One day, a young woman was preparing a ham for dinner.
Before putting it in the oven, she cut off both ends of the ham.
Her young daughter watched and asked, “Mom, why do you cut the ends off the ham?”
The mother smiled and said, “That’s how Grandma always did it! Her ham was always the best.”
This made the woman wonder, and she called her mother.
“Mom, why do we cut off the ends of the ham before cooking it?”
Her mom replied, “I’m not sure—that’s how Grandma always did it.”
Still puzzled, the young woman called her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do we cut off the ends of the ham?”
The grandmother laughed and said, “Oh dear, I only did that because my pan was too small!”
Some habits outlive their purpose—be curious, not blind.