All in Just weird

Carp diem! Christmas dinner in the Czech Republic

Carp. We know them as overgrown goldfish that live in ponds. But many Central and Eastern Europeans know them as Christmas dinner. Parents usually buy living carp a few days before Christmas, with the lucky carp’s temporary new home becoming the family bathtub. Just before dinner, the carp leaves the bathtub for an untimely and brutal meeting with a mallet. Holy carp! As a result many families have found their Christmas dinner plans spoiled, because what happens when you mix live animals with children? The carp quickly stops becoming a Christmas meal and instead gets a name and the protection of a loving child.

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And IIIIIII...

In 2013, American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York made an unscheduled stop at Kansas City, Missouri. The reason? A passenger refused to stop singing Whitney Houston’s ‘I will always love you’. When leaving the plane in handcuffs at Kansas City, passengers heard one final “And IIIIII...”

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A fart in a jar goes far

Before the germ theory of disease, humans had interesting ways to 'prevent' illness. For example, during the Great Plague of London (1665-1666), 'doctors' advised people to keep foul-smelling remedies to breathe in when exposed to infection - diluting the 'bad air' with something as potent. And the quickest way to keep something smelly on hand? Store your farts in a jar.

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Would you like flies with that?

In December 2009, hospitals in the USA noticed a sharp increase in people presenting with salmonella poisoning. Curiously, the vast majority of new cases were in girls under 10 years old. However, it didn't take long for epidemiologists to make the connection. It was just after the release of the Disney movie, 'The Princess and the Frog'.

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Shirikodama (n): Small anus ball

There are some, shall we say, highly unique elements of Japanese culture, and their folklore is right up there. Literally. According to Japanese folklore, the human soul exists as a small hardened magical ball within the anus known as 'shirikodama' (尻子玉 - literally 'small anus ball'). Tales tell of lake-dwelling monsters known as 'kappa' who try to kill you by 'extracting' your shirikodama if you dare venture into their lake.

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