The Secret of Rye Bread

A 77-year-old widower was elected to the county board, making him the oldest member on the board.  Despite his age, he quickly garnered a reputation as someone who was sharp-witted, reliable and extremely physically fit. 

The second oldest board member, age 74, who was also a widower was intrigued by his new colleague.  Not only was he impressed by his sharp wit and great  physical condition; he kept hearing rumors that his new colleague was a lady's man.  It was said he often had two dates in one night and three on the weekends which always ended up with intimate relations.

After an early morning board meeting, the 74-year-old approached the 77-year-old and asked him point blank if the rumors that were circulating were true.  The new board member assured him they were.  "Well what the heck is your secret to allow you to keep your stamina with all those ladies?" 

 

"Rye bread," he replied.  "I eat lots of rye bread."

Now he was puzzled.  He had never heard about any special powers that rye bread offered, yet he decided he would begin eating rye bread.  On his way home from the courthouse, he stopped at a local bakery.  The lady behind the counter greeted him with a big smile and said, "What can I get you?" 

 

"Do you have any rye bread?" he asked. 

 

"We have five loaves left today," she replied. 

 

"Great, I'll take all of them," stated the commissioner. 

As she began to place each loaf in a brown paper bread bag, she asked, "Are you having a party or something?" 

 

"No, the loaves are just for me.  I am going to start a new diet today just to see how it goes."

 

"Well," she said.   If you are the only one who will be eating this rye bread I can assure you it will probably get hard before the third loaf is gone."

The county commissioner lost his composure - "What!  You know about the secret powers of rye bread too?  How come everybody in this town knows about the secret of rye bread and I never once heard about it in my entire life?"