The Guardian

My heartfelt thanks must go to Bala Wala Shi and the link she sent me to The Guardian Notes and Queries web page. Basically the idea is that anyone can post a question and others are encouraged to provide answers. It contains some absolutely beaut stupid questions and even stupider answers. Example:

Q. Why are corned beef tins such peculiar shapes?

A. #1: They're not peculiar - they're the same shape as the corned beef inside.
Gavin, Cambridge

A. #2: THEY CONTINUE to be made in their traditional tapered rectangular shape because it is easier to extract the contents in one piece, thus allowing the block of corned beef to be sliced. That's also why the cans also employ a key that enables the user separate one end of the body of the can: there's no seam to prevent the contents slipping out. Originally, the cans were made by folding up folding tinplate sheet that produced the correct taper and soldering the seam. More recently this has been replaced with cans that are formed from welded cylinders, then reformed and expanded mechanically.
John Nutting, Editor, The Canmaker magazine, Crawley, West Sussex.

A. #3: To make them more difficult to open.
Alex, UK

A. #4: The tins are that shape so when you clean them out you can use them for perfect Yorkshire pudding tins. Try them - they work a treat.
Dug Priestley, Eastwood, Nottingham

What a hoot I've had reading this website! I just love the answer from John Nutting. What a thrilling guy he must be - Editor of Canmaker magazine. I bet he's the life and soul of any party eh?

And what about Dug? Yorkie tins?! Why don't you just go and buy a fucking Yorky tray like everyone else you spaz?! I'll send you the bloody 2 quid if you're really that tight. But you won't mind if I tippex out my address on a junk-mail envelope and staple it back shut will you? Envelopes are so expensive these days...