Re: Re: Hiya ...
  By: Carol Shenkenberger to Sam Alexander on Fri Jun 23 2006 02:23 pm

 > *** Quoting Sam Alexander from a message to Bj”rn Forsstr”m ***
 > 
 > SA> SO many Americans are closed minded, which is why our government is so
 > SA> screwed up.  They have a singular way of looking at ways, and any way
 > SA> outside of their way is 'wrong'.  Unless the manufactorers start putti
 > SA> metric on the labels, even if in addition to standard, it'd help.  If
 > SA> TV stations would show weather in fahrenheit and celsius, folks would
 > SA> that 32'C isn't freezing, but a nice afteroon :)  Heck, knowing the fo
 > SA> around here most don't even ing 32'F is freezing *grin*.
 > 
 > Uh Sam, they have stuff labeled in metric in the USA.  I havent been home in
 > years but it was exceptionally common even then.  So common, it was odd to n
 > see it also in metrics.
 > 
 > Bjorn, I dont know what he is talking about but it's not accurate.  Yes, the
 > is a commonality of 'metric is wierd' in the USA but it's not that bad.  The
 > average USA person has a basic grasp of it but falters on weather temps pret
 > badly (as he says and is right) and distance markers on a highway over long
 > (past walking) trips.
 > 
 > The final gap though is in cooking styles.  USA folks cook by 'volume' not
 > 'weight' so metrics dont really function to convert a recipe.  Tell a USA
 > person '100g shredded potato' and they will be clueless.  Had a joke running
 > abit ago in a cooking echo on 100g being 100 gallons and it must have been a
 > recipe to feed whales ;-)
 > 
 > The average USA person is quite able to by 'petrol' by the liter, soda by th
 > ML, or a 1/2 caraffe (1/2 litre) of wine with no trouble. The measuring cup 
 > got from my mom when I moved out from home back in 1977 (and still have) is
 > marked in metrics on one side and USA cup measures on the other and i havent
 > seen anything that isnt in a very very long time.
 > 
 > I may be a little confused at times, but even I can check my totally normal 
 > measure and see it also says 5 ml on it.  Just dont ask me to measure a liqu
 > item by g's or a solid by ml and I can adapt pretty well as can most.
 > 

Hi Carol,

Actually metric is quite uncommon in my area, and where metric does play 
into it most folks grumble over it, like when working on cars and some 
bolts are metric (like 10mm) and others standard (like 1/2 Inch).  Our gas 
is in gallons, our milk in gallons and half gallons, our roads in miles, 
notebook paper is measured in inches, and so forth.  You say folks in the 
US can buy gas (or petrol) by the liter, but not in my area... I've never 
seen a gas station measure in liters.  Larger bottles of soda are in liter 
or 1/2 liter, but that's really all I can think of.  Canned sodas however 
are in ounces.  Some products will list the metric measurement on the box 
now asside the standard, but few products list metric alone.

Many things do have both measurments, like my blender, the speedometer in 
my car, and the tools in my garage have both metric and standard, but in 
my area 95% of what you see is Standard not Metric.  This might differ from 
the part of the US you're from, but here in Texas this is a fact.

Take care...

Sam

---Sam Alexander,
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