Why is it that there are legal statutes that won’t let you catch fish with a lasso? Or why can’t you eat fried chicken with a fork? Although you could hire legislative intent services or scour legal research websites for the meaning behinds this odd legal statutes, chances are you won’t be able to figure out the lawmakers’ reasoning, but these next few wacky laws may give you a laugh or two.
No Scantily Clad Hotdog Vendors.
Believe it or not, hotdog vendors in Broward County, Florida, can’t wear anything that shows “cleavage or buttocks,” like thongs or bikinis, or any other kind of inappropriate attire that can be deemed as a “hazard or impediment to traffic.” What’s interesting about this legal statute is that it’s not designed for the safety of the street meat vendors, whose exposed skin might get hurt from grease, but for passing motorists.
Fried Chicken Is Only a Finger Food.
Everyone knows that fried chicken is a finger food, but in Gainesville, Georgia, that’s all it really can be, since it’s illegal to eat the delicious meal with anything but your fingers. While the vast majority of these wacky legal statutes go unenforced, someone was actually arrested for breaking this particular one! In 2009, Ginny Dietrick was arrested for using a fork to eat her friend chicken on her 91st birthday. Thankfully, it was just part of a prank, and the president-emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation and town mayor were both there to pardon her charges.
Cowboys Can’t Be Fishermen.
Of all the different ways for fishermen to catch their aquatic prey, there’s one that’s not allowed in Tennessee–lassos. While this legal statute began as a rather odd city ordinance, it’s since been revised and the language has been rephrased to make no mention of lassos.
Legal statutes like these hardly ever make the legislative news, but they definitely should since they’re so entertaining. If you have any questions about these weird legal statutes, feel free to ask in the comments. Read more here.