APPRECIATION #93: ACT 14 of EPISODE 221 of THIS AMERICAN LIFE

The episode “20 Acts in 60 Minutes” includes 20 short stories instead of the customary 3. I actually think of Act 14 a lot. The segment is called: “Call in Colonel Mustard for Questioning”

The story is about an updated hot dog factory. They realize that the product is different. They can’t figure out why. And then after sitting down and talking about it they realize that Irving was no longer there and they told stories about how Irving used to walk the sausages through the factory before they were cooked. He would stop to chat with people. It was this walk, and his circuitous route, and his pauses in different rooms with different temperatures helped explain the texture, and the color of the sausages.

We don’t always know what makes the difference. I am always reminded of the episode in The Office where Dwight no longer works for Dunder Mifflin and people start to realize all that he did. Michael’s toys are no longer arranged on his desk. The plants die because he was the one who watered them.

We rarely know how the sausage is made. I think it’s dangerous when we assume we do.