If you’ve ever visited Belgium, a large portion of your travel time was likely devoted to eating and drinking. The small European country is famous for its culinary offerings (frites, waffles, and chocolate, anyone?), but even more so for its beer culture. Now, The Guardian reports, Belgium’s storied suds have been officially added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Launched in 2006, the list identifies traditional occurrences, observances, and social activities around the world that help define citizens’ national identity.

According to Reuters, the Belgian Brewers trade association petitioned the specialized United Nations agency to add beer drinking and brewing to the list. This past week, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage met in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, to debate whether beer (and other proposed cultural additions, including Indian yoga and Czech and Slovak puppetry) should make the cut.

Beer production and consumption might not sound high-brow enough to warrant a vaunted status, but Belgium takes both activities pretty seriously. The country is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Maryland, yet it boasts nearly 200 breweries and 1500 varieties of beer, according to the Belgian Brewers. Not surprisingly, beer is even one of the nation’s national dishes.

Plus, the trade organization argues, beer helps the local economy, promotes camaraderie among citizens, and is historic, to boot. Rudi Vervoort, a mayor and member of the Brussels Parliament, agrees: Earlier this week, he commented to The Guardian that the beverage “has been a part of our society since time immemorial.” We’ll toast to that.

[h/t Travel + Leisure]

If you think construction noise is a nap-destroying nuisance, you should check out the space rock that hit a sleeping woman on this day in 1954.

Ann Hodges had settled onto the couch that afternoon with no awareness of the agent of chaos tearing through the heavens above her house. A larger-than-average meteorite was zipping toward our planet, crumbling as it fell. The fireball produced by the meteorite’s disintegration was so bright it could be seen by humans below in three different states. Most of the rock’s bulk was vaporized as it entered Earth’s atmosphere, but one bowling-ball-sized chunk survived and continued on its improbable course.

The scorching-hot rock crashed through the roof of Hodges’s home in Sylacauga, Alabama, then through her ceiling into her living room, bouncing off a large radio before slamming into her unconscious body. Astonishingly, 34-year-old Hodges survived the incident with minor injuries, including a heinous bruise on her waist. But the meteorite’s violent arrival was just the start.

Everyone wanted a piece of the space-struck housewife—Hodges made appearances in newspapers, LIFE magazine, and on TV game shows—but they also wanted a piece of the rock that struck her. Air Force intelligence seized the rock to make sure it wasn’t some sort of spy equipment. Geologists at the Smithsonian wanted to keep it for further study. Ann’s husband Hewlett saw the meteorite as a gold mine and decided to sell it.

Unfortunately, their landlord Bertie Guy had the same idea. The two took it to court, where Guy argued that any celestial object that fell on her property automatically belonged to her. The case became a battle of endurance. Eventually, the landlord lost, but not before the drawn-out legal process drove down the meteorite’s value. By the time the rock reverted to Ann and Hewlett’s possession, nobody wanted to buy it. Ann began using it as a doorstop, and eventually donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

The trauma of the incident, legal battles, and overwhelming media attention left their scars on Hodges long after her bruise had healed. She and her husband separated, citing the strain caused by the meteorite and saying they wished it had never happened. Ann fell ill and died just eight years later at the age of 52.

Hodges’s brush with space was, oddly enough, not the beginning nor the end of her home state’s relationship with meteorites. The jazz standard “Stars Fell on Alabama” was penned 20 years earlier in praise of an especially spectacular meteor shower. Six decades later, another meteorite rained debris not too far from the couple’s old home. If this story has a moral, it’s for Alabama residents: Please keep an eye on the sky. 

Let’s talk turkey. You can easily shell out thousands of bucks this holiday season on fancy presents, lavish dinners, and festive activities. Or, you can soak up every bit of the celebration while sticking to your budget. Just borrow one of these frugal-but-festive tips from real savers across the country.

1. GET CRAFTY FOR A DOLLAR.

“The dollar store has so much holiday stuff, including decorations and stocking stuffers. But there’s also some great craft supplies, especially if you get creative. I love making DIY ornaments for the grandparents.” —Molly Polins, Chicago, Illinois

2. MAKE IT A POTLUCK.

“I love hosting a big holiday dinner, but it can easily cost me $200 or more to get all of the groceries. Last year, I invited friends for a potluck instead. They seemed to love it, and I could focus on making a few of my favorite dishes instead of buying everything I couldn’t make from scratch. I probably spent $75 total.” —Rachel Cohen, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

3. VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME.

“Studies show that volunteering makes you happier and healthier—and I believe it. Definitely it’s become a tradition I look forward to. Last year I made door decorations for a Ronald McDonald House, where families stay when their kids are in the hospital. It sounds cheesy, but giving back reminds me that the season is really about sharing warmth and love. We all need that to get through the winter.” —Nicole Wells, Ann Arbor, Michigan

4. OGLE THE LIGHTS.

“Not all holiday activities have to cost a lot—or even a cent! One of my family’s favorite traditions is we pile the kids into the car in their jammies and drive around to look at Christmas lights, sipping hot chocolate from a thermos.” —Amanda Collins Simkin, Mount Prospect, Illinois

5. SET UP A DIY GIFT EXCHANGE.

“For the last five years, my group of friends has exchanged gifts by drawing names from a hat. We decided it has to be a homemade gift, and that challenge makes it both more fun and more frugal. One year I knit a scarf, one year I baked these killer cornflake-and-coffee cookies, one year I put together a photo book. Another little bonus of this set-up: We get together as a group to draw names and then again to swap gifts, so it’s like two little parties instead of one.” —Laura Liss, Sacramento, California

6. MAKE IT A MORNING MEAL.

“Hosting a dinner can be pricey. Even an evening shindig with appetizers and cocktails can add up. But breakfast is pretty cheap: Bagels, donuts, a giant quiche for everyone to share. Mimosas are scrumptious without being a big splurge. And while most people have a million invites for holiday parties later in the day, mornings tend to be pretty open. Who doesn’t love a good brunch party?” —Ellen Stura, Boulder, Colorado

7. WRAP YOUR HEART OUT.

“For kids, unwrapping gifts is nearly as fun as whatever present is inside. So I grab a lot of presents from the Target dollar bins and wrap things separately. They’re so excited to see all of that wrapping paper!” —Amber Kozawick, Chicago, Illinois

The Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern Appalachians get their name from the bluish haze that often blankets their rolling peaks on humid afternoons. Their colorful hue adds to the beauty of the region, but the intense haze smothering the mountains this week is a reminder that not all is right with this natural wonder. Large wildfires have been burning across interior parts of the southeastern United States for much of November as the region endures a drought that grows worse with each passing day, straining local water resources and stressing nature to its breaking point.

The November 22, 2016, update of the United States Drought Monitor (USDM) paints a dire picture for millions of people from the Mississippi Delta to the mountains of the Carolinas. The USDM is produced by scientists each week using factors such as temperature and precipitation data, soil moisture information, and water measurements from streams, rivers, and reservoirs. Once a drought reaches extreme or exceptional levels for a long period of time, as we’re seeing in states like Alabama and Georgia, it can result in widespread crop losses and extensive water shortages.

 
In contrast with many areas of the world that experience pronounced rainy seasons, rainfall in the southeastern United States is fairly consistent throughout the year. You can generally expect similar amounts of rain each month, with a little more in the summer and a little less in the fall. This year, however, storms were few and far between during the winter, and the typical summer deluges were less frequent on hot summer afternoons.

After trudging through one dry month after the other, rainfall deficits quickly started to add up. The lack of water has taken a serious toll. An analysis by NOAA on November 28, 2016 (see below) showed year-to-date rainfall deficits of more than a foot across a huge region, with the greatest impacts focused on Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Some areas are nearly 2 feet behind normal so far this year.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal recently declared a “Level 2 drought” for some counties in the northern part of the state, which enforces a slew of water restrictions on residents who live in hardest-hit communities. The restrictions include a ban on luxuries like car washes, and authorizes an odd-even daily schedule for outdoor watering based on your street address and the day of the week. The restrictions could get even more stringent if there’s no liquid relief in the future. The lack of rainfall has caused the water level in Lake Lanier in northern Georgia to fall more than 9 feet since last spring, and Lake Hartwell—which straddles the border between Georgia and South Carolina—has seen a similar drop in water levels. Lakes and reservoirs could eventually reach dangerously low levels if the drought continues and further water restrictions aren’t put in place.

 
It’s not just water systems that have taken a hit due to the abnormally dry conditions. Vegetation across the affected areas is so dry that it won’t take much to start a raging wildfire. Fire crews have responded to hundreds of wildfires across the southeast over the past couple of months, including those caused by fireworks, campfires, arsonists, discarded cigarettes, and even an explosion along a gas pipeline near Birmingham, Alabama earlier this month. Some of the wildfires are so large and intense that the smoke is covering thousands of square miles around the infernos. The smoke was so dense around Atlanta during the day on November 14, 2016, that it reduced visibility to just three miles at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for a couple of hours.

The fires have gotten worse through the month. An intense wildfire caused major damage in and around the popular resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in eastern Tennessee in the just past few days, killing three people, injuring 14 more, forcing the evacuation of thousands, and burning hundreds of homes and businesses.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s any long-term relief in the forecast for the drought-stricken areas. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says that we’re currently experiencing a La Niña in the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon where waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific are colder than normal for an extended period of time. There’s a decent chance that these conditions will persist through this winter. La Niña winters in the United States are characterized by warmer-than-normal and drier-than-normal conditions across the southern part of the country, which doesn’t bode well for areas currently in a drought. That’s not to say that the parched land won’t see any relief over the next few months—but any rain that does fall probably won’t go a long way to fixing the damage that’s been done.

We’ve all chewed Juicy Fruit gum at some point, enjoying the sweetness for about 20 seconds before it completely dissipates and turns into a rubbery wad devoid of all flavor.

But what exactly is that distinctively delicious flavor that briefly tickles our taste buds? Wrigley has kept the secret ingredient under wraps for decades; a wrapper from 1946 describes the unique taste as “a fascinating artificial flavor.”

One fan allegedly emailed the company in 2002 and got this response:

“I’m afraid we can’t be very specific because, for competitive reasons, we consider our Juicy Fruit flavoring formula to be a trade secret. I can, however, tell you that the mixture of fruit flavors in Juicy Fruit is comprised of predominately lemon, orange, pineapple, and banana notes.”

Despite the company’s response, some people think the gum tastes less like common citrus and banana, and more like an exotic fruit called jackfruit; it even has a similar aroma. However, this probably isn’t the case because, as Today I Found Out points out, there don’t seem to be any records of Wrigley ever importing the fruit or its juice.

Instead of actual fruit or even fruit extracts, some chemists believe that the gum smells like jackfruit because they both contain a chemical called isoamyl acetate. Isoamyl acetate, sometimes referred to as banana oil or essence of pear, is a common ingredient in bubble gum, and some fruits produce it naturally as they ripen.

When Juicy Fruit first appeared on store shelves back in 1893, isoamyl acetate was most commonly produced by whiskey distilleries as a byproduct—and at the time, Illinois, also home to Wrigley, produced more than 18 million gallons of the hard stuff every year. Smells Like Science speculates that Wrigley purchased isoamyl acetate from local distilleries until a synthetic process became available some years later.

Much like the Colonel’s 11 secret herbs and spices, or Coke’s “7x” flavoring, we may never know what, exactly, is in Juicy Fruit gum. But there is one thing we do know: it’s delicious—for 20 seconds.

Have you got a Big Question you’d like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at bigquestions@mentalfloss.com.

If you’re a LEGO fan or have a brick enthusiast on your list, there’s a good chance you’ll be picking up some LEGO sets this holiday season. And as experience shoppers know, paying for LEGO bricks can be almost as painful as stepping on them. Luckily, Amazon is running a limited-time Cyber Week deal on some popular Star Wars, Disney, and Marvel Super Heroes sets on top of some great DC Super Heroes bargains. Finding a LEGO deal can be tough, but whether you’re looking for a big Millennium Falcon or Prince Elsa’s Sparkling Ice Castle, Amazon has you covered with discounts of up to 20 percent off. We’ve found a few sets that are particularly great buys. 

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Thanks for helping us pay the bills!

STAR WARS DEALS

LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 75105 Building Kit for $119.99 (list price $149.99)

LEGO Star Wars StarScavenger 75147 for $33.59 (list price $49.99)

LEGO Star Wars 10236 Ewok Village for $218.99 (list price $249.99)

LEGO STAR WARS TIE Striker 75154 for $57.99 (list price $69.99)

LEGO Star Wars 75074 Snowspeeder for $9.99 (list price $11.99)

LEGO Star Wars 75111 Darth Vader Building Kit for $23.99 (list price $29.99)

LEGO Star Wars Encounter on Jakku 75148 for $47.99 (list price $59.99)

LEGO Star Wars Vader’s TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing Starfighter 75150 for $70.99 (list price $89.99)

DISNEY DEALS

LEGO Disney Princess Elsa’s Sparkling Ice Castle 41062 for $31.99 (list price $39.99)

LEGO Disney Arendelle Castle Celebration 41068 Building Kit for $47.99 (list price $59.99)

LEGO Disney Anna and Kristoff’s Sleigh Adventure 41066 Building Kit for $23.99 (list price $29.99)

LEGO Disney Princess Daisy’s Beauty Salon 41140 for $8.39 (list price $9.99)

MARVEL SUPER HEROES DEALS

LEGO Super Heroes 76059 Spider-Man: Doc Ock’s Tentacle Trap Building Kit (446 Piece) for $31.99 (list price $39.99)

LEGO Super Heroes Super Hero Airport Battle 76051 for $63.99 (list price $79.99)

LEGO Superheroes The Quinjet City Chase for $46.66 (list price $79.99)

LEGO Super Heroes Attack on Avengers Tower 76038 for $51.53 (list price $59.99)

LEGO Super Heroes 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Building Kit (1092 Piece) for $78.99 (list price $99.99)

DC SUPER HEROES DEALS

LEGO Super Heroes Clash of the Heroes 76044 for $8.31 (list price $12.99)

LEGO Super Heroes Heroes of Justice: Sky High Battle 76046 for $46.99 (list price $59.99)

LEGO Super Heroes 76055 Batman: Killer Croc Sewer Smash Building Kit (759 Piece) for $60.99 (list price $79.99)

LEGO Super Heroes 76054 Batman: Scarecrow Harvest of Fear Building Kit (563 Piece) for $47.95 (list price $59.99)

 
The Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) is one of humankind’s oldest foes. The parasite is transmitted by ingesting worm larvae in contaminated drinking water. The worms may have been the “fiery serpents” mentioned in the Bible, and evidence of the parasite has even been found in Egyptian mummies.

After ingestion, the larvae burrow through the stomach and into the abdominal cavity. There they mate, after which the females migrate toward the skin’s surface, exiting through a painful, burning eruption. Sufferers attempt to lessen the pain by cooling the infected region in a pool of water—often a common water source for the local community—which inadvertently continues the worm’s life cycle.

But soon the Guinea worm’s reign of human suffering may finally be at an end. The parasite is poised to become only the second human pathogen eradicated. (The first was smallpox, declared eradicated in 1980.) In the past 30 years, cases of Guinea worm have fallen from approximately 3.5 million infections per year to a mere 19 cases in three countries in 2016. This dramatic decline is due largely to efforts by the Carter Center, which began their efforts to control Dracunculus in 1986.

Despite all of the progress, there’s one last serious hurdle to overcome: other animals spreading Guinea worm. Recent work has shown that dogs can be infected with Guinea worm, and may be contributing to the maintenance of the worm in nature and its spread to humans in Chad, where more than half of 2016’s cases have occurred (11 cases in all, with an additional three in Ethiopia and five in South Sudan). Two new papers suggest additional animal carriers—frogs and fish—may also be adding to the problem.

Reducing Guinea worm infections has so far focused on preventing the transmission cycle by eliminating consumption of contaminated water. To do this, scientists have used a multi-pronged attack: They educate people about how Guinea worm is transmitted; instruct them not to enter bodies of water if they have a worm emerging from their body; and provide filters for drinking water to keep copepods (and thus the Guinea worm larvae) from being ingested. Teams have also provided clean water sources in some cases, such as new wells, and treated water sources with larvicide to kill any existing worm larvae.

The strategy requires close surveillance of affected areas to determine if there are new Guinea worm cases. This approach has been extremely successful but was stymied in Chad by the finding of dogs infected with Guinea worm. Infected dogs could release the worms into water sources, re-contaminating the drinking water, and starting the cycle in humans all over again. And according to Donald Hopkins, special advisor for Guinea worm eradication with the Carter Center, people may have also become infected directly by eating undercooked fish or frogs which were harboring Guinea worm larvae. The worm could then carry out its life cycle within humans, much as if they were ingested with water. These reservoirs also worsen ongoing infections in dogs, which re-establish Guinea worms in the water supplies. Dogs could also eat infected fish or frogs directly from water sources, or ingest entrails from fish discarded by fishermen after gutting.

Several interventions in Chad have been established to prevent Guinea worm transmission. Parasitologist Mark Eberhard, a co-author on the two new studies identifying Guinea worm infections in frogs and fish, tells mental_floss that teams in the country implemented new health messages recently, telling individuals “to cook your food well and to bury entrails, and not let dogs eat fish or other animal viscera. However, such attempts to change behavior are not only difficult but take some time to penetrate fully at the community level.”

 
Hopkins tells mental_floss that another step they’re taking is educating communities about dog infections. They’re working to stop that cycle by advising people to take two important steps: in addition to burying entrails to make sure dogs can’t get to them, they suggest tethering dogs that have an emergent worm so they can’t contaminate the water. Both tactics appear successful, according to Hopkins. “We can inspect a sample of communities in endemic areas to see whether or not they’re burying fish entrails,” he says. “The program has shown them to dig deep holes and put covers on them, so these dogs cannot dig these fish entrails up. That’s doing very well. Our samples have been showing now for more than a year and a half that more than 80 percent of individual samples in these communities are burying these entrails.”

Similarly, education on dog Guinea worms is improving. “We’re working with communities that, as soon as they see a worm coming out of a dog, they tether the dog. The country has also offered reward equivalent to $20 USD for reporting infected dogs to the program and tethering infected dogs,” Hopkins says. The reward covers the cost of feeding the dog other food besides the possibly infected leftover entrails. “The latest figures on dogs so far this year show that 77 percent of those dogs have been tethered.”

In previous countries where Guinea worm has been eliminated, once human infections had ceased, a three-year monitoring period was enacted to be sure the worm was truly gone. Eberhard notes that “no country certified has had reinfection.” With Chad, that waiting period will have to see not only no new infections in humans, but also in dogs. Hopkins says the program had previously seen sporadic infections in dogs “in Mali, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and a few other countries, but the infections in dogs died out once transmission in humans was stopped. In Chad, the difference is that we have more dogs than people infected.” Still, Hopkins anticipates that the interventions put into place will work to break that cycle and finally end the parasite’s presence in Chad.

The final stretch of this eradication campaign may be one of the most trying. Like polio—another infection nearing eradication, which re-emerged in Nigeria on the Chad border in 2016 after a two-year absence—careful surveillance and close contact with the affected populations are key to finding new cases. We are close to the end, but the final push will require vigilance and quick responses to stop any new infections from spreading.

Today would have been Mark Twain’s 181st birthday.

Thomas Edison once said, “An average American loves his family. If he has any love left over for some other person, he generally selects Mark Twain.”

Edison and Twain were close friends. In 1909, Edison visited Twain’s estate in Redding, CT and filmed the famous author. The silent footage is the only known recording of Twain in existence. It first appeared in a 1909 production of Twain’s “The Prince and Pauper,” and it shows Twain wearing his trademark white suit, puffing a cigar. Twain would die one year later.

If you’re looking for similar recordings of Twain’s voice, don’t hold your breath. In 1891, Twain tried to dictate his novella, “An American Claimant,” into a phonograph, but he gave up after burning through 48 wax cylinders, now lost. Later in 1909, Twain read his stories into a phonograph at Edison’s laboratory in New York. Those recordings were destroyed in a fire in 1914.

We started from the branches; now we’re here. Researchers say the remains of the human ancestor nicknamed “Lucy” include heavily built arms and weaker legs more like those of tree-dwelling chimpanzees than like those of modern humans. They published their findings in the journal PLOS One.

Lucy’s remains have captivated scientists since they were first unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974. She and other Australopithecus afarensis were the first human ancestors to walk upright. Aside from this, Lucy’s day-to-day life has remained something of a mystery, as has her death.

Some researchers think she met her demise after falling out of a tree. A controversial study published earlier this year concluded that a fracture in Lucy’s upper arm could have been caused by a fall from a great height. Project leader John Kappelman said Lucy’s transitional existence may have been her downfall. “It may well have been the case that adaptations that permitted her to live more efficiently on the ground compromised her ability to move safely in the trees — and may have predisposed her kind to more falls,” Kappelman told Science magazine.

Not everyone agreed. “Terrestrial animals like antelopes and gazelles, elephants and rhinos and giraffes — all these bones show very similar fracture and breakage patterns as Lucy,” paleoanthropologist Don Johanson, a discoverer of Lucy, noted in Science. “You can be sure they didn’t fall out of trees.”

Now, Kappelman and his colleagues are picking up the other end of the story. Computed tomography (CT) scans of Lucy’s bones showed greater density in her arms than in her legs, which suggests she was using her upper limbs far more often.

“It is a well-established fact that the skeleton responds to loads during life, adding bone to resist high forces and subtracting bone when forces are reduced,” Kappelman said in a statement. “Tennis players are a nice example: Studies have shown that the cortical bone in the shaft of the racquet arm is more heavily built up than that in the nonracquet arm.”

Kappelman believes his team’s new findings support his earlier hypothesis. “It may seem unique from our perspective that early hominins like Lucy combined walking on the ground on two legs with a significant amount of tree climbing,” says Kappelman, “but Lucy didn’t know she was ‘unique’—she moved on the ground and climbed in trees, nesting and foraging there, until her life was likely cut short by a fall—probably out of a tree.”

In the United States alone, roughly 750,000 auto mechanics spend long shifts diagnosing, repairing, and preventing motor vehicle problems. But thanks to some stereotypical portrayals in media and a complicated vocabulary of car parts, drivers can sometimes feel like their lack of understanding may prompt technicians to take advantage of them. That’s not the case, mechanics say—the techs are here to help. To get a better idea of what their job really entails, mental_floss spoke with several mechanics at both independent repair shops and dealerships. Here’s a glimpse at what goes on after your car goes in.

1. THEY WISH YOU’D STOP WIPING BOOGERS ON YOUR SEAT.

A car can often resemble someone’s mobile living room, full of decorative accents, music, and occasionally dried snot. Charles, a mechanic who works at a Volkswagen dealership and runs The Humble Mechanic blog, says he’s seen his share of nose gold while working on vehicles. “People seem to like picking their nose and wiping it on the seat,” he says. To do a proper job, techs would prefer you bring in your vehicle without bodily fluids or trash inside. “Sometimes there’s a bunch of dirty clothes over the spare, or fast-food wrappers on the floor that we ask customers to remove. A lot of cars are clean, but people can be gross.”

2. THERE’S A SPECIAL BOOK THAT TELLS THEM WHAT TO CHARGE—EVEN IF IT’S TOO MUCH.

Ever walk away feeling like you’ve overpaid for a repair? It’s possible, but it’s not entirely the shop’s fault. Most every mechanic working on a flat rate (as opposed to a per-hour rate) references an industry trade manual that estimates how long a typical repair should take. If you’ve paid, say, $200 for a two-hour job that an experienced mechanic can get done in 30 minutes, you’re still charged by the book—and you don’t get a refund.

The auto tool industry may share part of the blame. “The way it becomes unfair is when a mechanic buys a new specialty tool that may cost $300 but that pays for itself quickly,” says Ryan, a former mechanic in Colorado. “It means they can do the job in less time, but the customer still pays for full time.”

3. THEY CAN FIND MICE AND SQUIRRELS STUCK IN YOUR AXLES.

Depending on what part of the country you live in, a car’s warm underbelly can be attractive to rodents and other animals. Charles has seen acorns socked away under hoods and once pried a squirrel from the front of a grill. “The biggest thing we see [in North Carolina] is chewed wires from mice,” he says. “They’ll make a nest in the air box. I’ve also had to clean deer guts off.” If you’re going to be storing your car for an extended period of time, Charles says some kind of rodent deterrent spray might help.

4. THEY MIGHT RUN SOME ERRANDS IN YOUR CAR.

While few mechanics actually take vehicles out for joy rides, the fact that they don’t get paid for the time it takes to test drive one means your spotless new Honda might develop a surprise ketchup stain on the driver’s seat. “Basically, every vehicle needs to be driven to make sure the problem is resolved,” Ryan says. “If you’re headed out to lunch and you need to confirm that, it makes sense to drive it down the road.”

5. THEY MIGHT RESCUE YOU IN A ROADSIDE EMERGENCY.

While their individual morality mileage varies, many mechanics feel duty-bound to pull over when they spot a stranded driver. “I do a lot of highway driving in the winter and the rule of thumb is if you see someone stranded on the highway, you stop and check on them,” says Ryan M., a mechanic in Winnipeg. “I’ve also pulled lots of vehicles out of ditches and off curbs.”

6. DEALERSHIPS HAVE ACCESS TO RESOURCES THAT PRIVATELY-OWNED SHOPS DON’T.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should take your out-of-warranty vehicle in for a repair at a cheaper, locally owned shop over the dealer-branded shingle, here’s something to keep in mind: Many of those smaller outfits can’t afford the kind of information provided by car manufacturers to help successfully diagnose and treat a problem. “We’re able to go deep into the Volkswagen brand,” Charles says. “There are a lot of resources we have access to that an independent place wouldn’t. We can get access to the car’s engineers if we need that. The brand is an ally. A small shop isn’t going to spend $15,000 a year [for that data] to specialize in one kind of car. Once it’s outside their scope of knowledge, it makes more sense to go to a dealer.”

7. YOU’RE TECHNICALLY NOT ALLOWED IN THE GARAGE. EVER.

You’ve probably heard advice about making a mechanic show you a defective part to guarantee they’re not simply making up work to do. That involves a trip beyond the forbidden door marked “Do Not Enter.” But according to Ryan, you’re not actually supposed to be back there for any reason. “Insurance companies don’t want customers in the garage, ever,” he says. “It’s not that dangerous, but it’s not supposed to happen.”

8. THEY SOMETIMES MAKE THEIR OWN TOOLS.

While mechanics start out by buying their own tools—some even investing tens of thousands in supplies—there will always be instances where they’ll need to improvise. “A tool might be missing, or not put back in the right place,” Charles says. “Or a company just might not make what you need. I have a whole drawer full of cut-up sockets and wrenches. Making a custom tool is fun.”

9. THEY USE A COOKIE SHEET TO STAY ORGANIZED.

While cell phones have become handy to help keep track of how a part needs to be re-assembled, some mechanics still like to stay organized by laying out pieces in a specific order. “If I’m working on a vehicle I’ve never seen before, and it’s a complicated job or a job spread out over multiple days like a transmission rebuild or something like that, I’ll take a cookie sheet and magnets and lay things out spatially to stay organized,” Ryan M. says. “You can also mark parts with a Sharpie.”

10. THEY DON’T ALWAYS PERFORM EVERY LITTLE TASK.

Cars brought in for maintenance are supposed to undergo a litany of small adjustments, but that laundry list can sometimes get skipped over depending on how pressed for time your technician is. “Stuff like lubricating door hinges or latching mechanisms gets missed all the time,” Ryan says. “It doesn’t affect performance at that moment, but it can over time.”

11. THEY’RE IMPRESSED BY DRIVER MACGYVERS.

Not everyone can rush to a repair shop when a problem crops up, necessitating some improvisational skills. “I once had someone rig up a dipstick stop with a beer bottle cap,” Charles says. “Someone else used a chewing tobacco lid for a coolant cap. And we had someone else keep the driver’s door shut by rolling both windows down and securing it with a belt.” Less impressive: tin foil in place of a gas cap.

12. IT’S OK TO MAKE SILLY NOISES FOR THEM.

Cars make all kinds of odd sounds, which means drivers are often left to try and replicate them. Mechanics prefer this over you trying to explain the noise verbally, no matter how silly it makes you feel. “I’d rather hear a funny noise come out of you than waste time trying to figure out what you mean by ‘buzzing, but it’s like squishy if that makes sense,’” Ryan M. says. “Make the damn noise!”

13. SEARING HOT OIL BURNS ARE NO FUN.

A garage is a seriously hazardous hub of activity, with mechanics working alongside one another tending to multi-ton vehicles raised above their heads. While major injuries are uncommon, dealing with chemicals is a common source of pain. “Hot coolant and hot oil are the two main things I’ve seen people get hurt the most with,” Charles says. “That’s a weekly occurrence.” Other pitfalls: dropping heavy wrenches on your toes, or having someone fail to [use] the brakes before backing out, running down a co-worker. “A guy broke his arm that way.”

14. THEY MIGHT WATCH YOUR KIDS GROW UP.

The best mechanics, Charles says, play the long game. By being attentive and engaged with customers, they’ll often see their clients’ offspring returning with cars of their own. “A kid could come in at 10 and all of a sudden he’s 16 with his first car,” he says. “Then he’s in college and his mom wants a new car. I’ve had families of people with four or five Volkswagens and I’m working on all of them.” That personal touch also extends to tokens of appreciation. “Sometimes I even get cookies.”

15. THEY LIKE TO GO HOME AND WORK ON CARS SOME MORE.

Surprisingly, a number of mechanics don’t get their fill of greasy hands and wrench lacerations during the day. According to Charles, having a personal vehicle to tinker with is an entirely different experience than working on a customer’s ride. “Wrenching on cars all day at work is similar to working on an assembly line,” he says. “Car comes in, gets fixed, goes out. Car comes in. At home, it’s 180 degrees from that and relaxing. We all like to tinker.”

All images courtesy of iStock.