Metrics!!!

I think I can safely say that I have entered "old age". This conclusion is based on the fact that at least once a week I am ranting about the way the world is changing and my inability to keep up with the changes!

Recently I have noticed a tendency for all measurements to be made in metrics. There are grams and liters and meters. I'm sure this comes easily to those who have always used the metric measurements, but for me it's confusing, to say the least. Turns out that grams measures weight, liters measures volume and meters measures length, kind of like pounds and cups and feet. This might have been easier to grasp in elementary school than as a senior citizen, but here we are trying to catch on.

The allure of the metric system is that everything is in multiples of 10. 10 millimeters equals 1 centimeter. I kilogram is 1000 grams. And so on and so on! When we were kids we seemed able to grasp that 4 cups was a quart and 12 inches was a foot. These are just facts of life for my generation.

My first notice was that some recipes I found on Pinterest were in metric measurements. For me this means I have to get out my kitchen scale so that I can weigh all the ingredients, which renders most of my measuring cups and spoons obsolete. Overall, this isn't a terrible thing, just kind of inconvenient. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt, I can usually just pour approximately a teaspoon in the palm of my hand and call it good. But if it calls for 10 grams of salt??? I have no idea how much that looks like. Flour is actually better measured in grams due to the fact that it can pack and actually be more flour than if it was looser in the cup. I notice that I have one set of Pampered Chef adjustable measuring spoons that have metric measurements on them. I have had the spoons for years and just now noticed that. Also, my liquid measuring cups come with metric measurements on one side, so I can adjust. So anyway, I am trying to learn to cook all over again!

On the other hand, it turns out that if you weigh 140 lbs. that translates into 63.5 kilograms, which looks like a lot less even if it isn't. So from now on I'll proudly give my weight in kgs and impress everyone!

This morning I was doing some sewing from a video tutorial. The tutorial gave all the measurements in centimeters. At first I thought I would have to pull up a metric conversion app on my phone but then noticed that my measuring tape has both metric and imperial measurements on it. Turns out that 2 centimeters equals about 3/4 of an inch, which is apparently the new standard seam allowance. If you try to use that old standard of 5/8 of an inch, which I can eyeball fairly accurately after any years of sewing, things don't exactly turn out. Had a headache when that project was finished!

A 5K run in actually slightly more than 3 miles. Sounds better is all I can figure out. My height is 5 ft. 2 inches which translates into 1.5748 meters, which is complicated to remember and repeat. I vote for imperial measurements in height.

I notice we have been slowly being converted through food items. I know, because it's written on every bottle of Diet Coke I drink, that 1/2 liter is approximately one pint. 1 liter is a bit more than a quart. Every box of food is listed in both grams and ounces. It's coming whether I like it or not.

It even affects my craft hobbies. Crochet hooks now come in metric sizes, replacing the old letter system. I finally had to make a conversion chart since most of my hooks are still based on the old system. 

However, this is a long way from being a shoo-in with US culture. Do you have any idea how many hectares are in a section of land? A hectare equals approximately 2.5 acres. This would be a major conversion on legal documents and with the county records. And who can remember that 640 acres, the number of acres in one section of real estate, is equal to 259 hectares. Your deed won't say that. Your land records at the courthouse won't say that without a major record conversion.

I remember Mike's grandmother struggling to come to terms with new ways and how frustrated she would get. I probably wasn't as compassionate as I should have been, but now I understand.

It's complicated for those of us who were educated in the 60s and 70s. And until the schools quit teaching the old way, and every person who learned the old way passes on, there will have to be imperial measurements. Seems to me that it might just make better sense to leave well enough alone!