How's that not true?

OK, tonight we're talking pop culture, so we'll start with a pop quiz.

Now don't think about the answer, just go with the first one that pops into your head. Oh, and you don't need to write this down. Here we go:

Which creature loves cheese?

Which creature loves carrots?

Which creature loves doughnuts?

If you answered mice, rabbits and cops you're perfectly normal, but pretty wrong. And I'll tell you why.

Pop culture is to blame. You see you're used to these stereotypes because they've bombarded us for years on TV and in films. But where and when did they appear?

Well, the mice is the oldest and comes from the time before refrigerators. In those days people used to hang food to keep it from spoiling, but unlike bread and meat, you can't hang a piece of cheese. You have to put it in the larder. So when hungry Mr. Mouse comes looking for a morsel, he's actually a bit disappointed to only find cheese. But he'll eat it just the same. And what are people supposed to think when they time after time catch Mr. Mouse eating their cheese? Why that mice loves cheese, of course! But if you really want to make the little fellow happy, let him at your seed and grain supply, then he'll never leave.

Next, is the doughnut conundrum. Back before the 1950's, police officers used to walk their beat, or patrol area. This of course kept them in relatively good shape, but more importantly it kept them awake. But in the 50's when they started to get cruisers, and drove everywhere, they faced the very real problem of staying up all through their shift. And to make matters worse, the only places that were open all night back then, were the doughnut shops. (it took all night to get the next days supply ready). So when enough people walked by doughnut shops filled with nothing but cops (getting fatter) the cliché was born. In reality it seems cops eat no more doughnuts than any other group.

Finally, we have the carrot and the rabbit. To begin with, I should point out that rabbits do eat carrots, but that it's bad for them. Way to much starch you see. But the culprit behind this myth is none other than Bugs Bunny in A wild Hare (1940)

And the creators stole that gag from the 1934 Clark Gable movie It happened one night. Apparently people got the reference back then, but most of us haven't seen it today. We pretty much all know the “Eeeh, What's up doc?” line though. Just goes to show, you never know what you can trust. Certainly not rabbits...

Until next week, I'll leave you with a carrot munching Clarke Gable. Enjoy!