Cups - oz vs ml

[Thundergod]

I dropped into a local cafe this afternoon that I've only visited twice before.
I asked for a flat white and got the usual response "what size?".
My usual response is "what sizes have you got?".
They usually say something like "regular, medium or large".
Then I say "how many mls in your regular?", at which point they usually grab the cups to show me.

Today the PBTM also added while showing me, that the medium was 10oz or so he thought, it might have been 8.

I opted for the smallest one, which turned out to be 6oz after he'd had time to think about it.

Now I know I'm an old fart, but even I, after 40 years of use, find it easier to talk metric rather than imperial.

The guy today was no older than my children. He was obviously born metric. Does he even know what an ounce is or is it a parroted response?

Now for the questions I started this thread for....

Is it illegal to quote coffee cup sizes in ounces?
Why do some people in the coffee industry in Australia still us oz?

[Andy]

Takeaway cups are purchased as... 8oz, 12oz, 16oz (20oz + 24oz for brewed coffee stateside)

It annoys the heck out of me too (as a metric baby) and I mentally convert to ml whenever some one talks about them... 240ml for 8oz, add 50% for 12oz, double 240ml for 16oz.


I've asked the question of "why?" to my suppliers too and everyone shrugs.

[TC]

Even weirder that our tyres are metric wide and yet imperial round..

[sprezzatura]

I'm from the U.S. Originally and when I was the PBTM I usually said 8, 12, 16 and ridiculous (20) ounces. I have yet heard someone here offer 220ml, 375ml, etc.. Small, medium and large is the norm. Some places only have regular (have you tried to order a sized option at Brunetti's for example?). I like to hold up a cup for the victim: "Yes: that'll do."

[joe]

Even weirder that our tyres are metric wide and yet imperial round..

Just as weird: look at a HN catalogue from a dozen years ago, and all the TVs advertised had their screen size in cm.

Now, practically all imperial.

ANNOYING!

[noidle22]

Yea nobody refers to TV's in cm, never will.

You don't hear people say, "Check out my 127 cm TV!", that would be absurd.
They say, "Check out my 50 inch TV". People identify with inch measurements a lot easier I think.

[Thundergod]

I know people might understand the difference between a 48 and 50 inch TV but they still don't know what an inch is.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

I know people might understand the difference between a 48 and 50 inch TV but they still don't know what an inch is.

I keep telling the missus that but she still insists otherwise

[Vinitasse]

I keep telling the missus that but she still insists otherwise

always sounds better in metric though dontcha think?

[noidle22]

More is better, that's all people want to know.
Also, when Samsung released their new 64" plasma TV's about a year or two ago (model PS64xxx as opposed to the older PS63xxx models) they were lying. The screen is still only 63" diameter, at least in the few models that I measured and compared.

[gibberblot]

Even weirder that our tyres are metric wide and yet imperial round..

Or in the UK where cold weather is reported in Celsius and warm weather in Fahrenheit. My mate there reckons it's because they like to exaggerate weather conditions

Or in the Republic of Ireland where road signs specify distances in km, but speed in miles, due to them using metric but using cars made for Britain

[Fulcrum]

Yup all the takeaway cups in oz and then all the dine in cups in ml!
So we have 8, 12 and 16oz for takeaway and 220ml and 280ml for dine in.

[Ronin]

I know people might understand the difference between a 48 and 50 inch TV but they still don't know what an inch is.

25.4 mm

For the record 1 US fluid oz 29.5735296875 grams or thereabouts
And it doesn't allow for stretched milk, and some even come with a 90% full measure to allow for spillage while walking just to throw more scanners into the works

[MrJack]

25.4 mm

For the record 1 US fluid oz 29.5735296875 mL or thereabouts
And it doesn't vary for stretched milk,

Fixed.

rho knows what it equates to in mass.

[Vinitasse]

Mr Jack... whereas I agree with your corrections, I do happen to think that the way you quote other contributors is bizarre at best, and inaccurate at the very least.