A Few Questions

1. Why is it called the living room when it is the room we live in the least? My husband explained it once to me: something about a parlor and dead people, but I still don't get it.

2. There are so many abbreviations that don't make sense to me. Where is the logic in: Pounds = lbs. ? And Number is No.? Ounces = oz.?

3. Am I the only one who is disturbed by the names of the flavors of Ramen noodles? When you look at them, they appear to be flavors of different kinds of meat: chicken, beef, pork, shrimp...but then there's ORIENTAL!?!

So, as I always do, I turned to Google and wikipedia for answers.

(No. 1) First of all, I have to say that I do not call the FRONT room a living room. My husband does, though. So my children hear, "Don't play in the front room!" from me and "Don't play in the living room!" from him. Anyway, wikipedia told me that architects were trying to get rid of the gloomy funeral feeling of the parlor, so they renamed it "the living room." My husband is always right.

(No. 2) Well, wikipedia told me that lb. is the abbreviation for libra (an old Roman measurement), but why we use the abbreviation of libra for the word "pound" I still don't know (unless it is because the abbreviation pd. is already taken). My study of this question also led to the controversy about lb. vs. lbs. which I will not even get into! And I am left with no desire to search for the reasons for "No. & oz," but feel free to tell me if you know.

(No. 3) I looked at the Top Ramen website and was relieved to see they now have chili flavor, so I feel a little better about the whole thing. I haven't bought Ramen noodles in years...