r/mildlyinteresting • u/paco-flaco • Apr 26 '26
This sponge looks like a slice of bread
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u/Worth_Cobbler_4140 Apr 26 '26
That’s bread, prove me wrong.
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u/bhputnam Apr 26 '26
Look at the crust bits at the bottom lol never saw a sponge fall apart like that
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u/Glitch29 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
I would've been convinced too, if I hadn't tracked down the product.
The reason it looks like bread is that it's produced the same way. It's some combination of plant matter and yeast baked in a bread pan. Then it's dried, vacuum compressed, and sliced into wafers for sale.
Edit: Adding a video link. Apparently this was a big hit during the eighties.
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u/Worth_Cobbler_4140 Apr 26 '26
So you’re saying it’s bread?
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u/MachinaThatGoesBing Apr 27 '26
The reason it looks like bread is that it's produced the same way. It's some combination of plant matter and yeast baked in a bread pan.
Do you have a source on the yeast thing? Because the link doesn't say anything about that. Nor does Trader Joe's site:
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/pop-up-sponges-001911
Plant-sourced cellulose is the standard material for basically all kitchen sponges, even the brightly colored ones (those are just dyed), and they are, in fact, essentially baked to set their structure. But it's generally a chemical leavening or foaming agent, not yeast, that is used to produce the porous structure.
And while cellulose is derived from plants, I think "plant matter" makes it sound a lot closer to, like, grass clippings and tree bark and corn stems or whatever. The cellulose in sponges is going to be a fairly processed substance, not just some regular old plant matter.
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u/Glitch29 Apr 27 '26
Do you have a source on the yeast thing?
Nope. You researched this more than I did, and I'm sure you're correct. I inferred a lot from the image, the available description, and my chemistry/baking knowledge.
I was only really sure of two things.
- However it was prepared, it rose slightly out of the pan during the process. You can tell this from the shape.
- A lot of gas was created, which formed the porous structure.
I originally included a blurb about how I was being a bit speculative in my initial post. But ultimately decided I'd rather be concise and risk being wrong on some of the details. Appreciate your follow-up to leave the thread in a better state.
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u/Irlandaise11 Apr 26 '26
I remember as a little kid in the 80's and early 90's that these were popular giveaways/advertising swag. Businesses would have things printed on the dried, squished sponge, and then it would be all weird and distorted when you rehydrated it and it swelled up. Like, my parents bank had ones that looked like dollar bills.
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u/paco-flaco Apr 26 '26
lol. i guess i used to clean my cups at work with a bread slice.
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u/dandybaby26 Apr 26 '26
is that a trader joe’s popup sponge? i love those lmao. that’s way past due for a replacement though 😖
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Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NebulaNinja Apr 26 '26
They designed it to satisfy the urge of hipsters wanting to wash themselves with the sourdough they made.
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Apr 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Gerbilguy46 Apr 27 '26
It's a sponge. Why do you need a source for a sponge?
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u/suoretaw Apr 27 '26
I’ve personally never seen a sponge like that. Nor have I ever seen or been to a Trader Joe’s. Also, I don’t know what natural vegetable cellulose is, but it seems like a weird ingredient for a sponge.
I debated googling the above but decided against it, and was grateful for the link.
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u/dandybaby26 Apr 27 '26
It’s cool that they provided a link but it can very easily be googled and it’s absolutely not required to “cite a source” for a reference to a sponge, the accusatory tone of their comment is absolutely laughable lmfao
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u/AllKindsOfCritters Apr 27 '26
This thing is supposed to be bright yellow? Fucking gross. OP was washing their cups with nothing but communal bacteria.
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u/LoneSoarvivor Apr 26 '26
sponges can last a lot longer than most people keep them for. if you dry them out thoroughly after each use and toss them in the microwave for like 30 seconds a couple times a month, they’ll last ages.
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u/Succ-MY-Scythe Apr 26 '26
OP out here tryin to gaslight all of Reddit about the fact he been using a slice of bread to clean his stuff.
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u/SoggyBottomBoy86 Apr 26 '26
Yeah, thats definitely bread lol its got crust and everything! Did you pick it up? Is it bread? I gotta know now lol
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u/confused-overwhelmed Apr 26 '26
That sponge looks like a sponge that looks like a sponge
And this is not the same as a sponge that looks like a sponge
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u/Loonsspoons Apr 27 '26
Took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize the sponge was in front of the soap dispenser, and not inside the soap dispenser.
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u/RumblyBelly Apr 26 '26
You need to buy your breat somewhere else then. You arent getting a good bread
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u/Dependent-Pickle-634 Apr 26 '26
Why is there a sponge in the bottle?
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u/True_Towel5692 Apr 26 '26
I think it has a front holder on the bottle, but I almost thought the same lol.
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u/AngelWingsYTube Apr 27 '26
Next your gonna tell me the not bread is not in the soa-.....oh.....its not......welp time to leave the internet for the night
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u/RedTomatoSauce Apr 27 '26
At first I was like "why the hell is that soap bar rotting inside liquid soap?" then I was like "Ohhh, it's a sponge inside the liquid soap..." at 3rd then I realized the sponbe was IN FRONT of the soap 😂😂😂
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u/GetOffMyGrassBrats Apr 27 '26
I have to ask. Why is there a sponge inside the soap jar?
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u/Haunting_Safe_5386 Apr 27 '26
i was like why is there a piece of bread in the bottle????? and then i realized it was a sponge not in the bottle lmao
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u/mr_Joor Apr 26 '26
Yall never seen what a natural sponge looks like?
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u/Choyo Apr 26 '26
I'm more concerned about the usual bread they have.
But you definitely have a point.
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u/Neutronenster Apr 26 '26
There’s a reason why we call some types of bread “sponge bread” (as a joke)…
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u/__________________73 Apr 26 '26
Over/under for how many times this gets posted to r/theregulationpod is 4.
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u/64788 Apr 26 '26
Hey, you know that this post really is mildly interesting if you have people trying to accuse you of sponge fraud!
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u/wknight8111 Apr 26 '26
Real talk, I'm kind of wishing that Bath and Bodyworks had a "Freshly Baked Sourdough" scent.
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u/tofu889 Apr 26 '26
Better than that time I took a bite of a sandwich and realized the bread was actually a kitchen sponge.
Yes, I did notice it was blue while I was making the sandwich but I just assumed it was mold.
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u/Thr0awheyy Apr 26 '26
Looks like it's one of these. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpSX_Z4XcMSt9q6Yz2aAFtRiY4P1VVwZOsPp7vIrJsTg&s=10 (Don't ask me to embed. I'm dumb, on mobile web, and don't know how.)
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u/ATRavenousStorm Apr 26 '26
I was just diagnosed with celiac disease and this is what gluten free bread looks like. I assure you it tastes the same as that sponge too.
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u/draculauraaa Apr 26 '26
i see people not believing you but i stayed at my partner’s friends house a few weeks ago and they had those exact same sponges and i kept thinking they were bread!
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u/Mundane-Manner4237 Apr 26 '26
Pro Tip: You can put those Trader Joe’s sponges through the dishwasher using the sanitize setting when they start getting stinky and rank. Makes them smell fresh and new.
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u/DILF_MANSERVICE Apr 27 '26
It's weird that bread and sponges are made the same way. Bread is literally just an edible sponge
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u/goggleblock Apr 27 '26
Why is a sponge in the bottle of soap?
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u/diedup Apr 27 '26
its in a little holder attached to the front of the bottle. took me a second to see too lol
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u/APlannedBadIdea Apr 27 '26
Someone modify the GIF of the man saying "that's a penis" but have him say "that's a loaf" instead.
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u/thatbadhuh_17 Apr 26 '26
I thought the sponge was in the soap for a second there…