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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Do Baby Carrots Always Seem To Be Wet?

You’ve probably noticed that there are three main differences between carrots & baby carrots.  Baby carrots are smaller, obviously…they often come in a bag…and they’re almost always wet. Which begs the question, why are they always so wet?

Well, the experts at Dollar Shave Club looked into it, and it all goes back to how they’re made. Baby carrots do not pop out of the ground as little stubs.  Instead, they’re created from regular carrots that are too unattractive to sell.  Those ugly carrots are cut into chunks & put into a “polishing drum” that uses water to whittle them down. So that’s part of the reason. 

Water is also added to the bag before it’s sealed to keep them moist.  That’s because baby carrots lose their skin while they’re being smoothed out, and that makes them VERY vulnerable to drying out. If you’ve ever left them sitting out, you know they get dry, and a white film forms on them. And that white film, by the way, IS safe to eat.

Just remember the phrase that I live by, when it comes to baby carrots: “The wetter the carrot, the better the carrot!”

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Dog Fur Vs. Dog Hair

Any dog lover who’s ever suffered allergies has probably heard that certain dog breeds are “hypoallergenic”. Some folks believe that that comes down to whether the dog has fur or hair. But is that really true? Is there a difference between dog fur & dog hair?

Yes, there is! But the difference lies in their sameness: both fur & hair are actually…hair! Each is made up of keratin, and both grow from hair follicles. But there are differences, namely in how each strand behaves.

Dogs with a fur coat usually have shorter, coarser hairs whose textures are fine. They often come in two layers (a top coat & a soft undercoat). And, because fur coats tend to have shorter growth cycles, those dogs also shed more.

Dogs with hair tend to have longer coats that can come in different shapes, like curls. Hair also tends to be longer, goes through phases of growth & shedding, and feels softer than fur.

So, what does that mean for you if you have allergies? Well, unfortunately for folks who believe their dog is hypoallergenic, dogs with hair actually aren’t. That’s because what triggers those allergies is usually the dog’s dander, or skin particles (as well as dried saliva on the dog’s coat), not the hair, itself. And every dog has dander.

What hair does do is contain dander better than fur. Dogs with hair tend to shed less, plus they also tend to trap shedding hair in their coat, so that prevents dander from being dispersed into the air. Dogs with fur, though, tend to release those allergens more easily, since their coats are shorter & they tend to shed more.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Should You Laminate Your Social Security Card?

Social Security Cards: To Laminate or Not To Laminate

Your Social Security card is super important, but it’s also super flimsy. Laminating it would seem like a good way to keep it from gradually deteriorating over the years, right? But should you laminate your Social Security Card? NO WAY, absolutely not! (At least according to the Social Security Administration.) And it’s not because you might have to update it in the future, like you would a COVID-19 vaccination card. It’s actually because laminating your Social Security Card prevents detection of its security features.

Back in 1983, the SSA overhauled its card making process & introduced a bunch of new security features to make cards less susceptible to counterfeiting. In addition to being printed on banknote paper, all cards made after October 31, 1983, have at least one of these features: a tamper-proof background; color-shifting ink; engraved text; yellow, pink, and blue circles; a hidden image that’s only visible if the card is tilted a certain way; or an anti-copy pattern that only shows up if you photocopy the card. So, if your card was issued before 1983, it probably doesn’t have those built-in security measures (but you still shouldn’t laminate it). If your card was printed after February 1996, it probably also has your 9-digit number in red fluorescent ink on the back. And, if you got yours after April 2007, then your card’s issue date is most likely beneath your signature line.

If you’ve already laminated your Social Security card, don’t get too worked up about it. It’s not illegal, though it could create some issues if you were to, say, start a new job (your new gig’s HR folks might refuse it as a valid form of identification).

So, how can you protect your card instead of laminating it? Just stick it inside a baseball card sleeve or some other clear removable plastic case.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

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