[454] in Humor
HUMOR: Follow directions exactly.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andrew A. Bennett)
Thu Sep 15 16:38:23 1994
To: humor@MIT.EDU
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 1994 16:19:38 EDT
From: "Andrew A. Bennett" <abennett@MIT.EDU>
The typo in the cocoa directions is especially interesting..
-Drew
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 94 14:51:06 PDT
From: Connie_Kleinjans@Novell.COM (Connie Kleinjans)
Message-Id: <9409142151.AA01761@nym.SJF.novell.com>
To: ckleinja@nym.SJF.novell.com
Subject: HUMOR: How instructions go wrong
Reminiscent of a couple of other classics I've seen:
o The sides of the old Arm & Hammer box used to say something like "To
use as toothpaste, pour baking soda in hand and brush with a wet
toothbrush. Your teeth will be clean and sparkling." From brushing
your HAND?
o Packets of cocoa tell you to do this: "Pout into cup. Add 8 oz. of
hot water. Stir. Enjoy." Well, I enjoy stirring as much as the
next person, but when do we get to DRINK the stuff?
----------------------
From: LESinger@aol.com
In the categories of Remember Who Your Audience Is and Be Careful How You
Write Instructions:
The last time I took an afternoon nap was in the summer 15 years ago. My
young son came up and said he was bored. I told him to make a box of
brownies. I told him to just follow the directions on the box.
An hour later I came downstairs. The house smelled delicious, as only hot
chocolate vapors can. I followed the smell to the kitchen. There was
chocolate on the ceiling, on the floor, on all the counters, on the sink
handle, on the oven door. The natural question was: "What happened? Did you
follow the directions?"
Yes, he said, he had. "But it was pretty gooey and yucky when I had to beat
the egg by hand," he said, moving his hand in a large spiral motion.
Yes, the directions said: Mix by hand. Nowhere did it say to use a large
spoon! My son has now become an excellent and creative cook. But he's never
made brownies again, and the story has become family legend.
---Hallie Dolcourt
Sunnyvale, CA
