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Measure For Measure
How to live a better life by using the metric system
Most countries on Earth have adopted the Metric System.
The USA, however, and some other English-speaking countries, cling on to Neolithic approaches to weights and measures. “If it was good enough for pre-Bronze-age people, it’s good enough for us” seems to be the general notion.
But let’s pause and consider the stresses and confusions that arise from having weights and measures that have no meaningful relationship to one another and which even in themselves are frankly irritating.
Here’s a typical US recipe: take a stick of butter, a cup of flour, 3 ounces of coco powder and a teaspoon of sugar.
A stick? How many twigs to a stick? How many sticks to a branch? Do they sell branches of butter, and if not then why not? What size of cup? And how many ounces to a pound? Or is that fluid ounces? How big a teaspoon should I use? Heaped or level?
The fact is, no one knows, and this is why US citizens habitually buy things from supermarkets. They know that any attempt to make something at home will always lead to tears of frustration.
The British are worse, clinging not only to antiquated measurements but introducing even more silliness. When you ask a Brit how much they weigh, chances are they’ll say something…
