You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Year Long Main 2021
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2015 Year Long Challenge - Serial Killers
Sarah wrote: "We use the metric system here in the UK generally but we're stuck in our ways. So I still weigh myself in stones; measure my height in feet and inches; and buy a pint of milk. I have no idea about ..."This surprises me. I assumed that the UK used kilometers for speed limits and speedometers. And I quite honestly have no idea what a stone is! I've only ever heard use of stones in historical books/movies.
Nope. Sorry. It's you 
How dare you lump us all together!! Canada is metric. :)
LOL sorry Dawn. I was covering my bases! I understand. It's like lumping me in with the Kiwis, who I love, but they have some strange quirks I don't need to be associated with. Eg. Jandles.
Japan is officially metric but they still use the old system for some things. Ever wonder why your rice cooker cup is so small? That's because it's one gō (180 ml) of rice, the traditional measure. Compare with a metric cup (250 ml), a US cup (240 ml), and the cup size used in cooking here (200 ml). Other old measures still in use include jō (area, the size of one tatami mat) and shō (volume, one large flask of sake). Everything must be declared in metric (so the sake bottle will say 1.8 l instead of 1 shō) but the old amounts live on.And get this - for a while after WWII there were three systems in use! Depending where you were and what you were doing you might see the US customary system, the metric system, or the traditional system. I know I have to be careful searching the internet for recipes - a cup may not be a cup! :D
Cups always confuse me. I didn't know there was a standard. Sometimes when I watch cooking shows they say one cup of this and one cup of that, but how do I know how much that is? I have cups in 10 different sizes!
Peggy wrote: "Cups always confuse me. I didn't know there was a standard. Sometimes when I watch cooking shows they say one cup of this and one cup of that, but how do I know how much that is? I have cups in 10 ..."Lol Peggy. I had a friend who was the same. She couldn't work out why things tasted weird while she was using a cup of about 400mL instead of the standard measuring cup of 250mL.
To clarify on stones, a stone is made up of 14 pounds (I had to look that up as I can never remember if its 12, 14, or 16 pounds to a stone).
There are several free apps for unit converters for smart phones. Thats the easiest way to do it. Did not know you used miles Sarah. That makes so much sense as a lot of British authors use miles and I've been wondering if they had just switched to miles for American versions of the books. It's all so clear to me now.
Yep miles. When we went to Croatia last year we hired a moped which was in km/h and I had no idea whatsoever what speed we were doing. I kept forgetting that it was in km and still did 30 or 40 regardless - I'm guessing they'll have been times where I was going way too slow and others when I was speeding. Oops! I'm guessing a change to metric in this would cause a lot of hassle for the police and potentially accidents.
You did 30-40Kms/hr? No one beeped you? That's so slow! lol
All our vehicles have both km and miles. We had a Canadien car once so it had km the big numbers and miles the small. Either way both units show
Rusalka wrote: "You did 30-40Kms/hr? No one beeped you? That's so slow! lol"To be fair, we were on an island in Croatia and most of the time we were the only vehicle on the roads - just as well! Some of the roads were pretty dicey though being right along the sides of cliffs so going slow worked well.
EDIT: Oh and it was our first time on a moped too.
Oh moped. That's fair enough lol. I'd be hesitant then too. Our school zones are 40km, the standard speed in residential areas and towns is 60km. That's just where I'm coming from.
Our reidential zones would be 30-40 mph depending on population which if I recall I would drive through at about 60km. School are 15 mph and i have no idea the km on that pribably about th same as Rusalka's
Google tells me 15 miles = 24kms. So a lot slower.
Mainly 30 or 40mph in built up areas here in the UK although there are a lot of 20mph zones cropping up here and there now, especially around school areas but also on a few main roads which I find really annoying. Country roads tend to be 50mph or 60mph and motorways and dual carriageways are 70mph.
Travis of NNY wrote: "All our vehicles have both km and miles. We had a Canadien car once so it had km the big numbers and miles the small. Either way both units show"They used to be like that. Now, the speedometers are all in kilometers.
@Sarah, when we switched to kilometers I paid attention to the posted speed limited. If it said 80 kms/hr, then I drove that. Now, I know what that feels like (slow if you're on the freeway where standard speed limits are 110 and everyone drives 120).
I think all American cars have miles and kilometers per hour. The Miles are the bigger, more obvious digits and KM smaller numbers under the miles. I had no idea there were different sized cups! In the US cups are 8 ounces (I have no idea how many mL that is). I really like recipes that use weights, which is what I've been told is the norm in most European countries (is this true?). It gets confusing when a recipe says something like "1 cup nuts, chopped" because that could mean 1 cup of whole nuts that you need to chop or 1 cup of already chopped nuts, which is a lot more volume wise! Normally that isn't a big deal, but it is still annoying. And I usually just end up adding extra, because I like nuts! LOL.
Oh good I was thinking the same thing. I know a cup is 8 ounces, beyond that I have no idea milliliter, leader, or whatever.:-) I don't cook, but I do eat LOL
Now with ounces in cups I'm completely lost. And I get that you are confused about the nuts!Yes, recipes here always use weights, except for really small quantities, like table spoons. Weights can be confusing too though, because when making a pasta sauce not so long ago, it said 'add 0.5 dl of red wine', which equals 50 ml, but I wasn't thinking properly and put 500 ml (nearly a whole bottle) in ;-) In my defense, dl is not a measure you see all that often.
LOL, Peggy... I bet that was a very "festive" pasta sauce!
I've just realized there are solid ounces and fluid ounces. I suppose it's the fluid onces that go in a cup? That makes more sense.
No, we use the same cup for fluid ounces and solid ounces. At least I do, but as I stated earlier I am no cook :-)
All I know is, I have a set of measuring cups which I use to measure everything. We also have tablespoons and teaspoons. That is really all my cookie knowledge :-)
How about 1 cup packed brown sugar or a cup pacjed peanut butter. I remember livingat home and mom saying I used too much. No I just have more strength to pack a cup. And dont get me started with flour. If you scoop with a cup you'll obviously get more than usung a spoon to grntly fill. Then there is a sprig,pinch,dash,generous dose, heaping helping, just enough to taste,splash and tad bit. How freaking much are all these?
As well as just enough to taste , not too much and just the right amount, wee bit
Peggy wrote: "Yes, recipes here always use weights, except for really small quantities, like table spoons."I guess that depends a bit on the country. In Finland we mostly use dl/ml for flour, liquids etc.; for small quantities table/tea spoons. For solid butter we use weight (there is a measure printed on the foil that covers the butter so that you can easily cut the needed amount). I only very recently bought kitchen scales, as you can basically cook and bake without one. I'm sooo lost if I try to follow UK or American recipes.
Ah yes, I guess I was talking for the Netherlands. I think everything solid here goes in grams, miligrams etc., and everything fluid in liters and mililiters and such.
Travis of NNY wrote: "How about 1 cup packed brown sugar or a cup pacjed peanut butter. I remember livingat home and mom saying I used too much. No I just have more strength to pack a cup. And dont get me started with..."That is my problem with trying to make bread! A cup of flour can be vastly different depending on if you scoop it, pour it, or sift it. Any breads I have ever attempted to bake invariably end up too dense. I decided after my last mediocre attempt at baking bread to buy a digital scale and use weight measurements next time.
I also like the idea of weighing ingredients versus measuring them with cups because you can vastly cut down on the amount of dirty dishes. Add an ingredient to your bowl, zero out the weight on the digital scale, add the next ingredient, repeat!
Wow Kim! You are a professional!
Peggy wrote: "http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2...I'm glad I never have to follow English recipes!"
If it's liquid, I measure the fluid ounces in a jug (and that's usually marked on there in addition to ml and pints) and if it's a powder or a solid, then I measure on the scales which have ounces and grams on.
Sandra wrote: "Wow Kim! You are a professional!"Ha! Not even close! But on occasion I get the desire to try to cook, it never turns out very good though. LOL. And I am a major recipe follower, I need measurements. I am absolutely no good and just "eying" amounts. I asked my mom when I moved out for her recipe for cornbread and for biscuits. She laughed at me and said there is no recipe, just some of this and some of that. I asked how much of this and that and she told me you just have to eyeball it. I use the recipe on the back of the bag and it just isn't as good as momma makes! LOL
Same thing here Kim. I'm not good at cooking, and I don't like cooking...
We've kind of hijacked the serial killer thread. Perhaps we could discuss this further in "whatcha doin" thread.
LOL! I thought that way back, but everyone was having a good time. :0)
Oops! Yes! We did get a bit carried away didn't we!I do have a series question. I had discounted Ancillary Justice from the challenge because it's a two book series. I just found out a third is planned for the end of the year. So if I read the first two now, am I right in thinking they still wouldn't count because at present it's only a 2 book series. But when I read the third book, I will get 5 points for that one and 30 points for the trilogy?!
Haha! I can't even remember how all this chi chat started!
Just blame me. It's the easiest option.
Rusalka - the Tangent Princess.Speaking of princesses. no. Other thread.
Sarah wrote: "Oops! Yes! We did get a bit carried away didn't we!I do have a series question. I had discounted Ancillary Justice from the challenge because it's a two book series. I just found ..."
That's what I understood too :) I have a couple of series like that and am still unsure if I will read the second now or wait till the third is out LOL
Sarah wrote: "Oops! Yes! We did get a bit carried away didn't we!I do have a series question. I had discounted Ancillary Justice from the challenge because it's a two book series. I just found ..."
Yes, you understand that correctly. I'm in that same situation with the Riyria Chronicles. I just read the two current books in the series. It will be later in the year when the third book is published.
OK thanks Janice. I'll probably read the first one reasonably soon and we'll see what happens about the others.
I plan on completing the Stephanie Plum series this month as well as the Clifton Chronicles. I have a question you can't carry points from one level over to another, is this correct?
Berit wrote: "I plan on completing the Stephanie Plum series this month as well as the Clifton Chronicles. I have a question you can't carry points from one level over to another, is this correct?"You are correct. If you finish a level with 150 points, you start the next level at 0 points.
Thanks :-), so there's the math involved to make this work to your best advantage ;-)
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Spider Bones (other topics)Fairest (other topics)
UnBound (other topics)
UnDivided (other topics)
Folk av en främmande stam (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Louise Boije af Gennäs (other topics)Joanne Harris (other topics)
Terry Pratchett (other topics)
Ian Hamilton (other topics)
Ian Hamilton (other topics)
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In Québec we often talk about a pint of milk to designate a litre of milk LOL Kept the name even though the measure changed ;o)