Hmm?

[enismirdal]

Why does eating raw carrots ALWAYS give me hiccups? What possible evolutionary advantage could hiccuping after eating raw carrot confer?

Comments

[chess]

a) What are hiccups for anyway?

b) Presumably it's actually a side-effect of some other advantageous process.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Scientists apparently think it's a trait we haven't lost since we were gill-possessing amphibians/primitive air-breathers, which we kept on as it helped with suckling. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2730251.stm)

[chess]

Maybe raw carrots and breast milk have some kind of triggering chemical in common, then?

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Are you sure it's hiccoughs, and not some kind of mating-call for rabbits? Or even for hobbits?

[l-j-b.livejournal.com]

Are you breathing n a lot while you eat the carrot? Sounds like a weird Q, but sicne carrots aren't messy and take a bit of eating in raw form (mmm. raw carrots), then you could be breathing past the bits and weirding out your diaphragm or something.

[aglarien1.livejournal.com]

I don't know, hon, but if you find out why, let me know, because I do the same thing. I don't think it's a breathing thing because it happens even with a little bite. And it doesn't happen with cooked.

[(Anonymous)]

You could invest in night vision goggles and forget the carrots.
Abner

[illusive-shelle.livejournal.com]

I hiccup after most foods if I attempt to eat them too rapidly (which is mostly because I'm hungry). Maybe it's the speed you're eating?

(I was always told that hiccups are the diaphragm having a brief spasm, like when people get their eyelid twitching.)