Dear Michael,
Coincidentally, I had a beer at lunchtime yesterday that was served in
an imported German glass that had a line printed on the outside of the
glass with 0.5 L written near it. I was delighted.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Geelong, Australia
On 2009/03/31, at 12:48 AM, Michael G. Koerner wrote:
Subject:
[USMA:44200] Re: the pub--ground zero for the metric system?
From:
"Carleton MacDonald" <[email protected]>
Date:
Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:13:18 -0400
To:
U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Near the Washington National Cathedral are several restaurants.
Among them, one is Mexican, another serves brick-oven pizza. Both
are excellent.
The draft beer at the Mexican restaurant comes in a larger glass
than the pizza place, and the price is lower.
Of course, XX and Tecate cost less than some yupscale German draft.
Carleton
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of John M. Steele
Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2009 07:01
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:44179] Re: the pub--ground zero for the metric system?
I don't think Americans have nearly the attachment to the pint that
Brits do. Many bars only serve bottled beer, not draft. It is
served from a bottle or can which by law must be marked in fluid
ounces (usually 12) with optional, supplemental metric permitted;
this is unlike every other bottled beverage where the net contents
must be dual marked.
When draft beer is served, the serving size is not as standardized
as in the UK. Each bar appears to set their own based on their
glassware. If you ask, you may be given an answer in fluid ounces,
but there is no particular dedication to the number 16. Some
places serve draft in the same size glass they give you with your
bottle of beer; the full bottle usually does NOT fit.
--- On Sat, 3/28/09, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:44169] the pub--ground zero for the metric system?
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 9:50 PM
Pubs and taverns are bastions of freedom. The American
Revolution was hatched in the Buckman and Monroe Taverns of
Lexington, Massachusetts, scarcely 3 kilometers from where I grew
up. So, I guess you could say that the pint is symbol of freedom's
ferment (grin). But, I fear that this same obsession with the
standard serving size of a brewsky will also befall us Yanks, as it
has in other countries. That won't be the end of it on this side of
the pond, though. In the U.S., there will be all kinds of requests
for exemptions from metrication and all kinds of fears that
metrication will take over in areas in which it may not belong.
Upon the announcement of the EU decision on supplemental
indications, we saw headlines about "British can keep their pints
(of alcoholic beverage poured in pubs)," as if this measure was the
shibboleth of metrication in Europe.
During the deliberations of a future U.S. Metric Board,
these very psychological issues have got to be talked out. The
measurement of goods served has to be clarified, so we won't have
more customary-unit martyrdom. However, the U.S. pint is smaller
than a half liter, and, as Pat suggests, there could be lobbying by
the American brewing industry to keep it as a serving size. Does
metrication belong in the pub, though? Can't bar patrons request a
size that it outside of legal metrology but agreed upon in the
drinkers' world? I would hate to see a Liliput-Blefuscu war break
out over quaffing a few.
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
Public Relations Director
U.S. Metric Association, Inc.
www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Blvd. Apt. 122
Midland, Texas 79707-2872 US
+1(432)528-7724
[email protected]
Speaking of German beers, one thing that I very much like about the
Germans is that there is a German consumer protection law that
requires that a measured fill line be scribed on every glass used in
the country to serve poured beverages intended for sale. I have
several pieces of German glassware that I have acquired over the
years that have '300 ml' (and so forth) lines on them. An Erdinger
glass that I have has a line near the top with "SQHM" right above it
and "0,5l" right below it. I also have a Jägermeister shot glass
with a '2 cl' line on it.
I wonder if such legally required 'lines' might be a good idea here
in the USA.
--
___________________________________________ ____
_______________
Regards, | |\ ____
| | | | |\
Michael G. Koerner May they | | | | | |
rise again!
Appleton, Wisconsin USA | | | | | |
___________________________________________ | | | | | |
_______________
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
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