Author Topic: What is a glass? What is a portion? (Read 777 times)

Questor · « **on:** November 24, 2009, 03:52:57 AM »

I think we've carried this whole customary weights and measures thing too far. I've been told and read zillions of times that you drink a glass of something or have a portion of something. What on earth are those things in quatified terms? The glasses in my house range from four ounce juice glasses to something that looks more like a flower vase and holds about a quart. Portions? I have absolutely no idea of what a portion is. One portion of pizza for my teenage son is about half a 16 inch pizza extra meat, extra cheese. One portion for my daughter is one slice with no meat and half the cheese picked off. A little precision please!!! I can't take it anymore! I'm becoming hysterically obsessed with this! Agggh!

Tommyt · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2009, 04:44:10 AM »

you pull the Plug out of the Bath Tub

Is this the beginning of the end
Or
The end of the Beginning

and isn't funny that Level is LEVEL when you spell it back words as I just did

Questor · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:06:08 AM »

I never really gave than any thought. I'm still trying to figure out why coincidences always seem to happen at the same time.

williamlayton · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2009, 06:14:23 AM »

Or what is a #6 can size or a #8.
The American public demands to know these things.
Who the Hay am I yelling at?

Blessings

gypsyman · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2009, 06:52:07 AM »

Know what ya mean. When I'm home, a cup of coffee is an 8oz. cup. When I'm at a show or event, a cup is 4oz. and costs a dollar or more. And remember when you bought a meal at a restaurant, the coffee was free. Now they charge you between $1.50 and $2.00 for it. Their making more off the coffee than the meal. As far as portions go, depends on who is eating it. I cook a whole pizza for my 2 sons. They always end up eating the remaining slices off the one I cook for my wife and I. I don't think you call that portions thou, I think you call it a whole!!gypsyman

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2009, 07:13:44 AM »

Its all in the eye of the beholder ! or bee houlder or guy looking at it

Sourdough · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2009, 07:56:17 AM »

Yea on TV you see someone holding a 16oz glass and they are saying drink 8 glasses of water a day. But at a restaurant a glass is only 8 oz. Coffee mugs were always 8oz, till the price of coffee started going up then the restaurants started getting 6oz mugs. Now they only half fill them saying they don't want to spill any, it could burn a customer.

On the new food pyramid they say eat so many portions of fish and meats. Define a portion, 3oz, 6oz, or 22oz, wow. Depends on the cook I guess.

Now they say over half the people in the us is obese, we need to cut down our portions. How do we cut down on something that is not defined to begin with.

rex6666 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:13:44 AM »

Never thought about it, but it does seem to be a problem.
Maybe oboma should be working on this and let some one that knows something work on the other stuff.

Questor · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:19:42 AM »

Sourdough:

That's why I made the post. If I go to the convenience store and get a cup of soda, the minimum size available in my area is 22 ounces.

The portions question is so basic that it's amazing that I never see it defined. I have recently seen some define it as an amount the size of your fist, or a medium apple. Well, I've got a gargantuan fist compared to most guys, but I'm not that much bigger that most. Medium apples here are about 3 inches in diameter, in other places medium is 4 inches in diameter.

After all the fuss with atomic clocks, electronic scales, micrometers, trigonometry, and all the other measurement tools we have, why can't we have a convenient measure for the food we eat? I can understand "a cup of this", "an ounce of that". I can't understand "portion".

Portion sizes in America have exploded since I was a kid. The ubiquitous McDonalds french fry comes to mind. Now they sell them in big bucket-sized containers. When I was a kid they were a few ounces in a small paper sack.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:50:04 AM »

I hate to cloud the issue with facts BUT check the serving size of the product you are putting in the glass/cup that is a portion not the size of the glass , maybe . then there are things we drink that don't come in marked containers .

Questor · « **Reply #10 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:52:00 AM »

Most of the food I eat doesn't come in packages. Then there are some strange portion sizes like candy bars that are clearly intended to be eaten as a single portion, but the package says its two or three servings.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:56:18 AM »

I know CLOUDS

skarke · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2009, 09:32:41 AM »

William,

For your measuring pleasure, who needs the Metric system when all this stuff is so clear.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CanSize.htm

Questor · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2009, 09:38:41 AM »

I've recently bought produce by the peck.
I imagine you can buy diet coke by the hogshead or the flagon.

I remember when McDonalds hamburgers were based on the one-tenth pound beef patty. Then they introduced the revolutionary Big Muck, which changed everything. The Quarter Pounder was big in its day. But now 1/3 pound is the standard.

At sports bar type restaurants 1/2 pound is more the norm, I believe. I recall going to a sports bar restaurant some years ago and I ordered a Reuben sandwich. There was a mat of corned beef on that thing at least 2 1/2 inches thick. That one sandwich was enough to feed a family of four.

williamlayton · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2009, 09:46:29 AM »

Now there is an intelligent man this Sharke.
I can't remember the question

Oh yea cans---What was the answer.
I'll go eat a can of soup all by myownself and call it a portion.
Blessings too alllllll--my head hurts

Blessings

The Hermit · « **Reply #15 on:** November 24, 2009, 01:18:06 PM »

I'm sure the new food czar will sort it all out. Good grief. When it comes to amounts, a jar of peanuts lists a serving size at 19 peanuts. Now who in tarnation is just gonna stop at 19 or even count out 19 to get a serving size? My fat fist will hold at least 3 servings, no telling what my big mouth will hold.
Campbells soup says 2.5 servings per can. I eat a whole can of it too because I live alone and can still do it without closing the curtains. ( never know where that czar guy is hanging out).
If I have company, I can always share, but who gets the 1/2 portion?
I just looked at a ten pound sack of potatoes, boy am I in trouble. There aint no directions on it.
I think I'll just have a couple servings hot chocolate and go to bed.

The Hermit

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 24, 2009, 01:34:13 PM »

for me a portion depends on how hungry i am..i thought portion was a general term left
up to the person cooking or eating or what ever.. except reloading of course. ..use of the term in that ,,could cause a fella to have a bad day..slim..

LONGTOM · « **Reply #17 on:** November 24, 2009, 01:55:25 PM »

I say who really cares?

LONGTOM

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #18 on:** November 24, 2009, 04:44:10 PM »

Quote from: Questor on November 24, 2009, 03:52:57 AM

I think we've carried this whole customary weights and measures thing too far. I've been told and read zillions of times that you drink a glass of something or have a portion of something. What on earth are those things in quatified terms? The glasses in my house range from four ounce juice glasses to something that looks more like a flower vase and holds about a quart. Portions? I have absolutely no idea of what a portion is. One portion of pizza for my teenage son is about half a 16 inch pizza extra meat, extra cheese. One portion for my daughter is one slice with no meat and half the cheese picked off. A little precision please!!! I can't take it anymore! I'm becoming hysterically obsessed with this! Agggh!

Well Questor this is one of your better threads!

I have wondered this same thing for years. You buy a Freezer Queen dinner and it say it feeds 4 people. Well unless you are from Africa and do not eat I just don't see how it feeds 4 people. I can eat 2/3 of one myself and not be stuffed. I think these portion figures are based on small Asian people. Or we as Americans are use to eating more than needed. Dale

Brett · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2009, 02:46:55 AM »

Dale, You probably got that last sentence right. However I'm with you, one of those "family sized" frozen meals that are supposed to feed a family of 4 are barely enough to satisfy me and my 10 year old daughter. My wife eats like a bird, she will just have a large salad for dinner and my daughter and I will split one of those frozen dinners.

Scibaer · « **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2009, 03:14:43 AM »

i dont worry about such things.
as long as i know a grain is a grain and 100 yards is 100 yards i'm good

blind ear · « **Reply #21 on:** November 25, 2009, 03:20:08 AM »

If you are still thirsty have another glass, if you are full, stop drinking.

jhm · « **Reply #22 on:** November 25, 2009, 03:30:29 AM »

Fellow you can get ALL them items if you would just go DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE, cant miss the place!! Jim

skarke · « **Reply #23 on:** November 25, 2009, 04:36:58 AM »

Questor,

How many cucumbers fit in a peck for pickling?

Questor · « **Reply #24 on:** November 25, 2009, 04:43:07 AM »

About four pounds of them.

Redtail1949 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 25, 2009, 05:47:58 AM »

pigmys' invented portions....see yall just do not understand where it all began, back in the dawn of the begining in Dark Africa Pigmys started measuring amounts for recipes....

......From the history of the world and cooking by right rev. jessie and fat daddy rev. al the sharpie

Squib · « **Reply #26 on:** November 26, 2009, 02:17:03 AM »

just wait till obama gets his sugar tax

I drink diet coke which DOESN'T cause obesity but I bet that soda will be taxed too irregardless, and coffee, and juice, hey yogurt and cereal get sugar added... we'll get our portion discrepancies figured out really soon guys