Potatoes or rice?

Potatoes or rice? Fries or chips? Ketchup or mustard? Ranch or vinaigrette? Credit or debit? Some things are relatively easy to decide. For the food choices it's a quick check-in with the Taste Buds followed by the verbalization of what they told you to say. Standing at the gas pump choosing "credit or debit," weighing the $0.75 debit bank charge versus the credit card interest rate versus the credit card points ... woah. That's high math. Just push a button and somehow fork over $40.

Like credit or debit, fries or chips, ketchup or mustard, there are often easy choices in life and we make them regularly with somewhat limited brain involvement. There are even times we say "both!" I mean, sometimes you just want ketchup AND mustard on a hot dog. (And a napkin, please.)

Last night as I was about to enter the check-out line at the store and contemplating the cash-or-credit choice that was to come, Drew hit me with another choice when he asked which of the following was correct (hold on to your hat):

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia or Sesquipedalophobia

HUH?! All cash-or-credit mental activity screeched to a halt. Hippo-what? Seismic activity was now registering in the brain. The cashier wants an answer on the cash-or-credit question. Cashier dude is trying to text on his cell phone while bagging our items. I really want to ask him if the company gave him customer service training, have second thoughts on that and also figure he's not going to be able to answer the hippo or sesquips question. I say "cash" and hope there's enough in the wallet. My brain goes back to hippos. Drew's giggling. Thankfully we complete the financial transaction at hand without so much as a cursory 'thank you' from cash register dude (can you say "letter to corporate?") and I'm put out of my misery shortly thereafter with the following answers:

Hippopotomonstrosequippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. At 35 letters it is one of the longest words in the English language. Sesquipedalophobia is the shorter version and most often used in print because, well, it's shorter. I don't think my son suffers from this particular phobia. Possibly mother-about-to-kill-me-because-I-couldn't-find-my-homework-at-6:20-this-morning-phobia but definitely not a fear of long words.

Potatoes or rice, anyone?