As I moved to America and zadolbalsya consider everything in pounds and gallons

Simple Belarusian guy Nick Sulima good feeling in the American reality. If not one but: the system measures the logic that does not see - and very desirable. < Website publishes full of humor and amazement text Koli about how he moved to America, and there ...



Putidorogi-nn.ru the beginning was the meat I looked at the price tag -. Inexpensive, and smiled. When prices were bukovki l a and b. So - $ 5.99 lb. I asked two or dealer began his manipulation: put on disposable gloves, took out a piece of meat from the windows, threw on the scales, has introduced a code printed sticker grabbed and slapped himself on the sleeve. Then, wrapped in wax paper purchase in the wrapping, tore a long strip and girded parcel picked sticker, tore off the sleeves, then handed me.

Do you know what happens when you wait in the arm hard, and falls twice as easy? Hand jumped up. I weighed the meat in his hand and thought, "Well, that's me and pinned for the first time in America»

. Later I learned that a lb. It is from the Latin «libra pound», or pound. Why do they use libra, rather than the pound, the price tags when writing, I still do not know.

453 grams, about half a kilogram. Welcome to the rough world. I grew up in the metric universe, divisible by ten, where everything is clear and logical. I enjoyed millimeters, centimeters and decimeters bypassed because decimeter - an outcast, do not need anyone other than a teacher of mathematics. Meter commanded respect, was a kilometer test, three kilometers equal to seven and a half laps of the stadium in the rain. Who would have thought that somewhere on the other side of the world people measure distance in feet, and the volume - in cups

? Shopping at first looked like exercises on general knowledge. In addition to the pounds came to the forefront ounce, to heighten the fun were dry and liquid. < What to do with an ounce, equal to 28 grams, I still will not take an expert in. No, multiply it or divide.

From the volume of units such as teaspoon or cup exuded a homey feel. Then there was a pint, which is equal to two cups, and the fourth, in which the two pints. A gallon barrel and sounded proud and sad, as the list of the fallen soldiers. The good news was is that eggs sold by the dozen, not dozens.

Soon it became clear that America is the first month, and only then the day. Thank you, damn it, at least a year left in his place. I moved his lips, muttering to himself: "On January fourth, two thousand and ten", and fill out the form, and when I read, then stopped for a moment to figure out where a month here. Well, if the second date figure was provided for more than twelve, then it was immediately clear that this day. "February twenty-second," sounded like a quote from the Bible.

< For some time it has taken to put a stop in front of the name of the name. Blown forms, lost time. Nick Sulima, but not Nick Sulima.

Anthropometric data:
- How much do you weigh
? - I think about ninety
. - Ninety-what ?!
- And, damn, pounds, pounds ... hundred fourscore and eight

! Do not become more 'one hundred ninety-three centimeters, "they left the house, where the pancakes, and in their place came the" six-four "short, as an order.

< Any American knows the direction in which the parties are . light, as if his mind compass a hundred times I was getting into a dead end when they gave me directions over the phone: "Go on Laurel Street, then right and half a mile to the west." Yes, where is the West? Or should I look at which side of the moss growing on trees ?! Even banal fight area in the district of Americans has a geographical basis: Westside hates chmorit Eastside, they respond to them in return

. How much gasoline your car uses? Simple question. Any motorist will answer twelve of the city, eight on the highway and go to sleep with a clear conscience again. < What about 30 miles per gallon See what an ass: first I translate gallons to liters, then miles to kilometers, and I bring them to the calculator memory, then divide the first to the second

. But this is not the end of madness, because I it is necessary for a hundred kilometers! I patiently multiply the result of a hundred and get what our driver will respond without hesitation in alcoholic intoxication of any severity. As long as I count, my companion already regret that asked me crimson cheeks with the effort, and all awkward.

One man, who lived in the seventeenth century, such as the mixed water, ice and salt, and measured the freezing point of the mixture. This temperature it took for zero and certainly laughed, imagining how it would break down: and what for was to pickle ?! < Name it had Fahrenheit.

Fahrenheit was lucky enough to die for a long time. If he were alive, we would come to his people, speaking with an accent, and killed him reinforcement bars. Then he burned his house and danced on the ashes. According to my calculations, the average immigrant spends a third of his life in a dream and a quarter - converting Fahrenheit to Celsius

. Keep an eye on your hands: I take Fahrenheit, subtract from it thirty, and the rest divide by two, get a customary approximate result. This is easy to do, is warm outside, but as soon as the temperature begins to drop, arithmetic ceases to be simple. From 15 degrees Fahrenheit I subtract thirty and get minus 15, and what do I do with them? They say that they, too, should be divided into two. Seven and a half degrees below zero? Well at least in California is never below zero, fuck off, finally.

And all the British. It is they who invented a unique system of measures, with ones like "poppy seed". Poppy seed - length equal to a quarter of barley grain, which is also the length. There is a line, finger, hand and nail (not sheared they them, or what?) Wiki article on English units of measures has led me into confusion. It said that the poppy seed - it's about a quarter of barley. How is it - about

? There generally found many interesting things. For example, a unit of area, which is one ox could plow in a year. The quality of land, the size of an ox - known only to the Englishman, who measured the all. Perhaps it was the same spherical wave in a vacuum.

In 1824, the "English" units have been converted into "imperial". Immodestly never suffered in the UK, and in the middle of the nineteenth century in particular. As far as I'm concerned, in the course of the alteration units renamed, some abolished and eventually completely confused. Pound came out about equal to half a kilogram, and tonne - something about two thousand pounds

People obviously did not have a holiday.. To make life less sweet, the imperial system of measures fits perfectly.

The British invented drive on the left. The list of countries that are still using the drive on the left, there were only developed from the UK, Japan and the Commonwealth of Australia. Balance list is similar to a quote from the pirate novels of Rafael Sabatini. From him I learned about the existence of the world's Christmas Island, Cocos Islands and Montserrat state. The Swedes (!) - And they went to the right side as much as in 1964, but not a proud Brit

. Today we have a twenty-first century. People invented space, plastic surgery and Nicki Minaj. However, the shoe sizes in America and Great Britain are still calculated in the Barleycorn. that emanates from some tysyachetonnym Anglo-Saxon stubbornness.

I can understand the marine unit. Most of us are faced with the sea only when riding on the foot catamaran in the city park. Naval people at all times have been challenging for several months without seeing the shores, in the company of ragged dirty - any reason will begin to move slowly. One can not begin to measure seven feet long, and speed - units? In Venichka Yerofeyev in the play "Steps Commander 'mental hospital patients was measured time tables and stools, for example.

Of course, all this knowledge is imprinted in human years, becoming instincts. No one in America does not translate in the mind of pounds to grams, everybody knows that its norm - three pints of beer, and 12 ounces of soda. The famous monologue Vince Vega «Royal with cheese» about a quarter pound hamburger, amuses the audience not just because of the hilarious faces Samuel L. Jackson, and because they have a child in the "McDonald's" and spawn live in peace halves and quarters. < br>
In the positive side should be sought, as is often said analysts in the movie. I do not do anything but look at this balancing act in terms of practical uses: it trains my brain, delaying Alzheimer's. All the rest - no more than prejudice

. We warmly at twenty degrees, the Americans - at seventy. Nothing special.

via pics.ru/uznik-zamka-f

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