A mother was instructing her daughter how to prepare a pot roast dinner.
The mother’s first instruction was “we start by cutting off the ends of the roast”. The daughter accepted the instruction but asked her mother, “Why do we cut off the ends of the roast”? A puzzled look came over the mother’s face as she pondered her daughter’s question. “I don’t really know why” she finally answered, “that is how my mother taught me”.
The daughter remained curious and suggested they call her grandmother and ask why. They called the grandmother only to get the answer, “I don’t really know why, that is how my mother taught me.
Not satisfied the daughter suggested they phone her great grandmother at her assisted living facility and ask her why. The nurse at the facility brought the grandmother to the phone and the daughter asked, “great grandmother, why did you teach my grandmother to cut the ends off the roast before cooking?” Without hesitation great grandmother answered, “So the roast will fit in the pot”.