I sent this yesterday and it didn't appear. First we get duplicates, then nothing at all. <g>
So, here goes again: My wife and I were doing some shopping yesterday (Wednesday). At the deli counter, we ordered 1/2 lb of sliced ham. (I don't torture the supermarket employees by specifying a unit for which their equipment isn't calibrated.) I then added that it was 227 grams. The lady who was serving me made a humorous comment that led me to assume that she wasn't totally unfamiliar with metric measurements. So I added, "Of course, if I was actually ordering in metric, I would ask for 250 grams." She seemed to understand. When the ham weighed in at 0.57 lb, I said "I'll take that. It's close enough to 250 grams." She laughed appreciatively. Standing next in line to us was a youngish woman with her teenage daughter. We exchanged a little repartee and I made some comment about metric quantities. She told me she didn't "understand metrics." That's a typical response, but people usually use the correct term, "metric," rather than that awful "metrics." I asked her daughter if she learned the metric system in school. She said she did, but that she didn't really remember any of it. I didn't ask whether or not she was an A student. I think I know what the answer would have been. We still have a long way to go. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
