def read_flat_file(file):
    """Helper to read rows of a flat file, automatically removing header comment row if
    it exists, and strips whitespace from each row automatically."""
    first_row = next(file)
    if first_row.startswith("#"):
        return [row.strip() for row in file]
    else:
        return [first_row.strip(), *[row.strip() for row in file]]