The Straight Dope 11/15/2002

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 11/15/2002

Dear Cecil:

Where do chain restaurants get all the faux antiques for their decor? I have 
this disturbing vision of 12-year-olds in Thailand manufacturing farm 
implements and Nehi soda signs for Cracker Barrel and the like. --Mark Coen

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Cecil replies:

You may imagine I spend my time supping on sushi with Vaclav Havel and what 
all, but the truth is I have sat in Cracker Barrels on occasion and wondered 
about this very thing. (Cracker Barrel, for the benefit of those of you 
who've never left the west coast or driven on an interstate, is a restaurant 
chain that employs "old country store" decor. I know the question was about 
chain restaurants in general, but one must focus one's investigative 
resources.) So I called the company's headquarters in Lebanon, Tennessee, and 
quizzed the folks there about the stuff hanging on their restaurants' walls: 
Is it legit? Where does it come from? Then I thought about it a bit, called 
them back, and quizzed them some more. Some may say this is a trivial matter 
to get so persnickety about, but my feeling is, that's probably the same 
thing they said over at Arthur Andersen.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/021115.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

The recent Chicago weather has started an argument within my office. Cecil, 
does it ever get to cold to snow? If so, why? and how do you explain snow in 
the polar regions? --M Schwartz

SDSTAFF bibliophage replies:

Recent Chicago weather, huh? I guess this one has been on ice awhile--it 
arrived January 5, 2001. However, when a question is pegged to a Chicago cold 
spell, it's not like if you miss one you've blown your last shot.

Can it be too cold to snow? People from warm climates might be forgiven for 
thinking that's a crazy question. After all, it only snows when it's cold, so 
the colder it is, the snowier it must be. Right? Wrong.

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msnow2cold.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 06/05/1981

Dear Cecil: 

It must be these uncertain times, but once again I find myself coming to you 
to find the solution to a tantalizing enigma. In banks and other places that 
want to give that continental effect, one sees rows of clocks showing the 
time in various locales--New York, Paris, London--you know what I mean, being 
a man of the world. Anyway, the hour hand varies, but the minute hand is 
always the same--except for Bombay! It's always half an hour off. Or is the 
rest of the world half an hour off? I'm very concerned about this. Please 
explain so if I ever go to Bombay I can set my watch correctly. --Garnet J., 
Seattle

Dear Garnet:  Bombay, and India generally, isn't the only place 
chronometrically out of step with the rest of the world. Lots of countries, 
particularly in Asia, are a half-hour out of sync, including Burma, Sri 
Lanka, and Afghanistan.  

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a_124.html

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