Why didn't I think of that?

The other day I referred to the widespread lack of knowledge in North America about the tale of the two old ladies. On reflection, the unfamiliarity with it over there is quite understandable, for bathroom or john simply wouldn't fit into the rhyme scheme; anyway, I shouldn't have been so patronising.

The discussion had been sparked off by a note on cucumber sandwiches, and I can now make amends to my American friends, some of whom are really quite knowledgeable, by noting that where these are concerned Americans are streets ahead of the rest of the world: two years ago, United States Patent D527165 was published, covering the ornamental design for a cucumber sandwich. The inventor was Alexander Stenzel of 15332 Anticoh St., Pacific Palisades, CA, and this was one of the patent images he filed with the application.

I don't really expect anyone to believe this; those who, with good reason, have a low regard for OMF's truthfulness and accuracy should look here (there is a white space after the ads and you have to go on down the page to see the details); the illustration above is described by the inventor as "a side elevation view showing two pieces forming my design separated from one another, the opposite sides of each piece having a similar appearance".

If this is a joke, it was an expensive one: Californian patent attorneys like Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman do not come cheap.