Last year, the British government announced plans to allow shops to sell produce in pounds and ounces, instead of using the metric system, as part of an effort to “capitalize on new Brexit freedoms”. The old imperial system hasn’t been taught in UK schools since 1974, and there are no plans to reintroduce it, so this “freedom” is largely a political gesture, giving an option that few shops will take. In some ways, however, the old imperial system was never completely discontinued. If you spend time in the UK, you will still see and hear signs of it. The US is one of only three countries worldwide (along with Myanmar and Liberia) that have never adopted the metric system as their primary system of weights and measures. If you’re travelling to the UK or the US, it’s helpful to have a basic idea of pounds and ounces, feet and inches, fluid ounces and cups.
In a restaurant
Unlike shops, restaurants in the UK have always been free to use imperial measurements in the descriptions of dishes on their menus.
Read this conversation, which takes place in a restaurant, and then scroll down to do the exercise.
Marc: What shall we have for lunch?
Lisa: They do good sandwiches here. Their foot-long baguettes are very filling. In fact, they’re almost big enough to share.
Marc: I want something hot. The 10 oz steak sounds good, but it’s too big for lunch. I think I’ll have the 6 oz burger, with fries. What about you?
Lisa: I’m going to have a Hawaii pizza – but which size? The “large” is 13 inches. Do you think that’s too big for one person?
Marc: Maybe – but you can always ask for a box for the leftovers.
At the cheese counter
UK supermarkets have used the metric system since the 1970s. Some older shoppers might still ask for their produce in ounces, but the shop assistant will simply convert it into metric in their head. Outdoor fruit and vegetable markets, however, are a more traditional institution and some of them seem to run a dual system, advertising the prices in both pounds (“lb”) and kilos.
An older customer is at the cheese counter in a supermarket. Read this conversation and then scroll down to do the exercise.
Shop assistant: What can I get you?
Customer: I’d like a nice big piece of that Cheddar, please. A pound, or perhaps a bit less.
Shop assistant: OK, this piece is 420 g, that’s a bit less than a pound. A couple of ounces under. It’s £4.80. Is that OK?
Customer: Yes, that’s fine. And that bit of blue cheese, please.
Shop assistant: Let’s weigh it. 210 g, £3.98.
Customer: What’s that? About half a pound?
Shop assistant: Yes, just under.
Customer: Perfect! Thank you.
Recipes
Recipes are all printed in metric in the UK, with grams for weight and millilitres for volume. American recipes use the imperial system, with ounces for weight and fluid ounces for volume. Very often, however, American recipes use “cups” as a measurement, not only for liquids, but also for dry ingredients such as flour and sugar. This makes it quicker and easier to measure while you’re baking because you don’t need scales – but there isn’t a quick way to convert these “cups” into grams as that depends on the ingredient: a cup of sugar weighs more than a cup of flour, for example.
Read the two lists of ingredients below. They are for the same dish, but the first is from an American website and the second from a British one. Compare the two recipes and then scroll down to answer the questions.
Chicken and pea risotto
2 chicken breasts, diced into 1” cubes
2 leeks
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
¾ cup frozen peas
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
Chicken and pea risotto
4 chicken thighs, skinned and chopped
2 onions
1chicken stock cube dissolved in 500 ml boiling water
200 g Arborio rice
250 ml white wine
200 g frozen peas
100 g grated Parmesan
Info to go...
1 pound = 16 oz = 450 g
½ pound = 8 oz = 225 g
¼ pound = 4 oz = 110 g
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1 cup of liquid = 250 millilitres
1 cup of flour = 130 grams
1 cup of sugar = 200 grams
1 fluid ounce = 30 millilitres
All figures are approximate.
In a pub
Drinks are another area of life where the UK is still running a dual system of measures. Draught beer is served in pints (or half pints); bottled beer and cans are sold in metric millilitres. Glasses of wine and measures of spirits are also given in metric.
In the US, fluid ounces (often just called “ounces”) are used. In Europe, our regular cans of fizzy drink are 330 ml; the American equivalent is a 12 oz can.
For experts only!
To be precise, a US pint equals 16 fl. oz, whereas a UK pint equals 20 fl. oz. However, fluid ounces are not the same across the Atlantic: a British fluid ounce is about 28.4 ml, whereas a US fluid ounce is about 29.6 ml. So, in fact, a pint in the US is slightly less than a pint in Britain (about 474 ml rather than 568 ml). Is your head spinning yet? And not from the alcohol, we hope!
Read this UK pub conversation and then scroll down to do the exercise.
Customer: Hi. Do you have any alcohol-free beer?
Barman: Yes, we have Becks Blue on draught – that’s a lager. And we have Ghost Ship in 500 ml bottles – that’s a pale ale. We also have Punk AF in small 330 ml cans – that’s a good craft ale.
Customer: I think I’ll try the Becks.
Barman: Pint or half?
Customer: Just a half, I think. I’ll see if I like it first.