my pet peeve

[hades_ibex]

Does anybody else get annoyed by recipes that use oz, teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, pint, quart, and gallon? It gets worse when you have to check what nationality the author is. Brit, Canuck, Aussie, or Yank? Then you can figure out if its an imperial or US measurement.

There are a thousand millilitres in a litre. And basically that's all you need to know about volumes. Incidently a litre of water weighs 1 kilogram, a cubic metre is 1000 litres, and 1 cc is 1 mL. While I'm at it, water freezes at 0 and boils at 100.

As you can see, I'm a big metric fan. Am I the only one? But I do like to drink "a pint". :)

[Herb Ninja]

I like my messed up american system of feet and inches, but when it comes to a pint id much rather have a british imperial pint then a puny jacked american pint.

[brewmonkey]

I can do either and they do not bother me.

[tubetek]

I agree, Brewmonkey... I'm not bothered by either pint! (hehe)
Seriously, I'd assume that the majority of members here reside in NorthAmerica; The American system is taught and used here.
It's also true that the metric system makes more sense, but this is far from the only instance of our clinging to or choosing a product or technology that is arguably inferior. (Rant over)
I use both systems daily, but in brewing I'm trying to go all metric; with ProMash software the conversion's a breeze...
TT

[brewmonkey]

I spent the first 27 years of my life around or in the Army. The first thing you need a good grasp on as a Grunt is the metric system as all maps/movements are done in it as well is all the ammunition you will draw (ie- 5.56, 25mm, 105mm). I also spent a good deal of my time working with foreign countries soldiers where they only use the metric system.

[ProBeer]

Metric blows, American all the way.

My cars and trucks are both, pisses me off !!

[ehixon]

I'm american but I honestly have no idea how many cups are in a gallon or whatever the hell other divisions there are. I'm a biologist, and everthing in science is done in metric. It's just SO much easier. Deci, centi, mili etc...10's and 100's. Converting from one measurment to another is CAKE... unlike the seemingly random english system.

[toneyc]

Originally posted by ProBeer
My cars and trucks are both, pisses me off !!
Yeah, ya gotta have two sets of tools to work on cars these days. I think they do it on purpose.

:eek:
Toney.

[Dave A]

In the early 70's they taught the metric system in elementary schools because the US was expected to switch over as the rest of the world was doing. I use metric meacurements for work and for alot of my hobbies. The kitchen, and by extension the home brewery, are one place where metric is useless. Tme manufacturers of the products used in the kitchen just don't seem to know that the metric system exists. My stove haas no provision to display temp in celcius, most measuring cups (liquid measure) do show liters, but try to find a spoon to measure cc's. The scale I bought to weigh hops reads only in ounces, I'm sure I could find one for grams but if they all had dual readouts (like a US speedometer that reads in miles and km)then I wouldn't have to worry about it. Many receipes list the ingredients in both systems, for now that seems to be the easy answer.
Originally posted by ProBeer
Metric blows, American all the way.

My cars and trucks are both, pisses me off !!

It isn't just the American cars either, my Porsche has both too!

[hades_ibex]

And don't forget when your 3/4" wrench is too small, and your 7/8" is too big, you need to use the 13/16". Great system!

Here in Canada, industry uses both systems, but as consumers we buy in L and kg. Our cars don't have mph. Of course, all science uses metric. That's where I learned it, in high school and university physics.

So what happened to metric in the US? Just too much hassle to change?

[brewmonkey]

I would not say to much of hassle compared to the fact that you cannot order people to re-learn math and you would also have to retool many assembly lines, reprint labels etc... The cost would be easily into the billions. Not going to happen as private companies are not about to spend the money on that and the Government does not have the power to make them.

You also have many generations of Americans that just would not accept it if everyone started to use a different method.

And the wrench sizes make sense, at least to us in the U.S. You just need to remember what the common denominator is and figure it from there. 3/4 = 6/8 or 12/16 which is smaller then 7/8 but 7/8 = 15/16 so 13/16 is bigger then 3/4 and smaller then 7/8. We always reduce our fractions to the lowest possible denominator.

There are more people here who understand both systems then you might realize. I would think the only one people are not going to readily use is celsius, since almost every one learned Farenheight and does not know the equivalent in celsisu (20=68 etc...) and besides that most banks display it in farenheight. :D

How come you guys in Canada dont Print all your labels in English, What's up with all the French? (This is rhetorical)

And gas is cheaper by the gallon then by the liter.