A Bag of Charcoal

[Wade Garrett]

After recently attending the retirement ceremony for my rusted-out and falling-apart ancient propane gas barbecue grill, I replaced it with my first charcoal grill in 22 years. Getting ready for the Fourth you know.

But when buying my first bag of charcoal in these same 22 years, I find that my former favorite fuel- a 20 pound bag of Kingsford Briquets- now weighs only 18.6 pounds.

Guess I shouldn't be too surprised as a five pound bag of sugar now weighs four pounds, a pound-bag of ground coffee contains but 11.5 ounces and most horridly, a half-gallon bottle of Scotch now is only

1.75 liters.

Milk and gas are next, I guess......

[Frank]

I just got a new 5 gallon tank of propane. If you read the label you will see it contains 16 lbs which is about 4 gallons of propane.

Lot of us have at least some technical education and full understanding of weights and measures and density and the like and it is annoying the crap they get away with.

They sell lettuce by the head but if you weigh a head of lettuce and calculate cost per pound you will be surprised how high it is.

[gfretwell]

I always buy the heaviest one I find and if they are all like cotton balls I do without for a few days.

[Cindy Hamilton]

Funny, my 5-pound bag of sugar is still 5 pounds (4 pound bags are also available), and a 1-pound bag of coffee is still 1 pound. I've seen smaller bags in the grocery store, but I generally go right to the roaster for coffee.

Cindy Hamilton

[Cindy Hamilton]

I find the quality of a looser head of lettuce to be superior. If they're all like cannon balls, I do without for a few days.

Cindy Hamilton

[Frank]

Interesting point. I made a salad today and noted center of lettuce head going bad. Neighbor had given us loose lettuce from her garden and it seemed to keep a long time.

[Neill Massello]

The carbon tax in action.

[Neill Massello]

Adjusted for inflation? And you know this how?

[Terry Coombs]

He knows a guy that knows a guy ... FWIW from what I hear from a guy that knows a guy the strength is a lot higher (!) now too . I also know a guy that knows a guy that knows a guy that grows his own for free . But it's not as good as that stuff they sell over the counter in Colorado . Or so I've been told .

Anybody wanna shot of this Terkillyta reposada ? 100% blue agave ...

--

Snag

[rbowman]

I don't recall seeing 5 lb bags of sugar where I shop for either the name brands or the generics; they are all 4 lbs. I buy beans so a pound of beans is a pound. Some 3 lb cans of ground coffee have 3 lbs. I used to buy MJB. I have some old cans I use for cereal storage that are marked 39 ounces. The latest offerings are 33.9. There was one brand that advertised that although it was only 33 ounces it made as much coffee as 48 ounces used to. Less is more. Orwell would be pleased.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Skip the briquets, get lump charcoal or use hardwood and burn it down to coals. Better flavor, no chemicals needed to start it. .

[hubops]

I went to buy some 2 x 4 's today and they didn't measure up at all ! I'm calling my lawyer ! John T.

[gregz]

Never use chemicals.

Greg

[Cindy Hamilton]

Perhaps your grocery store feels it isn't worth stocking 5-pound bags of sugar. Perhaps they discovered the uncritical customers grabbed the 4-pound bag at a lower price and left the more expensive 5-pound bag on the shelf.

It's the free market, man.

Cindy Hamilton

[Art Todesco]

And, plywood too, with the thicknesses in 32nds!

[Wade Garrett]

Yeah, well the problem is those very same shoppers also vote and serve on juries...

[rbowman]

Ain't it great. Free market, free trade, globalism... And the sheep bleat merrily.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 01 Jul 2017 07:49:54a, Oren told us...

In a butcher shop or the meat counter of the supermarket where it's weighed out before they wrap it. That's better bacon than any of the pre-packaged stuff.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 01 Jul 2017 09:38:31a, rbowman told us...

I'm actually glad I'm not just starting out in life. I hate to think of what the next 70 odd years will bring with it, if not world destruction.

[Frank]

Looking for a new deck this fall I've found that new code requires ten inch wide steps. Steps on the old deck were built with 2X10's. Guy measured steps and found them to be only nine inches. He said stairs cannot be positioned in the same place because new ten inch steps will shorten the landing which ends at a block wall to below code. Code was probably designed by a lawyer.