Dear John, You are probably right. In the far future the word 'pound' will probably continue, and it will probably be redefined as 500�grams.
As far as recipes are concerned there is also a certain logic in rounding all values up by between 5�% and 10�%. Then: 1 pound becomes 500 grams 1 pint (imp) becomes 600 millilitres 1 50�g egg becomes 1 55�g egg When Australia converted to metric this was the approach taken by many of our leading cooking writers � and it is still used to translate from old to modern recipes. This technique is probably irrelevant to metrication in the USA as you are not converting from imperial measures. Another aspect of recipes is that they vary considerably in the accuracy required. Soups, stews, and salads can be quite successful even if the amount of each ingredient varies enormously. On the other hand, cakes, breads, biscuits, and cookies often require close attention to carefully measured amounts. Cheers, Pat Naughtin CAMS Geelong, Australia on 2002-08-26 13.41, kilopascal at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > 2002-08-25 > > > Pat, > > I see where you are coming from. Britain, and thus its colonies, have, a > longer tradition of having a "standard pound" and thus this 454 g value is > more set in stone. In all other countries where the various "pounds" > existed and varied from locality to locality right up to the time of > metrication, there was never an attachment to a "standard pound" and thus it > was easier to just set the value at 500 g without any worry about what it > would affect. And I'm sure there were few recipes written down or that were > that critical that the incorporation of the old measures into the new metric > ones didn't make much of a difference if they varied somewhat. I'm believe > that even before metrication, any recipe, either oral or written, would have > produced varying results based on where it was used, as the FFU varied so > much across Europe. In this regard metrication made recipes more > standardised. > > I just wonder how many Australian recipes would be off balance if the chef > used a 500 g amount when a pound is called for. And since your response > indicates that my comments are not strictly so, can I infer that there are > significant cases where 500 g is used as a valid interpretation of a pound? > I feel that despite Australia's history with the imperial measures, it too > will succumb to the same "shortcuts" others have adopted. Albeit the time > will be longer before all requests for pounds end up with becoming 500 g. > But, it will still happen. It is just a matter of time. > > John > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Pat Naughtin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, 2002-08-25 16:25 > Subject: [USMA:21923] Re: question > > > Dear John, > > on 2002-08-26 02.16, kilopascal at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > <snip> >> For example, if an Australian asks for a pound of ham at the >> deli counter, the attendant will weigh out 500 g on a pure metric scale, >> price it at 500 g and as far as the store is concerned only a metric > amount >> was vended. The customer who has no clue as to what a pound is, just the >> use of the name, does not feel cheated if he/she did not get exactly what > he >> asked for based on the American concept of a pound, that is 454 g. > <snip> > > What you say here is not strictly so. I will use your example to explain. > > if an Australian asks for a pound of ham at the deli counter, the attendant > will weigh out 450 g on a pure metric scale, price it at the 'per kilogram' > or at the 'per 100 gram rate', and as far as the store is concerned only a > metric amount was vended. The customer wants a pound. She is probably old > and she knows that for her particular recipe (which her grandmother > inherited from her grandmother) a pound is required. [It may also be true > that she is young and that she has no clue as to what a pound is � but this > is a digression]. > > Australian butchers have no tradition that a pound is 500 grams, so they > serve about 450 grams to those who ask for a pound. They know that they are > serving to a recipe size and not to an ignorant person. No doubt, in nations > (say France and Germany) where 500 grams to a pound has been common argot > for a century or two, the recipes passed from generation to generation have > been quietly adjusted to suit the fatter pound. This transition has yet to > take place in Australia, but I suppose it could. > > Cheers, > > Pat Naughtin CAMS > Geelong, Australia > > >
