Comment by TZubiri

It might not be the original intent of the story, it's just a tool to establish the daily routine that lends to experimentation.

But it ends up giving a very American feeling.

As with most Myth, folklore and urban legends, there is a part that is exxagerated and a part that might be based on a real case. This story is much more likely to propagate in the US as that very daily detail doesn't immediately give away that it's an urban legend.