Are Grass Pathways OK for Raised Beds?

Many raised beds have pathways between them where the grass has been smothered out by mulch, or some other means - but is this necessary?

I stumbled upon an interesting question on Facebook the other day. A gardener had recently built an 8” (20cm) high raised bed, filled it with soil, and it was sitting on a grass lawn. The question was regarding whether the grass surrounding the bed should be dug out to prevent it from growing into the bed.

There is nothing wrong with this question - especially from a novice gardener - but what shocked me was the answers - because everyone said “yes” - and then gave various suggestions for how this might be done. Some people suggested laying down cardboard and then woodchips. Others suggested adding things like landscaping fabric into the mix. Of course, none of these things are necessary.