Hold the Brocolli

I've often wondered what women talk about when us men are not around. I always assume it's similar to the women's meeting that established couples showers, but I'm guessing there's so much more.

I'm not sure if a recent commercial I saw was true to life, but for some reason it raised a lot of questions for me. Two women are sitting at a table. They look like professional women out on their lunch break. The waiter brings them their main dishes and a side of broccoli. The first woman shoots her friend or business associate a worried look and points to the broccoli.

"See that? That's all it takes for me to get gas."

Wow. What kind of response is she looking for here? How well does she know this woman? Is it her boss? Isn't there a chance, considering food has just been delivered to the table, that her statement may have been inappropriate. Is she just "putting it out there" in case something slips out at lunch? Is that really the table conversation that you want to spark? Is she so bad at small-talk that she can't come up with something better than that? How about the weather, the waiter, popular music, reality television, politics, religion. Nope, she chose flatulence. On the surface; not the smartest business decision.

Ladies, have you ever been sitting at lunch with a friend or coworker, pointed to something, and said "That makes me fart"? No matter how close you are, isn't that a case of too much information? Does your friend really need to know this? I've heard men talk about this sort of thing, but it's usually not the cause they focus on, just the effect.

In this commercial, her friend didn't bat an eyelash. She simply handed her a bottle of Beano, a product that reduces gas, and they went about their business. The Beano wasn't tucked away in her purse; she was carrying it like her keys or some other chattel. The first woman looks at the Beano and says "Broccoli, you have met your match." Imagine the first woman's luck. She took a serious risk by bringing up a delicate subject and was instantly rewarded with a solution that will ultimately make it possible for her to enjoy broccoli again.

I had never heard of Beano. I don't believe I have any use for it, but I checked out the website just in case. Sure enough, under their "fan mail" section, there were seven women and one man who decided to send a letter to Beano. I can't imagine a gas problem being so bad, that when you get relief, you feel the need to send a letter to the company. Then, you give them permission to use your first and last name on their website. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to hide an embarrassing problem?