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Episode 159: It's raining lemons
24th October, 2025 • Jack Chambers, Manu Henriot and Alex Bell from QI's 'Lunchbox Envy' podcast face questions about rider ridicule, bountiful beef and crunchy comparisons.
Transcription by Caption+
Tom:
What does Mrs. Crunch have that Mr. Crunch does not?
The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral.
Welcome to the Lateral Café. We're out of quinoa and oat milk, but I can do you trivia porridge, a factoid sandwich, or an omelet that's as eggy as this introduction.
SFX:
(guests crack up)
Tom:
Thank you, I appreciate the laugh, and so does our producer who wrote the script.
Let's see if our guests today are full of beans. They are the team from Lunchbox Envy.
We start with Jack Chambers. Welcome to the show.
Jack:
Hello, thank you for having me.
Tom:
Tell us a bit about Lunchbox Envy.
Jack:
So, it's the QI approach to food. It's a podcast, comes out weekly. And every week, we come up with all the sort of interesting historical stories and scientific backstory behind different ingredient or food stuff.
And we have a lot of fun making it. We each bring a lunchbox, and we sort of compete to find the best one, and meanwhile, you know, tell the world all about it.
Tom:
So I should ask, to our next player here, Manu Henriot, also in front of the microphone. Who's winning at the moment?
Manu:
Oh, oh, I mean, in terms of bringing tasty food,
Alex:
(laughs)
Manu:
definitely Rosie. There is no question. Jack and I bring in some pretty disgusting foods to try. I'm proud, but you wouldn't wanna eat them.
So I think Rosie, at the moment.
Tom:
Rosie is a professional chef, right?
Manu:
Yes, she is fantastic, and a food stylist, and she's got wealths of knowledge about the science and nitty gritty behind how cooking actually works. So, so much fun.
Tom:
Well, the third member of our panel today is the producer of the show, Alex Bell, welcome.
Alex:
Hi, Tom.
Tom:
From a production side of things, do you have to manage food styling here? What's it like working for this?
Alex:
Oh, fortunately, I don't really have to do the styling, 'cause Rosie does that, and she's so great. She knows everything about how to make ice cream that doesn't melt because she's worked in advertising, and you know, you have to put ice cream on the table for three days and make it look exactly the same.
So she's very good at cheese pull and sandwich construction and stuff like that. But I occasionally pitch in and... help make some of the lunchboxes, and I invariably make absolutely disgusting things... that I don't have to eat, which is brilliant.
SFX:
(guests chuckling)
Tom:
Well, very best of luck to all three of you on the show today.
Put a quick plug in. Where can people find you?
Alex:
We're on everywhere, wherever you get your podcasts from. And we're also coming to BBC Sounds pretty soon.
Tom:
Well, very best of luck to all of you.
It's time to pull up a plastic chair, wipe down the menu, and see what's cooking with question one.
Alex:
Let's go.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
Thank you to Chris Dixon for this question.
In Pennsylvania, why do thousands of bears suddenly appear when a biscuit goes into a basket?
I'll say that again.
In Pennsylvania, why do thousands of bears suddenly appear when a biscuit goes into a basket?
Manu:
Ooh.
Jack:
Is Pennsylvania the state where basketball was invented? I'm just— This is— These sort of connections jam into my head.
Alex:
Oh yeah. The only thing I know about— What, but you think this is something to do with basketball?
Jack:
Well no, I was—
Alex:
The basket? That's quite a good connection.
Jack:
Yeah.
Alex:
Because the only thing I know about basketball is that the— it— when they invented it, it was 30 years before anyone had the idea of putting the hole in the bottom of the net.
Tom:
(laughs)
Alex:
So...
Manu:
Ohh.
Alex:
Every single time someone's called a basket, that they'd have to get a ladder and fish it out and stop the game.
SFX:
(group giggling)
Jack:
I— Yeah.
Alex:
It sounds like, I would go for something along the lines of like, what is it, as you say, a fish in a basket?
Tom:
A biscuit in a basket.
Alex:
Biscuit, sorry. Biscuit in a basket. So I'm kind of thinking some kind of—
Tom:
Where did fish come from?
Alex:
I don't know, that's— I think maybe I was trying to go, what kind of biscuits do you have in America? And I know they have fi— Goldfish.
Jack:
Oh yeah.
Alex:
They're kind of like a snack. But I was thinking, oh, maybe it's some kind of a baiting thing, where they— you— it— They're tempting the bears in a national park somewhere.
Tom:
Now, the American definition of 'biscuit' is different to the British one.
Jack:
Yeah. There's an American biscuit, or an— a British biscuit.
Tom:
Well, we'll get onto that later, but how much American biscuit knowledge do you all have?
Manu:
I mean, they're like scones, aren't they?
Tom:
Yeah, they kinda like buttermilk scones. Little difference in the recipe. More savoury and salty, but yes.
Alex:
Okay.
Manu:
Uh-huh.
Alex:
Because they call cook— like what we would call a biscuit, they often call a cookie?
Tom:
Right.
Alex:
I think? Right, yeah.
Jack:
So are we not... I'm trying to think which of these words are metaphorical.
Tom:
Ah!
Jack:
Because—
Tom:
That is the right way to approach this question, yes.
Jack:
'Cause the biscuit is the little code that the president carries for the nuclear codes.
Tom:
Oh!
Alex:
Oh, that's good.
Jack:
So that was the other place my lateral thinking went.
Alex:
Maybe a bear is an— is a— is is slang for a nuclear missile. So it's like we're just talking about World War III.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Manu:
Oh, but bears— Aren't bears also a sporty thing? Is there a sports team called a bear?
Jack:
The Bears. Chicago Bears, I think.
Alex:
Yeah.
Jack:
What do they do? Football maybe. (chuckles)
Alex:
They're also like— as speaking of someone from the gay community, they're also like...
SFX:
(group laughing)
Alex:
like a big hairy man.
Jack:
Yeah, yeah.
Tom:
Yes. That goes along with the Oshkosh Otters and the Tennessee Twinks.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
There we go. I was— I had that joke in my head, and I was like... Somewhere starting with O. Somewhere starting with O. Oregon was the obvious answer. But I went with Oshkosh for some reason.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex giggle)
Tom:
You are circling around sport. And you've gone to that twice. So I think it is fair to tell you that yes, this is a sport question.
Jack:
And did you say 10,000 or 100,000?
Tom:
Thousands of bears suddenly appear when a biscuit goes into a basket. It is not basketball though.
Jack:
Interesting.
Alex:
I mean, I guess like, because it could be— I mean it could be netball or anything. But maybe because thousands of bears appear, it's something to do with the fan base. So like, if this is, I dunno... like they— Oh, is it something like, you've got a loaded crowd of people in an arena, and then they all do something, like they open their jackets, and they're all wearing
Jack:
Oh yeah.
Alex:
their lo— the logo of the team whenever they, you know, the team scores a basket, but not basketball.
SFX:
(guests chuckling)
Tom:
It's very close. Again, I feel like throwing open clothing there.
Alex:
Tattoos, tattoos. They've all got tattoos.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Tom:
Not quite right with the throwing open of clothing. And again, not sure quite where your head's going during this episode.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex laugh)
Tom:
But you are definitely along the right lines. This is—
Alex:
Well, you'd all stand up, right?
Tom:
Yep.
Alex:
Like if, when, if someone scores a goal or something.
Tom:
Ah, yes. You said score a goal. That's right. The basket is the goal. What might the biscuit be? If you can work that out, you'll have the sport as well.
Alex:
Is it— I mean, I'm gonna say like, is it ice hockey because they have a puck?
Tom:
Yes, it is.
Alex:
Yes, okay, brilliant.
Manu:
Aww, nice.
Jack:
Aww, very good.
Alex:
'Cause that's very biscuit shaped, yeah.
Tom:
Yeah. The puck is biscuit shaped.
So when the biscuit goes in the basket – when the puck goes in the goal – the fans do something. You've got nearly all the elements.
Jack:
Ah! (laughs)
Tom:
Thousands of bears.
Manu:
Bears.
Alex:
I have one more guess, is that the pictures are printed on the seats. So they appear because everyone stands up to cheer.
Jack:
And then the seats flip up. That's very good thinking.
Tom:
Oh, lovely guess. It's not right.
Jack:
Is it 'bare', B-A-R-E? Like going back to Alex's?
Manu:
Yeah.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Tom:
I'll even give you the team name. It's the Hershey Bears of Pennsylvania.
Alex:
Oh. Well, Hershey is the town. We talked about this in the podcast.
Tom:
Yeah.
Alex:
Hershey was the town that was founded for Hershey's, right?
Tom:
Yep.
Alex:
Like, okay.
Tom:
And these days is mostly visited (chuckles) for the theme park there.
Alex:
Yeah, I really want to go. It sounds amazing.
Jack:
It's not like Willy Wonka, I'm sure. (chuckles)
Tom:
No, the roller coasters are safer at Hershey Park.
Jack:
Yeah, yeah.
Alex:
So are they all holding something? Is this— Is it fashion? Is it like, is it intentional? Do they intentionally appear?
Tom:
They're— Yes, it's intentional. Yes, they're holding something.
Jack:
But do— I mean— is it as simple as having a small stuffed mascot? Like on University Challenge?
Tom:
Yes, it is. Yeah.
Jack:
Yeah, cool.
Tom:
There is— You know what? We've got through this. I'm gonna ask one other thing. They've brought all these stuffed toys and toys of all sorts.
Jack:
Okay.
Tom:
Why might they suddenly appear on that first goal? What might be the point of that?
Manu:
Do they throw them into the rink?
Tom:
Yes, they do.
Alex:
Ah.
Manu:
I remember this from something. I think I've seen footage of it. It's mad.
Tom:
Yes. Every year, the Hershey Bears of Pennsylvania hold a special event. And when the first goal is scored by the home team, most of the fans will take out a stuffed toy and throw it onto the rink.
There's one key thing missing there. Why? What's the point of that?
'Cause that's just gonna disrupt the game.
Jack:
Yeah, of course. I was thinking about the cleanup operation. It'll be about 15 minutes at least.
Tom:
It's gotta happen very quickly. And where do they go afterwards?
Jack:
Oh, do they go to charity?
Tom:
Yes! Spot on, Jack. It's a charity promotion. In 2025, they set a new record of 102,343 toys. That's eight toys for every person in the stand.
Jack:
Per seat, yeah.
Alex:
Wow.
Jack:
I was gonna say.
Alex:
That puts a lot of pressure on the team though. 'Cause if you don't score, A) you lose the game, and all the orphans go without their Christmas presents.
Manu:
Ah.
SFX:
(guys chuckling)
Jack:
That's so true.
Tom:
So yes, this is the Hershey Bears of Pennsylvania, who every year hold a promotion where in the first home goal, the fans throw toys on the ice rink for charity.
Jack:
Amazing.
Manu:
Aw, so lovely.
Jack:
That's very sweet.
Alex:
Love it.
Jack:
I remember reading about a... some sort of college football team, where they all throw toast onto the field.
Tom:
(laughs) That's very different!
Jack:
And it's not donated, but it is a similar tradition. Again, it started out some sort of random rumour that went 'round that like, I don't know, or maybe they had their opposition on toast or something, and that just became a thing, and now they have to have, you know, professional cleanup teams to...
Alex:
Yeah.
Jack:
Yeah. 'Cause they don't wanna ban it. 'Cause it's America, land of the free.
SFX:
(group chuckling)
Tom:
Each of our guests has brought a question in. We will start, I think, with Alex. What have you got for us?
Alex:
Sure, okay.
This question has been sent in by Isaiah.
Two motorcyclists are eating outside a café. Mike looks down and gently mocks Keith for his chicken strips. What does this tell you about Keith?
SFX:
(Tom and Jack cackle softly)
Manu:
(groans)
Alex:
I'll read that one more time.
Two motorcyclists are eating outside a café. Mike looks down and gently mocks Keith for his chicken strips. What does this tell you about Keith?
Jack:
Ah, okay. This sounds like a body part. (wheezes)
Manu:
Vegan? Is he being like meat shaming?
Tom:
(laughs)
Alex:
Mhm?
Jack:
(snickers) Meat shaming. No, I think it's relevant to the cyclists, surely.
So, chicken strips. Is it a specific body part that cyclists have? I mean, they're humans. They've got the same body parts as me, but...
What do chicken strips look like? They're breaded. (chuckles)
Tom:
Yeah, we are assuming that these are chicken strips he's eating, and these— this is— (cracks up) We've locked in on the metagame here, which is, identify the metaphor in the question.
Jack:
Yeah.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex laugh)
Jack:
Well, it's Lateral. Clue's in the name.
SFX:
(Tom and Manu laugh)
Jack:
Maybe it's a bike part.
Alex:
Yeah, okay. So I think I'll say the chicken strips aren't edible.
Tom:
Okay, okay.
Manu:
Oh.
Jack:
I wish my uncle was here. He's a bike mechanic, and... He's actually the man who built the racing wheelchairs for the Olympians.
Tom:
Oh, wow!
Jack:
So he's got a num— multiple gold medals to his name. I think he's retired now, but he still sort of fixes people's bikes for fun, which is quite sweet. But he would definitely know.
Tom:
The speed of those is incredible. I remember watching the London Marathon and seeing them go by. And just the sheer speed.
Alex:
Yeah, it's terrifying, yeah.
Jack:
Yeah, it's amazing.
Tom:
I wonder if they have... Sorry, I'm going on a tangent here.
Jack:
That's fine.
Tom:
But I wonder if like Formula One, they have to slow down for the corners?
Jack:
Oh yeah!
Tom:
'Cause runners don't have to do that in a marathon.
Jack:
No, exactly. And yeah, I guess maybe you can lean, but you can't lean too far.
Tom:
Yeah.
Jack:
'Cause you're not on two wheels. But I dunno if racing wheelchairs have chicken strips.
Alex:
Maybe think about where Mike could be looking.
Jack:
Yeah, he said, looking down.
Alex:
That is relevant. And that he was— I think he's literally looking down. He is not just looking down on...
Jack:
As in looking down the nose.
Alex:
Or maybe he is.
Tom:
And the question is, what does that tell us about Keith, right?
Alex:
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Tom:
Okay.
Jack:
Okay.
Tom:
Something has happened to Keith or his bike, that hasn't happened to Mike, and he's getting mocked for it. And it looks like a chicken strip. And what?
Alex:
You're on the— yeah, this is, this is the right, this is the right track.
Jack:
Okay, good. I know a lot of cyclists shave their legs, and then other cyclists claim that it makes no difference. Is it anything to do with that? (chuckles) Again.
Alex:
No.
Jack:
Back to the bare skin.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Alex:
I'd say Tom is closer. Tom is on the... on the close right track.
Jack:
So it's part of a bike. Chicken strips.
Oh, is it like... you give it a notch in your bed frame? It's like if you, every time you get a speeding ticket, you'd put a little chicken strip in your exhaust pipe or something?
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Manu:
Wow.
Jack:
Scratch one out. Maybe not.
Manu:
In there. Is it something on the frame? Like, I don't know. People stick all sorts of stuff to their bikes if they're bike packing. This is sharing my knowledge of bikes. I need to ride more.
Jack:
So I guess having chicken strips is unimpressive, is that right?
Alex:
Yeah, Mike is mocking Keith for the chicken strips.
Jack:
Okay. So maybe it's like a... without getting too violent, maybe he's got some sort of... friction burns on his leg.
SFX:
(Jack and Tom laugh)
Alex:
Okay, you're like, again, you are kind of, you're circling a little bit closer.
Jack:
Okay, okay.
Alex:
If you're thinking about like, marks.
Jack:
Oh, is it do with Lycra? Is it about wearing Lycra that's too tight?
SFX:
(Tom and Alex laugh)
Alex:
No, but... I kind of really— I like that answer. In that scenario, what are the chicken strips?
Jack:
They're just like the sort of red marks you get
Tom:
when you take them off?
Jack:
'Cause they're stopped for coffee, right?
Alex:
Yeah, but I don't think they take all their Lycra off when they stop at the café. I don't think that's allowed.
Manu:
Is it like when you know you're going really fast, and you get hit by bugs or something on the way?
Alex:
Ooh.
Tom:
Ooh.
Manu:
And it's—
Alex:
Okay.
Tom:
It's definitely, speed is definitely a part of it.
Manu:
Okay.
Alex:
So again, you're inching a little bit closer there.
Tom:
The mud getting kicked up or something like that, causing—
Manu:
Ooh.
Tom:
'Cause that'll be roughly the right colour? Like breaded chicken strips are brown, mud's brown?
Manu:
Or I'm thinking like, chicken (bleep) is brown.
SFX:
(Tom and Jack laugh)
Manu:
And that looks muddy.
Alex:
Okay, I'm gonna say the chicken strips
Tom:
look more like loops than strips. Loops?
Jack:
Loops?
Alex:
Yeah.
Manu:
Hmm.
Jack:
As in circles?
Alex:
Yes.
Tom:
Huh.
Manu:
Has to do with speed, and circular.
Jack:
Has he not put his leathers on correctly? And they're little stones that have making marks? They'd never make loops, would it?
Alex:
They are strips, but they're circular strips.
Tom:
Oh? Oh, oh, now. There's two ways that could be. That could be circular, like someone has drawn a zero on the leg, or it could be circular around the leg.
Jack:
Oh, yeah.
Alex:
Also, you've— you're fixating on legs, and it's not necessarily to do with legs.
Jack:
(laughs)
Tom:
Okay.
Alex:
He looks down and mocks Keith for his chicken strips.
Jack:
So maybe it's feet or clothing.
Tom:
It's gotta be feet and shoes then, surely.
Jack:
Oh, it's on the tyres.
Alex:
Yes.
Manu:
Ah.
Alex:
Correct.
Jack:
Oh, are there things that make you go faster? That are called chicken strips? And he's like—
Tom:
Nah, it's the little thing you put through the tyre, that goes click, click, click, click, click, click.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Jack:
Yeah, I would definitely mock Mike for that.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Alex:
I would say it's the opposite. But related to speed.
Tom:
Huh?
Jack:
Oh, is it... Well, in track cycling, they often put a— they block out all the spokes for aerodynamics.
Alex:
No, it's not that. This is a mockery that is most commonly directed at sports bike riders.
Tom:
Huh.
Jack:
Something to do with logging your speed in Strava.
SFX:
(group chuckling)
Alex:
Okay, okay. I'm gonna give you one more clue. Think about how riders take corners, especially in like MotoGP.
Jack:
Oh, is it... Are they sort of like stabilisers that keep you from hitting the ground?
Tom:
No, no! It's gotta be a different definition of chicken. It's not that they look like chicken strips.
Jack:
Cowardly!
Tom:
It's the cowardly definition of chicken.
Alex:
There we go, yes, yes.
Jack:
Amazing.
Tom:
So what... What are those going to be?
Manu:
It's to help them take corners more safely.
Alex:
Not necessarily, no. It does tell you something about Keith's driving style, though.
Tom:
More conservative. Let's not say cowardly. He's more conservative.
Alex:
Okay. Yes, yes, yes.
Tom:
He's not getting as low in the corners.
Alex:
Yes.
Tom:
So what does that tell you about his driving style?
Jack:
Oh! Is it that he's not worn off the tread from his tyres from when he's...
Alex:
Yes.
Jack:
Oh, amazing. Okay. (giggles)
Alex:
Yes!
Jack:
I can picture that. I can see exactly these sort of macho bikers who assess the tyres and like, oh, the inside, well, you know further up the tyre wall is, you know, fresh from when you bought them, and therefore you're not taking the corners fast enough. Oh.
Alex:
Exactly that.
So Mike has noticed that the— that only the middle of the tyres are worn. So the outsides aren't, which is, they sort of, they're a different colour. Because he doesn't take the corners as quickly, and he's afraid to lean in.
SFX:
(Tom and Jack laugh)
Alex:
So, chicken strip.
Jack:
Chicken strip. That's such a clever word.
Manu:
Awh.
Alex:
I know. What a healthy relationship those two have.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Manu:
I was gonna say! Cyclists are so mean. They look silly in Lycra, and they're mean.
SFX:
(Tom and Alex laugh)
Tom:
This is motorbike, to be clear, right?
Jack:
Yeah, this is motorbike.
Manu:
Oh, okay.
Alex:
Yeah, this is motorbikes. And as bikers are a huge segment of our listening audience...
SFX:
(others laughing)
Alex:
So thanks so much for alienating them. We're massive in the hardcore biking community.
Manu:
Ah. Love it.
Jack:
Yeah, I dunno how far you lean into corners when you're on your road bike, but...
SFX:
(guys chuckling)
Jack:
I'm gonna assess your chicken strips.
Manu:
I'm going for it.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex giggle)
Tom:
Thank you to Anabelle Couzijn for this next question.
To find some Swiss cheese, Steve and Alex used to have to travel for a minimum of 12,500 kilometres. Why did they have to travel so far?
I'll say that again.
To find some Swiss cheese, Steve and Alex used to have to travel for a minimum of 12,500 kilometres. Why did they have to travel so far?
Jack:
So the number 12,500... strikes me, if I'm...
I can't remember now if it's miles or kilometres, but I think that Earth's circumference is 24,000 of either of them, kilometres or miles.
So that would be halfway around the Earth. That would be halfway around the world, yeah.
Alex:
Maybe they are just really, really picky,
SFX:
(Jack and Manu laugh)
Alex:
and they have really one preferred shop. I was thinking more of a like, because you said a minimum, I was thinking there's something geographical there. So for example, they live in a really remote island, and you can... you have to go to the mainland to get it. But like you say, that's such a long distance, that I can't really imagine there not being a closer shop.
SFX:
(Alex and Jack laugh)
Jack:
I think it might be 24,000 miles, in which case 12,500 kilometers won't— would be less than halfway around the world.
Tom:
The Earth's circumference is about 40,000 kilometres.
Jack:
Okay, yeah. It was 25,000 miles. So—
Manu:
Or is it Swiss cheese, as in literal, has-to-be-from-Switzerland cheese?
Jack:
Oh yeah, we even did the cheese research, haven't we?
Tom:
The cheese-search.
Alex:
Yeah.
Jack:
Cheese-search.
Tom:
That was unnecessary. I'm sorry.
Jack:
Or brie-search.
Tom:
Oh, that's better!
Manu:
Ahh.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
That's better.
Alex:
It might not be. That might be the metaphorical bit. So like Swiss cheese— I feel like Swiss cheese could be a nickname for something again. 'Cause that sounds like... something that's got loads of holes in.
Tom:
Yes. Yes, absolutely right.
Alex:
I feel like I've heard of something before that's called Swiss cheese as a nickname? I can't think what it was.
Tom:
I'll be honest. If you could remember it, that would probably help you a lot with this question. (cracks up)
Alex:
Okay.
Jack:
(laughs) So wait, 12,500 kilometres. Could it be upwards? Is it gonna be in space?
Alex:
Oh, okay.
Jack:
'Cause I think it's 100 kilometres until you're officially in space. So that's quite far into space.
Alex:
This isn't— This won't be right, but I do know that on the Moon, they have these... devices that they put up there during the Apollo missions, which are basically reflective plates. That look like Swiss cheese.
Jack:
Oh yeah!
Alex:
They've got loads of holes in. And they're designed specifically to shoot a laser all the way from the Earth to the Moon, and it will bounce back again. And they can measure exactly like to the sort of centimetre, how far away the Moon is. And that's how they realise that the Moon is actually slowly drifting away from us. We're gonna lose it one day.
Manu:
Oh.
Jack:
But I think that's more than 12,500.
Tom:
That's a lot more, unfortunately, yes.
Manu:
So it's not— it's definitely not cheese. We're not talking about cheese.
Tom:
Right.
Manu:
Something holey.
Alex:
They used to travel to get this. And they— And now they don't have to, which suggests that the— either they've moved, or the supply of the thing has moved. So as in, they used to be made in one place, and now it's made somewhere else, or they just moved closer to it.
Tom:
Or it's not available anymore.
Manu:
Oh.
Jack:
Oh yeah. Is this is some sort of lethally toxic refrigerant that was banned 'cause it's making a hole in the air?
Alex:
CFCs, yeah. (laughs)
Jack:
Are we in the arts here? Could it actually just be...
Tom:
Very, very vaguely. The cheese didn't appear when the distance was small.
Alex:
So is it something that is generated as a result of them travelling?
Tom:
'Generated' is definitely the right word here.
Alex:
Very much like a chicken strip.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Alex:
It's generated. Well, that makes me think of power.
Manu:
Is it the smell? Is it— No? Thinking about journeys and smells. I know it's not—
Alex:
Oh, it smells like cheese.
Manu:
Ah, or maybe visual, something holey. Ah.
Tom:
Yes. Visual, definitely.
Manu:
Okay. Visual, travelling, holes.
Tom:
I can tell you the Swiss cheese was caused by a glitch.
Alex:
I feel— it's something like ins— It's something like insulation that gets eaten away by... I feel like I have this right in the back of my brain somewhere.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Alex:
Where it is—
Tom:
I mean, if the things your brain's coming out with are insulation, gotta be honest with you.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
Not that, not that. Sorry.
Manu:
Ohhh!
Jack:
You've just redone your house, haven't you, Alex?
Alex:
Like I was, again, I was thinking of Space Shuttles and the insulation padding around and them like, you know how they used to have problems with cuckoos, going inside and stuff like that. So that's what I was thinking of, but...
Tom:
Steve and Alex are quite famous. And there is gonna be a subset of our audience who have been screaming this since the question came out.
Jack:
They're first names for McQueens, famous McQueens. But they're in very different roles.
Alex:
Very different industries.
Tom:
Oh yeah. Yes.
Jack:
Steve and Alex, maybe they're... Are they astronauts? Alex, you probably know all the men who've been on space.
Alex:
I— There are two. Are they— They're not the twins, are they? I don't think they are.
Tom:
No, remember glitch.
Jack:
Oh yes, glitch. Oh, computers. So Steve Jobs and Alex...
SFX:
(Tom and Jack laugh)
Jack:
I dunno, no.
Tom:
We're getting closer now though.
Jack:
Yeah.
Alex:
Okay.
Jack:
Maybe a bit nerdier.
Tom:
This is a computer thing.
Jack:
Yeah, it's like pre-iPhone, I imagine. It's gonna be like—
Alex:
Is it like about microprocessing and things?
Tom:
Not really. Why would they travel 12,500 kilometres?
Jack:
Is it about gaming?
Tom:
Yes. Yes it is.
Jack:
Is it— Are they— Are these Americans who used to travel to Japan to play like Pac-Man or something?
Tom:
Steve and Alex are the default characters in something that I suspect none of you play.
Jack:
(laughs)
Tom:
Are they the first names of Mario and his brother?
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Alex:
No. Mario's his name.
Tom:
Steve Mario?
Jack:
(laughs heartily)
Alex:
I dunno, maybe? I'm like, wait a second. Maybe that's just a surname.
Tom:
You will all know of this game. And it is a—
Alex:
Yeah.
Manu:
Is it like a fighting game?
Tom:
Oh... no.
Manu:
No, okay.
Tom:
No, it's not. 'Cause you don't have to travel 12,500 kilometres in a fighting game.
Jack:
Oh, it's within the game. It's Minecraft.
Tom:
It's Minecraft! Yes, it is! Yes.
Jack:
My cousin woulda got this.
SFX:
(Jack and Tom laugh)
Jack:
My sort of 15 years younger cousin.
Alex:
So this is a glitch that appears when you travel in the game?
Tom:
Yes.
Jack:
Yes. I reckon this could be to do with powers of two. Because isn't... Maybe I'm going up the wrong tree, but like Pac-Man, you got to level 257, and it just re— it sort of— 'cause it was 16-bit or something?
Tom:
Yeah.
Jack:
I don't really know.
Tom:
Yeah, you're right, Jack. The numbers get too large – or at least they used to, it's been fixed since. Once you get too many blocks away, the terrain generation system just kind of breaks. So why might it be called Swiss cheese?
Jack:
Presumably it looks like it's full of holes.
Tom:
It is full of holes. That's absolutely right.
Swiss cheese happens when Steve, Alex, or any other Minecraft player get more than 12,500 kilometres from the centre of the world. Or at least it did until they fixed it.
Manu, whenever you're ready, it's your question.
Manu:
Alright.
This question has been sent in by Beaulieu.
On the 15th of April 1923, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia was braced for confused horses and accidents, which didn't materialise. Instead, 1923 became known as 'The Year of Free Beef'. Why?
Jack:
(wheezes)
Alex:
Wow, that's— There's a lot to unpack there.
Manu:
Yeah, okay. I'm gonna read it again. So...
On the 15th of April 1923, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia was braced for confused horses and accidents, which didn't materialise. Instead, 1923 became known as 'The Year of Free Beef'. Why?
Tom:
I am gonna risk sticking my flag in the ground here and say, I think I know this one. Or at least I've worked it out and got some sort of vague memory.
So, Alex, Jack, it's over to you.
Jack:
Okay, so... firstly, 15th of April, my wife's birthday. Presumably nothing to do with it.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Jack:
But that's what jumped at me straight away. I think—
Alex:
I think I'm gonna rule it out.
Jack:
Wasn't— Yeah, true. (laughs) Wasn't 1923 the year of the... Tunguska explosion?
Alex:
Oh, classic. Yeah, of course. Who could forget? What is the thing...
SFX:
(group laughs uproariously)
Jack:
There was some sort of meteorite that came into Earth.
Alex:
Oh! Okay.
Jack:
Or not meteorite, 'cause I think it has to land. Oh no, it's about the atmosphere. Anyway, some sort of extraterrestrial object came into the Earth's atmosphere and exploded, and... Or maybe that was 1913. Anyway, it was around that time.
But, that sent me down the idea that, yeah, a meteorite would – that was predicted – might spook some horses.
Alex:
Yeah. But it's a bit early to be predicting
Jack:
That's true.
Alex:
that to the day. My direction for some of it, 'cause I don't think I can explain the first bit, sounded a bit like, you know when countries... switch the direction that vehicles are going on the road?
Jack:
Oh yes.
Alex:
And so they have a day, and then at midnight, everyone has to start driving on the right instead of the left. And there's loads of confusion. They have to change over.
Tom:
That's what I was thinking.
Alex:
Road signs. That's what I was thinking. But it doesn't explain the rest of it. The year of free beef or anything like that.
Jack:
It might do if you take beef to mean aggressiveness. (laughs)
Tom:
Oh?
Jack:
Conflict.
Tom:
Okay, so...
Alex:
Interesting.
Tom:
I agree with you on the first half, and...
Alex:
Yeah.
Tom:
Manu, it looks like that's right?
Manu:
Alex, you are... so on the right track. Doing so well.
Jack:
Oh, man.
Tom:
It was the day they changed to driving on the right.
Jack:
Amazing.
Alex:
But why did all the cows die?
SFX:
(others laughing)
Alex:
That's what I wanna— Why was there free beef everywhere is the question.
Jack:
Yeah.
Tom:
So that's our second part of the question.
Manu:
Mhm.
Jack:
So could that be— I mean, I suspect it's not— Well, okay. It's either something to do with lots of cows dying or... some sort of weird legal loophole that meant that beef was, you know, much cheaper than it was.
Alex:
Were the two— Are the two things related, Manu, or was this just coincidentally something totally different happened to all the cows?
Manu:
No, they are absolutely related.
Jack:
Yeah, it must be.
Tom:
Were the cows used to... vehicles being on one side of the road? So they looked the wrong way.
Jack:
So they learned.
Tom:
And a lot of cows got hit by cars.
Manu:
That's pretty, that's pretty bang on, I'd say. So in—
Alex:
Who's letting cows cross the road unaccompanied?
Manu:
So it's oxen that were driving carts. So basically...
Jack:
Oh.
Manu:
They could not be trained to drive on the right side of the road, like other animals could. People could... but the oxen couldn't.
Jack:
(giggles)
Tom:
So what do you do with oxen that can't be retrained?
Jack:
Wow.
Alex:
Eat them.
Tom:
And thus the price of beef dropped.
Jack:
Slaughtered them. Amazing.
Manu:
Yeah.
Jack:
I mean, not amazing for the oxen, but...
Alex:
So they thought the horses were gonna have an issue with it. but actually it was ox. So then horses became the dominant... vehicle species? Is that right?
Manu:
Yeah. Yeah.
Alex:
Okay, interesting.
Jack:
Well, at least in Nova Scotia for that year.
Alex:
And were they switching sides of the road, or were they just establishing a side of the road to drive on for once?
Manu:
No, they were switching, switching sides of the road. So they used to drive—
Alex:
Wow.
Manu:
Yeah, on the right, and then... Oh no, they used to drive on the left, and then they switched in 1923.
Alex:
But the oxen, I guess what— the ones who had grown up their whole lives driving one side couldn't be retrained. But they did understand to drive on the one side.
Manu:
Yeah, but I think they just couldn't— yeah, couldn't make that switch.
Alex:
Can't teach an old dog— Wow, that's interesting.
Tom:
You can't teach an old ox a new side of the road.
Jack:
Yeah.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
Thank you to Stine for this next question.
In 1911, why did crowds gather to see a few lemons rain down on the Norwegian town of Trondheim?
I'll say that again.
In 1911, why did crowds gather to see a few lemons rain down on the Norwegian town of Trondheim?
Alex:
Was it because they switched sides of the road?
SFX:
(others laugh heartily)
undefined:
nd a lemon truck crashed
Alex:
and then like, there's one everywhere?
Jack:
No, I think, the lemons is... sort of not too literal
Manu:
Yeah.
Jack:
meaning here.
Tom:
(laughs)
Jack:
I think... I guess Trondheim, and 1911, and just Norway generally, I'm thinking maybe this is one of the early... It's the wrong year for a Winter Olympics, but maybe a sort of world championship ski jump or something?
Alex:
Oh, interesting. I was thinking like experimental flight.
Tom:
'cause when was the like, oh yeah.
Jack:
Oh yeah.
Alex:
Like, and you know, a lemon being something that doesn't work. I wonder if, you know, there's one of those crazy flight expos where people were trying to demonstrate their ideas of planes, where there's all like pedal-powered things.
Jack:
Sorry, was it multiple lemons, or did you specify hundreds or dozens?
Tom:
A few lemons.
Jack:
A few. Okay.
Manu:
My brain... My brain went immediately to, you know, when like, storms pick up loads of sea animals and then rain them down somewhere else? I was like, maybe there's a fish called a lemon. But if it's a few, I don't think that fits.
Tom:
Alex, I'm gonna flag up flight expo there. I think, yeah, that's a fair summary of what's going on here. It was a flight demonstration.
Alex:
A flight demonstration. I mean, what, when was the plane invented? I suppose air balloon, hot air balloons, are another option for... like people gathered to see hot air balloons, and I feel like that was the sort of Around the World in 80 Days era.
Jack:
Or the extension of hot air balloon, the Zeppelin, I think.
Alex:
Oh yeah.
Jack:
'Cause it's before Hindenberg. And I think it's... I dunno how true this is, but... Zeppelins and aeroplanes were on a pretty similar trajectory, and it was one of those sliding doors moments.
Manu:
Hmm.
SFX:
(guys laugh heartily)
Alex:
Sorry, it's a bit euphemistic to call the Hindenburg a lemon, Jack.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Jack:
I think this predates the Hindenberg by 25 years or so. But like I reckon the early zeppelins might have been, and And if they were yellow coloured, they would look like lemons.
Alex:
But they fell to the— Did you say they fell to the ground or they...
Tom:
A few lemons rained down.
Jack:
Oh, okay.
Alex:
Rained down, okay. So that's quite poetic. That could be... I mean, that could be... land. (chuckles)
Tom:
I'll give you that this was a plane.
Alex:
Okay. Okay.
Tom:
The plane had been invented by the Wright brothers about eight years earlier.
Jack:
Oh yeah, okay.
Alex:
And people gathered, so they knew this was gonna happen.
Tom:
Yeah. It was, let's say flight demonstration.
Jack:
Did someone throw out sherbert lemons from their aeroplane? 'Cause I'm pretty sure, was it...
Alex:
When was the sherbet lemon invented?
SFX:
(group laughing)
Jack:
I'll save that for the sherbet lemon podcast. We have to do an episode.
Alex:
It was reminding me, speaking of the podcast, of the cow that they took up.
Manu:
I was gonna say, I was thinking about that.
Alex:
Can you remember the story, Manu? I can't remember when... that was.
Manu:
Yeah, so it was— it's— I think it was later than this. But yeah, it was someone that was throwing milk out of an aeroplane. They advertised the first cow in the air.
SFX:
(guys giggling)
Manu:
I think?
Jack:
They were live milking her.
Alex:
Below, yeah. (laughs)
Manu:
Ohhh.
Jack:
And then they'd drop it in parachutes. I think that was in America, wasn't it? I reckon lemons would've been pretty scarce in... If it is literal lemons, they would've been quite—
Alex:
Yeah.
Tom:
It is literal lemons. I'll tell you that, Alex, early on, you were trying to find the metaphor in this question. There's not one!
SFX:
(Alex and Jack laugh)
Tom:
There were literal lemons being dropped on Trondheim.
Jack:
Wow.
Alex:
Wow.
Jack:
You should call this 'Literal', not 'Lateral'.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Jack:
So why would they be doing that? I guess they're pretty scarce. You don't find them in Norway, do you?
Alex:
Also, Netflix hadn't been invented then, so you could literally get people to come and look at anything.
SFX:
(Tom and Jack cackle)
Tom:
I mean, yeah. It was a stunt.
Alex:
Ah.
Tom:
It was a stunt. It was a flight demonstration. This was a Swedish aviation pioneer. But he is demonstrating something that would become... very important a few years later.
Jack:
Parachute!
Alex:
That's a good one. I was gonna say, the concept of bombing.
Jack:
(laughs uproariously)
Tom:
The concept of bombing!
Jack:
Really?
Alex:
Is that right? Yeah.
Jack:
Wow!
Alex:
Crazy.
Jack:
That's crazy.
Tom:
Yes, absolutely right.
Jack:
No way.
Alex:
What a whimsical way to do that.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
Yeah. This is Baron Cederström, a Swedish aviation pioneer, who demonstrated a way to bomb enemy territories by taking some lemons and throwing them down at the town. Now...
Jack:
Amazing.
Tom:
You may have noticed something in that description I just gave. Why did some people find that stunt a bit insensitive?
Jack:
Is it 'cause lemons are expensive?
SFX:
(group giggling)
Jack:
I mean, especially in Norway in 1911, I don't think they were a ton a penny.
Tom:
Swedish aviation pioneer.
Jack:
Oh, and he's doing it in Norway?
Tom:
Yes, he is.
Jack:
Did it have some beef? Was it the year of free beef between Norway and Sweden?
Tom:
Well, 1905 was kind of the year of beef between Norway and Sweden, 'cause that's when they dissolved the union.
Jack:
Oh, okay.
Alex:
Ohhh.
Tom:
So it was only six years after that
Jack:
Goodness.
Tom:
that a Swedish aviation pioneer flies over Trondheim, demonstrates his plane, and chucks some lemons at them.
SFX:
(Alex and Jack giggle)
Alex:
Wow.
Manu:
Damn.
Alex:
I suppose they could go, it either goes in someone's eye, or they're eating al fresco, and they're having fish, and they're like, "Oh, perfect." And they just get some free seasoning.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Alex:
Amazing.
Jack:
And then the salt and pepper planes come over.
Manu:
Ah. Yes.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex laugh)
Tom:
Jack your question, whenever you're ready.
Jack:
This question has been sent in by Sebastian Cuttlefish. Great name.
Alex:
Hm.
Jack:
A forge in Herefordshire, England runs events for families to experience blacksmithing. Why does the forge require a supply of lollipops, and why are they not given to children?
I'll read that again.
A forge in Herefordshire, England runs events for families to experience blacksmithing. Why does the forge require a supply of lollipops, and why are they not given to children?
Alex:
I remember something about police giving out lollipops.
Manu:
Mhm. Yeah.
Alex:
And again, not for people to enjoy the lollipops. Or it is for people to enjoy the lollipops. But if you give them out to like nightclub... people, revelers, whatever they're called...
SFX:
(group laughing)
Alex:
Normal— Normal— I know normal people go clubbing. When they leave the club—
Tom:
You absolutely go into places!
Alex:
I've been to a nightclub.
Tom:
Yeah.
Alex:
When you leave a nightclub, you don't want people to be noisy on residential streets, and it's not very easy to tell drunk people to shut up. So police would hand out lollipops, and they put the lollipops in their mouths and suck 'em and not talk. And so it would keep 'em quiet.
So it was like a sideways solution to a problem that had actually nothing to do with the lollipops.
Jack:
You're kind of on the right lines. It's not about keeping them silent though.
Alex:
Is it stopping, keeping their tongues in their mouths so they don't get caught in the blacksmithing equipment?
SFX:
(Tom and Jack laugh)
Jack:
That would be pretty loose health and safety.
Tom:
How do you get your tongue caught in— That's an anvil and a hammer!
Jack:
(giggles)
Alex:
Yeah, I mean, I've watched a lot of cartoons growing up. I feel that's why I'm...
SFX:
(Tom and Alex laugh)
Manu:
Is it to stop them breathing out their mouths?
Jack:
No. Good thinking. I mean, what I will say is they don't give them out to everyone.
Manu:
Oh, is it like if you've injured yourself?
Tom:
(laughs)
Alex:
Oh god. Are they doing dentistry? Because that's when the other time you get a lollipop.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Alex:
And oh, they're like, do free teeth removal.
Tom:
Do you know what a forge does, Al—
Sorry, I shouldn't mock the guests. But in this question...
Alex:
I reckon!
Tom:
You've— You— That's like—
Alex:
I reckon they could knock some teeth out if they wanted to.
Tom:
That's three slams in a row on your nightclub social abilities, on your knowledge of forges, and your knowledge of dentistry. I apologise. Just invited to be rude!
Jack:
I think Alex is thinking of like a dual business where you've got a forge on one side and then a dentist on the other. I mean, that— I have no information on whether there's a dentist, but that's a red herring, so...
Manu:
Mhm. Okay. But injuries?
Jack:
Yes.
Manu:
Or...
Jack:
You do not want to get a lollipop if you can help it. The event is open to adults and children. So why would you not give them to children?
Alex:
Because the children aren't allowed to do what the adults are allowed to do? Like, for example, use the blacksmith equipment? It's like a live demo?
Jack:
Yeah? I think in some cases, they are both allowed to... participate.
Alex:
So what would they be doing here? What're the different things that you can make of forgery?
Manu:
I mean, swords surely is one.
Jack:
Yeah, I looked at the website. There are sword-making courses.
Manu:
Ah, okay.
Alex:
Maybe like suits of armour. That's like—
Jack:
Yeah? I wouldn't go down that route. I think—
Alex:
Horseshoes?
Jack:
What's unique about lollipops that, for instance, isn't common? Like you could... in some universes give them chocolate bars, but they wouldn't work in this case.
Manu:
Oh, the heat would melt the chocolate bar in the forge. Lollipops wouldn't melt.
Jack:
Not necessarily in the forge.
Alex:
Yeah, they're quite hard as well, lollipops. So like you could crack 'em, and, I don't know, there's... whereas obviously, a chocolate bar would just splatter.
Tom:
Is lollipops a metaphor? We haven't checked if lollipops is a metaphor again.
Manu:
Oh, I know.
Alex:
We didn't do the metaphor check!
SFX:
(group laughing)
Jack:
Luckily there's no meta. Everything's literal.
Tom:
Okay.
Jack:
They are literal lollipops. And they're not the frozen type. I dunno you would call that, that's a lolly in my head.
Tom:
Yeah, but they're not like a freeze pop or something like that.
Jack:
No.
Alex:
Are they being given— They're being given to people to suck.
Jack:
Correct.
Tom:
See, now I'm thinking that Alex was right with his whole dental injury or mouth injury thing.
Alex:
Oh, you've come around to my dental theory, have you?
Tom:
I've come around to licking the forge, yes.
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Manu:
Are burns involved?
Jack:
Burns are involved. Yes, you're on the right lines.
Manu:
So if you burn yourself, you get a lolly.
Jack:
You do. And why would you?
Alex:
To make— To get saliva? Is it a medical connection? It's not just so you feel better and don't sue the forgery? Like...
Jack:
(giggles)
Alex:
It's like if you burn your mouth or something, it's good to suck a lollipop?
Jack:
I'd say it's wider than burning your mouth.
Although in fact, I think if you burn your mouth, that would be the time they wouldn't prescribe a lollipop, because you'd be making it worse.
So again, why would you not give them chocolate? 'Cause that would help soothe their mind and help 'em not sue you.
Alex:
Yeah, it would do the same thing, but like you said, chocolate melts. So that was an issue.
Jack:
Which means it doesn't last as long?
Alex:
So lollipops last a long time. Okay, fine, right. So... But why do you need them to suck a lollipop for a long time if they've been burnt?
Jack:
That's my question to you.
Manu:
Oh.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Alex:
This show is really hard.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Manu:
Also... Lollipops are hands-free.
Alex:
Yes.
Manu:
Is it they burnt their hands?
Jack:
Yeah. I think you're going down the wrong— You're almost there. It's, they do take a long time. And in fact, they take a specific amount of time.
Manu:
Oh? Oh, is it when you're holding your hand under the thing, and then you have to suck the lollipop for that amount of time?
Jack:
That's exactly it.
Manu:
Oh!
Jack:
So when you burn, there's a small possibility, but if you burn yourself, the burn is treated by putting it in cold running water for about 20 minutes.
So the injured party is given a lollipop to suck, so that they can stay there for 20 minutes and they don't have to look at a camera on their phone and...
Tom:
Oh. I did not cool my hand for long enough when I got burned in a forge once.
SFX:
(Jack and Alex laugh)
Tom:
That's a very specific thing. I did like two minutes.
Alex:
I can't believe you have firsthand experience with this scenario and you didn't bring that up.
Tom:
Yeah, no.
Alex:
You could have— That could have helped.
Tom:
No one gave me a lollipop.
Alex:
(laughs)
Jack:
Look how you turned out.
Manu:
Also... I swear I read something about, that's not how you should treat burns, as category, don't put it under cold water.
Jack:
Oh, well take it up with this forge in Herefordshire.
SFX:
(guys giggling)
Manu:
I'm gonna find them.
Alex:
That sounds like the kind of slightly questionable medical advice we do on QI, where we're like, "Actually, this is a misconception."
Manu:
Put it back in the fire. It'll heal faster.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Jack:
Literally fight fire with fire on your skin.
Tom:
Homeopathic burn recovery. Got it.
Manu:
Ooh!
Alex:
Yeah.
Tom:
We take a tiny bit of fire and then dilute it until there's no fire— Actually, that genuinely is probably how homeopathic burn medication claims to work, isn't it?
Manu:
Ah.
Jack:
But you haven't fully answered the question. Why would you not give it to children?
Alex:
There's a different treatment for children? The hospital?
Jack:
(laughs)
Manu:
Mm.
Alex:
That would be the responsible thing to do is get an actual doctor to take a look at their burns.
Jack:
I think that comes later, yeah.
Manu:
Is it, they take too long to suck the lollipop, or like the—
Jack:
Oh, because of their tiny mouths?
SFX:
(guys chuckling)
Manu:
Yeah, they're smaller.
Alex:
Stupid children.
Manu:
Yeah.
Jack:
Sort of, I think... How can I push you towards this? What is it about children and lollipops? That isn't—
Alex:
Oh, they don't— They tend not to— Well, in my experience, whenever I give my children lollipops, they will suck 'em for two minutes, and then throw them, forget them, get 'em stuck on someone else.
Jack:
But have you grown out of a love of lollipops as you've become an adult?
Alex:
Yes.
Jack:
'Cause that's why they don't offer them to children, is that children would accident— They'd deliberately burn themselves so they could get a lollipop.
Alex:
Oh my god!
Tom:
Oh my god!
SFX:
(Alex and Jack cackle)
Tom:
Yeah.
Manu:
So funny.
Alex:
Wow.
Tom:
Yeah.
Jack:
If you tell them, if you show them, that here's lollipops, they're for burns victims, then, you know children.
Alex:
Yeah, that's true. That's what I would've done.
Jack:
They'll stick their hand in the fire. (giggles)
Manu:
That's hardcore. I would wanna be friends with that child.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Alex:
Just looking the blacksmith dead in the eye with their hand in the flame, and they're like, "Gimme a lollipop."
SFX:
(group laughing)
Manu:
So cool.
Jack:
Burning both hands. So they'll get two.
SFX:
(guests chuckling)
Tom:
Which brings us to the question at the start of the show.
Thank you to Zilland for sending this one in.
What does Mrs. Crunch have that Mr. Crunch does not?
Any guesses from our panel before I give the audience the answer?
Jack:
Is this like Mr. Potato Head? Some sort of failed Hasbro, sort of...
Alex:
An active sex life. She's taken a lover. Her marriage is broken down.
Manu:
Ooh.
SFX:
(group giggles)
Jack:
So the Mrs. has one.
Alex:
Oh, is it... 'Cause I think of Cap'n Crunch, the cereal. So, well he has obviously like a com— He has a title, a command title. He's in the army, but I don't know what she has.
Jack:
Oh, but isn't he missing a leg? So she might have her leg. (chuckles)
Alex:
Oh?
Jack:
Anyway, that's not Mr. and Mrs.— I don't think there is a Mrs. Crunch.
Alex:
Yeah, there's not a Mrs. Crunch.
Jack:
Are we in the realms of food?
Tom:
You are in the realm of food. And it's a fairly well-known pair.
Alex:
There's the Crunchee.
Jack:
Snap, Crackle, and Pop.
Alex:
What, you think there's an extended family tree?
SFX:
(others laughing)
Jack:
Mr. and Mrs. Crunch.
Alex:
Yeah.
Jack:
Oh, what are there two of? Is it something like a Twix? Are they known as Mr. And Mrs. Crunch?
SFX:
(Jack and Alex snicker)
Manu:
Awh.
Tom:
Mr. And Mrs. Crunch are not English.
Alex:
Oh, so this is a foreign version of something we'll recognise?
Tom:
I wouldn't put those words in exactly that order...
Jack:
(giggles)
Tom:
But yes.
Alex:
Well, I think like Mrs. Pac-Man has a bow. And is this something really superficial like that?
Tom:
(laughs) I mean, sort of, yes.
Alex:
(clicks tongue)
Jack:
Oh, oh, I've got it! Is it French?
Tom:
Yes, it is.
Jack:
Okay. It's croque monsieur and croque madame.
Tom:
Yes it is. So what—
Jack:
Mrs. Crunch has an egg.
Tom:
Correct! Yes!
Manu:
Ohh!
Alex:
Oh, that's so good!
Tom:
The croque madame is Mrs. Crunch, which has a sunny side egg on top, compared to a croque monsieur, which does not.
Thank you very much to all of our players. Let's find out, where can people find you? What's going on in your lives and work?
We will start with Manu.
Manu:
Yeah, so you can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. It's called Lunchbox Envy. And, yeah, so like I said today, I've been looking at cheese. If you're interested in cheese, this is the place for you. And also main foods. All of your foods.
SFX:
(guests chuckling)
Tom:
Jack, what other episodes do you have?
Jack:
Well, we've got ones on pastries, pizza... I think we did a peanuts episode, an olives episode. And you guys recorded the microwaves episode the other day.
Alex:
We did.
Jack:
Looking forward to hearing that one.
Tom:
And Alex, what sort of stuff do you have coming up?
Alex:
Yeah, as Manu was doing cheese, we've got... Well we're gonna do sweets. We're definitely gonna do something for Christmas. We've got apples coming up. We're also going on BBC Sounds as well, so you'll be able to get us— you'll able to listen to us literally anywhere, all podcast platforms.
Tom:
And if you wanna know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com, where you can also send in your own ideas for questions. We are at @lateralcast basically everywhere, and there are regular video highlights at youtube.com/lateralcast and full video episodes on Spotify.
Thank you very much to Alex Bell.
Alex:
Thank you.
Tom:
Jack Chambers.
Jack:
Thank you very much.
Tom:
And Manu Henriot.
Manu:
Oh, thank you.
Tom:
I've been Tom Scott, and that's been Lateral.
Episode Credits
| HOST | Tom Scott |
| QUESTION PRODUCER | David Bodycombe |
| EDITED BY | Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin |
| MUSIC | Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com) |
| ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS | Beaulieu, Sebastian Cuttlefish, Isaiah, Zilland, Chris Dickson, Annabel Couzijn, Stine |
| FORMAT | Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd |
| EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS | David Bodycombe and Tom Scott |