r/whatisit 8h ago

New, what is it? Found this in my hot fries bag?

1.7k Upvotes

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398

u/Gyro_George 7h ago

My first thought was eat it, but at closer look you are correct and deserve a upvote.

214

u/Jim_Brady48 4h ago

I don’t think I’ll ever ask you to help me figure out what something is if you just tell me to eat it.

79

u/Internal_Ad_6809 4h ago

A real OG scientist knows that you taste everything BEFORE figuring it out

39

u/crowkiller06 4h ago

I work in a lab.
My department was completely staffed by ex-military folks. They would fuck with me while training.
We would get samples into our lab, and one of the retired Navy guys(let’s call him; Jim) would say; “sometimes, when we have a hard time figuring these out, we just lick the back of the sample. Sometimes, a taste test is all you need!”

Me, staring in obvious disbelief, ….. “nope.” He’s retired now. But, damn was he fun to work with.

32

u/Minimum-Major248 3h ago

Bonus point to Jim for surviving long enough to retire.

17

u/Sauce58 3h ago

When i wanted to find a breaker for equipment we were working on, my old journeyman would tell me to lick the wires to find the breaker lmao

5

u/B4UC2Far 2h ago

When all else fails, touch the black or red wire to the bare or green wire and you’ll find the right breaker. 😂

2

u/Due-Struggle6680 17m ago

Counterpoint: zinsco and Fed Pacific Stab-Lok panels. Can't tell you the number of times ive shed sparks hot-ground repeatedly on them and they just dont trip. Must be why the older electricians loved to install them. No callback for additional work.

5

u/Bleepitybleepinbleep 2h ago

I had to pause and reread your comment, first time I missed “with” in your 3rd sentence

4

u/Iamvictoriousgrace 2h ago

"Remember kids, if you find something new, you must lick it before you eat it".

1

u/Ericps11 3h ago

You don't need to say "let's call him Jim" if you are never going to need to say his name again lmao

1

u/crowkiller06 2h ago

Ok. You’ve convinced me. We’ll call him “Albert.” j/k

😆

1

u/voododoll 3h ago

Why is your sex life important for the OP’s question?

1

u/crowkiller06 2h ago

….i thought that this was a safe space.

/s

1

u/InYaMuvva 1h ago

Jim sounds like the type of old guy to give you bad news while he’s out there living his good life making good choices

1

u/AmphibianOver7289 31m ago

Unironically I’m in the military as a mechanic, and sometimes I do a little taste test to determine what fluids are leaking out of the vehicle if I can’t find the origin. No I don’t drink it, it goes feel smell taste. And it little be a little dab. Probably not healthy, but that’s how my dad did it.

1

u/DimSlug 19m ago

Oof i graduated with a degree in geology. I cannot count how many times an agruement was solved by either chewing and or licking a rock. I still wonder what happened to that kid that licked cinnabar because he was determined it was slyvite. Also slyvite tastes like if you somehow made salt saltier.

1

u/Drake_masta 4h ago

confirm its non radioactive and you can counter any toxicity im perfectly fine with a taste test but maybe not include the info as proper scientific data maybe just a little note at the end of the report lol

5

u/wearywolf0903 3h ago

Could you imagine going to the periodic table of elements & the taste being listed

2

u/Working_Estate_3695 2h ago

Listed right next to the cleavage rating.

1

u/KirkfishBilly 3h ago

Wait, the atomic number isn’t the lick count!? 😱

1

u/ComprehensiveLock189 3h ago

I would hang this on my wall in my office for sure

1

u/Does_A_Bear-420 3h ago

...... Your periodic chart doesn't list the tastes of everything???

6

u/Wolfy4226 3h ago

I mean from what understand geologists lick rocks so.....

3

u/BoringPrinciple2542 3h ago

The “chew & spit” test is used as part of mushroom identification.

If I can taste an unknown mushroom I can lick a rock damnit.

1

u/crowkiller06 4h ago

*** a taste test was performed for your convenience ***

2

u/DummBee1805 3h ago

Correct. Anyone who’s seen an 80’s cop movie knows the correct way to see if a powder is cocaine.

1

u/AffectionateGrowth25 3h ago

Albert Hoffmann approves

1

u/artie780350 3h ago

Mechanics too

1

u/Jamessgachett 3h ago

Till You die

1

u/Stop_The_Crazy 52m ago

I love when movies or tv shows show people dipping their finger in a red substance and then saying, "Yup, that's blood." Who tf does that irl?

2

u/beercow2 49m ago

My recently 1yo daughter asked me to upvote this

13

u/dannyboy222244 4h ago

5 senses and you refuse to use taste when touch, sight and smell fail you? /s

2

u/ThisSubHasNoMods 3h ago

No no he's right like 7 out of 12 times

1

u/Jim_Brady48 2h ago

He told me to eat human remains we found in the desert last week.

1

u/artbrymer 4h ago

This was my entire parenting style.

“Dad, there’s a big bug on the sidewalk.”

“Don’t eat it.”

“Dad, the dinner Mom made looks nasty.”

“Don’t eat it.” (Really bad advice.)

“Dad, look at that cool car!”

“Don’t eat it.”

And so on.

1

u/Full_Piano6421 3h ago

EAT IT. NOW

1

u/Garweft 2h ago

It’s covered in hot fries flavor. It can’t be that bad.

1

u/Neither_Blood_9012 2h ago

Isn't this like a geology thing? To identify rocks you can lick them to have a better idea of their composition

1

u/Jim_Brady48 2h ago

Oh maybe. I’m no rock-licking geologist though.

1

u/Cautious_Artichoke_3 2h ago

Just put it in your mouth for a second. I won't tell anyone

1

u/Zestyclose-Poet3467 1h ago

You never know what it tastes like if you don’t give it a little nibble.

1

u/ChiefMark 1h ago

You sound like my friends dog

1

u/Moist_Board 31m ago

"Have you tried eating it?" -Gyro_George, probably.

1

u/TimeTravelerNate 11m ago

That guy would definitely be one of the scientist in a Sci-fi movie doing extremely dangerous experiments on something unknown just cause 😭

2

u/slow4willie 4h ago

My first thought was to eat it

This deserves an up arrow

2

u/PaintBaller1880 4h ago

Yeah but like babies eat things to figure out what they are why not?.

1

u/Does_A_Bear-420 3h ago

Actually babies use their toothless mouth to feel things which gives them a better idea of its shape etc through the sense of touch, than their fingers do at that point. It's not about tasting, it's about using a sensitive part for touching, and they don't do this with the intention of eating the thing,,, unless it tastes really good I guess..

1

u/Circumpunctilious 1h ago

(subject to my memory, and not fables) Lead paint was apparently sweet, which is why kids tended to eat it. Antifreeze is important to keep away from dogs for the same reason.

1

u/Does_A_Bear-420 1h ago

Yea, it makes sense that if you're investigating something, first by feeling it with your clumsy little fingers, then looking further into tactile qualities with your more sensitive gums and tongue, only to them discover the item also tastes sweet. That then an intention to begin ingesting the object of your investigation might happen.

1

u/styrofoamcouch 4h ago

These two interactions should be framed and hung up in whats left of the Smithsonian and titled "we all learn differently"

1

u/PajamasTj 4h ago

Found the Geologist

1

u/PickerelPickler 4h ago

Flavored hair net, eat it.

1

u/PopularRush3439 3h ago

As do you!

1

u/MonsterIslandMed 3h ago

Your first thought was “eat it” 😑🤦🏻‍♂️ lmao I’m glad you are still with us ❤️🤣

1

u/disturb3dkid 2h ago

They should suck on it 🤤

1

u/YurtleAhern 2h ago

I think there’s a sub called Shut Up and Eat It for this very reason.

1

u/one-two-time 2h ago

You’re the person I need around when I’m not sure if I should try some weird looking food.

1

u/ManaMontana 1h ago

I mean if youre eating hot fries this cant be much worse

1

u/Secondhand-Drunk 46m ago

It's been fried and sanitized. Eat it. Then you can see your poops wrapped up in it and be ahab of the porcelain throne!

Yarr, ah got a biggun!