motel/hotel , make sure to say hi to them , and you can pretty well judge by their reaction if they're safe or not"</p><p>"also it's a bit harder to do as a man"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/gom5b4a?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Ok_Act_1214</a></p><p>Others offered a more general contribution to the discussion. They reiterated just how common human trafficking is in communities everywhere. </p><p>They advised we don't look for the spectacular images we imagine, but the subtle ones we don't. </p>
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The Thine Line Between Slavery and Labor
<p>"Most of human trafficking is not the movie kind. It's more the kind where an ethnic restaurant brings over a cook from their home country and they have to work unreasonable hours to pay back for the trip."</p><p>"Or maybe it's a maid or a construction worker who works below minimum wage and can't have their passport back."</p><p>"So look for people who work long hours at sub-legal wages."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/golbrvq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Pontus_Pilates</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_7" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p>And finally, some people embraced contemporary technology's place in the fight to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation. </p>
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Nifty, and Significant
<p>"There's an app you can download called TraffickCam."</p><p>"Any time you stay at a hotel, upload photos of your room. Those photos are incorporated into an artificial intelligence algorithm that helps identify locations of trafficking victims via background details."</p><p><span></span>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lreopg/people_who_help_fight_human_trafficking_what_are/gomc6g8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">m31td0wn</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_8" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p><br></p><p>Normally, I'd close by encouraging readers to examine their own lives and see how their own experience relates. But of course, I sincerely hope it does not. </p><p>But if reading this puts something on your radar at all, don't hesitate to make a call. </p><p>Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter <a href="https://mailchi.mp/knowable/knowable-newsletter-in-content" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
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The rule of thumb when eating fast food is very simple: put on the blinders, enjoy the meal, and try not to do it too often.
But what if you work in the kitchen?
In that case, there's simply no escaping a complete understanding of the several horrors that each assembled burger or french fry encounters on its way to that front counter.
<p>For some Redditors who've worked in a fast-food kitchen, they had no choice but to swear off the stuff for good. </p><p>-Skippy_ asked, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">"Poeple who work at fast food chains but don't eat the food, what was the 'never gonna eat here again' moment?"</a></p>
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<p>Plenty of comments centered around the grossest of the gross. </p><p>These Redditors worked enough shifts to see witness proof that Murphy's law applies to fast food joints: if a horrifying, unsafe food preparation issue <em>can </em>occur, it <em>will </em>occur. </p>
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UFOs!
<p>"I've been a chef for an embarrassingly long amount of time and have worn many different hats within that realm. At one point I'd go to to other restaurants owned by the same owners and help them get ready for inspections."</p><p>"I've seen some scary sh**, but the most common and the one you get pegged for by the inspectors is mold in the ice machine. One was really bad and glad nobody got sick."</p><p>"Another place had two UFOs in the walk in. Unidentifiable Food Objects. You know how long something has to be in the fridge for nobody to be able to recognize what it was?"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gotprso?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Aragorn_71</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_2" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Microbes on the Move
<p>"I'm the only one who washes my hands after handling raw hamburgers" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gou17tq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">piku-piku</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I think the most disturbing thing about this is the amount of dudes that don't wash their hands after pi**ing."</p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_3" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind
<p>"I worked at a local sub shop in high school. They had this mushroom/steak sub that was really popular. At the end of the shift they would cover and refrigerate the mushroom sauce."</p><p>"I never once seen the pan washed."</p><p>"They just added sauce to it when it was low, heated it and served it, then refrigerate at the end of the shift again. I would think between the never-ending heating/refrigerating and nasty pan they were breaking some codes."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gots9k7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">1980pzx</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_4" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Good As Any Other
<p>"I worked at a dishdog at a local small chain restaurant. One day the chef needed a ladle STAT but we just couldn't find any."</p><p>"Chef looks under his workbench and sees a ladle lying in the grease covered nasty floor. He announces '5 month rule!' and just chucks it in the soup."</p><p>"I laughed for a goddamn week"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gotyblz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">MutantTailThing</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_5" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p>Other people chose to discuss the questionable ethical motivations behind some common fast food practices. It's a business after all, and that can lead to some cut corners or scheming ploys. </p>
The Bacon Exception
<p>"Subway used to have a double meat option a couple years ago (it's 50% more meat now) that was $2 extra. Adding bacon to your order was $1."</p><p>"Well, a lot of subways were scamming customers out of that extra dollar If they ever got bacon added to their order."</p><p>"Instead of charging you for your sub + bacon, they would charge you as a BLT + your meat so that they could charge you that extra dollar."</p><p>"So if you ordered a tuna sub with bacon, instead of being Tuna Sub($5) + Bacon($1) it would be a BLT($5) + Tuna($2)."</p><p>"My manager would do this every. Single. Time. Someone ordered bacon. He threw a huge fit when subway altered their prices because of this scam."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gott37g?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">EpicBlueDrop</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_6" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Structurally Unsound
<p>"I managed a sandwich shop in college."</p><p>"If you think you can pay teenagers minimum wage and expect them to accurately keep the dates of things that expire, wash everything properly, and generally give a fu** about anything related to food safety you are sorely mistaken."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gotof14?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">datacollect_ct</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_7" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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A Daily "Everything Must Go" Sale
<p>"Don't eat movie theater popcorn before 5pm..."</p><p>"DO NOT EAT THE POPCORN BEFORE 5PM!"</p><p>"If you do, you are most likely to be eating popcorn popped yesterday, collected into containers (my theater used plastic garbage bags), and thrown <em>back</em> into the popper under the heat lamps the next morning. And no new popcorn gets 'popped' until the old stuff is gone..."</p><p>"Thus, if you buy popcorn <em>after</em> 5pm you are more likely to be eating <em>fresh</em> stuff instead of the old stuff."</p><p>"On an unrelated note, popcorn butter is not butter; nobody knows what it is. All I do know is when we paid a guy $20 bucks to drink a glass of it he went into renal failure and almost lost a kidney."</p><p><span></span>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gouf6h4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">DIES-_-IRAE</a></p><div data-conversation-spotlight style="min-height:90px"></div>
<p>And a few took the opportunity to name drop. </p><p>But of course, this was no boastful or celebratory mentioning. This was outing a well-known corporation for its glaring lack of food safety. </p>
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Mmmmmmm
<p>"I worked at Arby's."</p><p>"The mold covering the back wall of the fridge, the flash cooked roast beef that was still raw and instructed to be microwaved to finish cooking, and the putrid black fryer oil."</p><p>"Delectable!"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gotkrdn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">weedynaddys98</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_9" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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One To Rule Them All
<p>"My brother-in-law has worked at a lot of restaurants as a cook. Basically all the chain restaurants, IHOP, chilis, etc."</p><p>"He said the nastiest one by far in terms of a disgusting kitchen was Olive Garden."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/gotwa99?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">jonahvsthewhale</a></p>A Laundry List of Horrors
<p>"Sonic. We were told to keep breakfast stuff (eggs, potatoes, etc.) in the hot drawers in case someone wanted breakfast at night. So they'd get like 10+ hour old soggy stuff."</p><p>"5 for $5 Tuesdays (no idea if that's a thing still), we'd literally just have like 40 patties sitting on the back of the grill at all times. Sometimes they'd be going out every 2 minutes..slow days they'd just sit for half an hour."</p><p>"If folks complained that their fries weren't "fresh" enough, they'd just get refried, resalted, and sent right back out."</p><p>"No one else adhered to the 30-second handwashing rules that were posted everywhere. We'd just "flash fry" the hot dog links for conies to warm them back up. Same with the nasty popcorn chicken that sat under heat lamps for hours during the day."</p><p>"Most fast food is garbage, but Sonic is its own brand of American fast food."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lswb1t/poeple_who_work_at_fast_food_chains_but_dont_eat/govo00l?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">cavscout43</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_10" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p><br></p><p>So yes, probably every fast food place out there has its own version of these stories. Tread lighthly, friends. </p><p>Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter <a href="https://mailchi.mp/knowable/knowable-newsletter-in-content" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
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People Share The Worst Thing A Teacher Ever Said To Them That Destroyed Their Self-Confidence
March 03 | 2021
As a former teacher, I can tell you that the goal is to always hype up and encourage your students to reach their goals and be their best selves. As a former student, I can also tell you that not every teacher is like this. Unfortunately, there are a handful of teachers out there that use their position of authority to make them feel like they have power. I've seen it happen firsthand, and it's awful.
Sometimes, the people who we depend on for our growth are also the people who hurt our confidence the most. Here are a few examples from former students, who discuss the worst things a teacher could ever say to a growing kid.
U/f1rebird1523 asked: What's the worst thing a teacher has said/done to destroy your self-confidence?
<p><br></p>
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<p>It’s insane how full-grown adults can get away with abusing children while getting paid to do it.</p>
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Even the other kids knew this was messed up.
<p>I watched this happen to my friend in 7th grade. It was social studies class and my friend was one of those students where the common core curriculum was horribly suited for the way he learned.</p><p>One day he asked me if he could borrow a red pen (the teacher was too lazy to grade the papers herself so she'd have us do it at the start of every class)</p><p>The teacher caught on to it and literally yelled to me "don't you dare give him that pen." And proceeded to chew him out saying that he was a sad excuse because he was too lazy to remember a simple pen, called him worthless, and told him that he'll go nowhere in life because he can't keep track of simple things.</p><p>She spent the first half of the class continuously belittling him to the point where students were asking her to stop. Despite the fact that half the class reported this terrible treatment, she was not punished.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyAm_I_Alive/" target="_blank">WhyAm_I_Alive</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_2" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Way to permanently damage a child.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwODkxMC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDc4MDY5Mn0.vzGTOSCCCt_ujl5Gykm9mSn08JF_WBDE9lAxrw1q-B8/img.gif?width=980" id="31271" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9a935a7d04b1db41aea45f90cc202f57" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="270" data-height="203" />bad teacher fighting GIFGiphy<p>I had a Dutch teacher that used to pick on me always. Once before a presentation she told me that no matter how good my presentation was she wasnt going to give me a grade higher than a 5. I ended up almost having a panic attack in front of the class, told her to go f*ck herself and stormed out of the classroom. Got a 4 eventually.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/dracaryhs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dracaryhs</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_3" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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This is so unbelievably petty.
<p>I was nominated for a place in the Gifted and Talented program at my school. I was 10 or 11, and had precious little that I was proud of, but I could write like nobody's business. I was nominated for writing and was promised that I would not be tested on mathematics (worst subject then and now).</p><p>The teacher giving me the exam had a beef with my mom, and presented me with the mathematics test. I told her that I'd been told I didn't need to take it. She said it wouldn't count, just to do it. I did.</p><p>I don't remember much else between that moment and sitting in front of the panel, between my parents, silently crying and trying not to make eye contact as I was told I'd done so wretchedly on the mathematics portion of the test, <em>which I wasn't supposed to take</em>, that they were considering pulling me back a grade, and that the nomination had been a horrible mistake and should never have been made in the first place because the Gifted and Talented program was for "students of an outstanding nature and SkepticLinguist just didn't meet our expectations in mathematics." Did I also mention that the teacher who gave me the test was on the panel?</p><p>Saw that teacher later on, and she always gave me the smuggest smile before she flounced away. I was kind to her, as that was really all I had going for me at the time, but that messed me up for years, and still keeps me awake at night some times.</p><p>Jokes on her, though, I'm a published author now.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SkepticLinguist/" target="_blank">SkepticLinguist</a><br></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_4" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p>Sometimes these things happen in the high school and college world as well, and can be equally traumatic.</p>
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What happened to constructive criticism?
<p>I'm an architecture student and in my design class we'd usually have a panel of guest professors to critique on our projects. In one of them a professor just outright said "your design is boring" and that was it, no other comments or suggestions for improvement. I think another panel member noticed and quickly added in a constructive comment to save it. But that moment still hit me and I've lost a lot of confidence in my designs since then.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Lyr-Neo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lyr-Neo</a></p>Why would you assume that?
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwODkyNy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDU3Nzc0OX0.2WkfnbLhJ5gtLCej3kl6QqfvdGpv3sXoovf36BEiNFk/img.gif?width=980" id="fdbf3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76ef79f086c57e47faf51acd7f0fc665" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="270" />mean girls no food in class GIFGiphy<p>When I was in high school I had this English teacher that was basically a washed up mean girl in her 50s.</p><p>She gave us an assignment about our goals and where we wanted to go after highschool. I wrote about my interest in music. She shot it down and told me that it would never happen, I would be lucky to get a job as a fast food shift worker.</p><p>I remember some other time I was casually talking to her and she asked where I lived for some reason. I described it to her and she got all confused, then asked me if if I lived in an actual house. She said she was surprised I lived in a house because she assumed I lived in an apartment or trailer or something.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Fuginshet/" target="_blank">Fuginshet</a><br></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_6" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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This is a mess all around.
<p>My mum would not allow a PC in the house, she saw them as the devils devices. (She’s very old fashioned and a bit mad if I'm honest) She was convinced that no high school in the world could demand an essay written on a PC.</p><p>One of my teachers asked for an essay and said it needed to be written on a PC and printed out. I tried to convince my mum but she was having none of it. She told me to tell him we couldn't afford one. I straight up did not want to say that because it was a lie and I knew the teacher wouldn't buy it and I knew that regardless, I would be bullied for being poor. I was already being bullied pretty bad at the time due to not having expensive trainers and clothes, so I wanted to avoid adding to the list.</p><p>I wrote the essay by hand, in the best possible handwriting, stapled the pages in order like a little book and put it in a little plastic thingy. I did my best.</p><p>Teacher ripped it up in front of the whole class and threw it in the bin. He refused to beleive there was a household in the world that didn't own a computer and yelled at me for being a lazy little smart a**. He compared the essay (which he did not read) to a dish rag. The class actually went silent and the bullies actually eased up a bit which I did not expect.</p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_7" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p>I returned home miserable and angry, told mum what happened. She still refused to allow a PC but conned someone else's mum to let me use theirs. The last was so nice to me and I could tell she felt sorry for me. Mum called her up and said "we are too poor for a PC can my daughter use yours?"</p><p>IF WE COULDN'T AFFORD IT I would have been ok with it. But we could. We could have got a second hand ancient little thing with just Word on it. It was just lies and that still irritates the f*ck out of me. And I hate to think what that a**hole teacher put other students in not-so-great circumstances through. More than anything I hate that there are people walking around that thought it was ok to make someone's life miserable because they were (as far as they could tell) too poor to have nice things.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/icelolly10/" target="_blank">Icelolly10</a></p>
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<p>But more than anything, middle school seems like the worst spot for kids getting bullied by teachers. Here are some of the worst cases.</p>
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That’s the worst attempt at “motivating” I’ve ever seen.
<p>Oof. Okay. Middle school seems to be universally bad for everyone but my older sister died the same year middle school started for me. Dealing with grief and undiagnosed ADHD + dyscalculia meant I was not a good student. People were decent that first year, but by the new school year and approximately 1-2 years after my sister's death I was being told by one of my teachers that I needed to be over it.</p><p>12-13 years old by then, struggling immensely and I can't adequately explain why doing things was hard for me so she just took the bad approach: I needed to stop using my sister's death as an excuse and get my grades up or else I was on the path to repeating 8th grade.</p><p>Other teachers were bad there too, with many of them using public humiliation against me having bad grades as an attempt to "motivate" me, but all it did instead was lead me to believe I was a failure.</p><p>That one teacher though hurt me so bad. I'm almost 31 now and I am realizing still how much shame I carry over my ADHD, the distrust I have for authority figures, and the fractured confidence I have that I'm capable of doing things. I work full time with a stable job, I have a boss I like working with, and I'm loved and married and have friends, but this still follows me.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/bdb90/" target="_blank">Bdb90</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_9" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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That’s not only bullying, but also sexist.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwODk0MC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDg0MTYwN30.O1hqdH_Foyr7GsA166Ijwe15GC57RN9a1_8_TnSTm6Q/img.gif?width=980" id="1f9ab" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b736e72e4a8ad0e739bc2cae94eb0818" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="568" data-height="319" />sexist laci green GIFGiphy<p>I was doing poorly in school ~2006 because I was horrifically depressed. My 6th grade teacher took a special interest in "helping" since she knew my sisters so one time she made me stay after class and in a roundabout way accused me of being lazy and said "what will you do if your husband dies? how would you support yourself" and I burst into tears because all of my home issues stemmed from my dad dying from an aneurysm very suddenly the year before.</p><p>My grades started drifting even more after that so uh. Thanks Dr. Alexander.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/honkdogs/" target="_blank">Honkdogs</a><br></p>That’s gotta be hard to begin with.
<p>I moved to Germany as a pre-teen, and I didn't speak the language at all upon arrival - had to learn it as I went.</p><p>In my second year here, my mother decided to put me in an all-German school. My language skills were still quite shaky, so it was quite difficult. German class was the hardest.</p><p>I had this teacher who took a disliking to me for being a foreigner. He would constantly pick on me, and make me repeat things, saying he couldn't understand what I was saying due to my accent.</p><p>The cherry on top was when we had an exam, and we had to write an essay on a book we had read in class. I had severely struggled with the book, as it was written in a Berlin dialect - at the time I was barely able to read normal German, let alone a book written in a very heavy dialect. My teacher failed me completely on the exam, saying that I had not understood the task and my spelling and grammar were atrocious. At the time, my mother had a colleague who was a German teacher. She looked over my exam after I had gotten it back and was surprised that he had failed me - I had by no means done brilliantly, but it was still worth a passing grade.</p><p>Needless to say, I was devastated and was convinced that my German is terrible and I was no good, and I would never be any good and I simply suck.</p><p>Even today I am still a little self-conscious when speaking German, especially in public settings. Which is quite unfortunate, considering that I'm an interpreter...</p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Glinda45/" target="_blank">Glinda45</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_10" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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Why would a child lie about that?
<p>I had a teacher in middle school who would pick on me constantly. One time in the sixth grade there was this math problem and it had this banking term I wasn't familiar with cause you know I was 11 and didn't go to the bank. So I tried to do the problem on context clues and got it wrong. </p><p>The next day when she collects the homework she told me how could I get such a simple problem wrong. I tell her I didn't know the meaning of one of the words. She says I'm lying and even if I didn't I should have asked my parents. I told her my parents are immigrants and only my dad can speak English fluently and that he was at work when I wading doing my homework. She says I'm lying again about my mom not knowing too. She berates me some more until I have tears in my eyes.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/parallax_xallarap/" target="_blank">Parallax_xallarap</a></p><div class="ad-tag" data-ad-name="In_Content_Responsive_11" style="min-height:280px"></div>
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<p>Overall, as a former elementary school teacher I am getting so angry reading about all of these stories. However, I am of firm belief that if teachers were paid a better wage, we wouldn't end up hiring these kinds of teachers, and see this kind of behavior happening.</p><p>Teachers, treat your kids better. They're just small people that don't understand everything yet. </p>
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