Have you ever...

[razorback]

Said something in jest or, as I am prone to, messing with people's heads a bit and they walk away believing it to be the truth, only to have it come back to you from several degrees of separation?

A good friend of mine who hates seafood of all variety but loves Miso soup was, at one point, having Miso soup and I quipped "I thought you didn't like seafood?" She gave a horrified, what look and asked me to explain. I told her Miso means fish broth in Japanese. It was much more elaborate than that and, her knowing me the way she should, I figured she would look it up.

Now, I know some places, especially in Japan, use different types of fish in the broth itself but I know that neither of the two local places do, especially the one she frequents. As a bit of info, we live in a town of about 45k that is 10-15 miles to the next town.

Fast forward several months, I am at the same restaurant and I hear someone wants the 'fish broth'. I do a double take and start to laugh with my wife before I explain it to her. She thinks it is a coincidence, so I ask the guy, a complete stranger, where he heard this. He goes on to name someone somewhat familiar to me. I talked to the owner, Eddie, afterwards and he told me he had been hearing people call it that and he had tried to explain there was no fish but he gave up trying. He laughed a bit when I explained how I started this but told me to pick something he doesn't serve the next time I mess with someone.
Sometime later I run into this second person and I ask them, and he explains that he heard it from the first person's dad.

I'm laughing at my desk right now thinking about this while shaking my head.

So, has anyone else told a little (or big) white lie that made it's way back to you from some completely random direction?

[Themrys]

I don't think that's a "white lie". It is very nasty to tell people that there's fish in something when there isn't. Some people are vegetarians, you know?

Never happened to me and never will - though I hope that I will one day be able to coin a new word or phrase.

[razorback]

Perhaps but as I said, she is a very good friend of mine and very carnivorous. If anything I was teasing her and she should have known as she has known me for +/- 20 years.

[Starwulf]

I don't think that's a "white lie". It is very nasty to tell people that there's fish in something when there isn't. Some people are vegetarians, you know?

Never happened to me and never will - though I hope that I will one day be able to coin a new word or phrase.

If he had told a complete stranger, yeah I'd agree that it's nasty and rude, but according to his OP, it was a long-time friend who should have known his sense of humor a little better, so I'd say "white lie" is completely appropriate ^^

Edit: And yes, yes I have OP. I uhh...don't really want to say what it was that I said, just know that it was entirely untrue, and said in total jest. I told it to a classmate in I believe my senior year of high-school. 3 1/2 years later I start dating a girl who eventually became my wife(now of 13 years!), and one of the first things she asks me is "Is it true that you xxxxxxx". I was like "What?!??! Where in the heck did you hear that?!" "Oh, someone in highschool that's the brother/sister(I don't quite recall) of one of your classmates told me that" "Uhh, how many other people have heard this rumor?" "Everyone!" "Crap.....never thought that would spread like that. I'm the one who spread that rumor, I was bored and being stupid, and no it is absolutely not true at all." "Oh, that's good then, because that would be really disgusting if it was true".

I was just totally floored that something I said in jest to a few people in keyboarding class back in 1998/99 managed to stick around and come back to haunt me in late 2002.

[Asmodean_]

I managed to convince an entire class that the term for someone from Sydney was "Sydmun" instead of "Sydneysider."
It helps that I currently live in the UK so they don't know better.

[Crow]

I used to get tired of people finding out where I worked and asking me if I knew such and such person I didn't know. I just started telling them versions of "He told you he still works there? He got fired months ago."

It was always great if I ever ran into that person again.

[Dodom]

A few months ago, I was telling my sister a story that relied partly on family member recounts. At a point, I naturally inserted "but I knew this part from mom so..." at which point my sister exploded: "That sucks! I'm tired of having to say 'but it's from mom'! I'm tired of her lying all the time!"
That's when I realised how much her constant pointless lies stressed the family out. She's often believed because most of the time there is strictly no logical reason to lie, no benefit, noting shameful to hide. She just finds made up stories more amusing than actual family anecdotes, who are not drama dense enough for her entertainment.

[Darth V]

@OP:

According to Wikipedia, Miso Soup does contain fish broth, although Miso isn't the fish part of it. So I think the resulting confusion stems from that particular restaurant selling a Miso Soup which isn't really a Miso Soup but something else served Miso-style... :smallconfused:

[goto124]

I thought miso was Japanese fermented soybeans? Miso and its soup taste nothing like fish, for that matter...

[Brother Oni]

I thought miso was Japanese fermented soybeans? Miso and its soup taste nothing like fish, for that matter...

The soybean paste that's the primary ingredient in miso soup is fermented soybeans, yes.

The actual soup itself varies - some have fish stock while others don't. It depends on the regional variation and the type of miso soup you're actually having (I like the miso and mochi version, although I have to remember to eat slowly to avoid choking).

[2D8HP]

You guys are making me hungry!
Mmm...miso.

[rajgupta]

its called karma