Thoughts while shaving

... How many is a few?

The word 'couple' is pretty simple to understand. Right! i.e., two, a pair, etc, but what is a ‘few’? The dictionary says, ‘not many, a small number’. Hello!...what does that tell me…AND, what is several? The dictionary says, ‘more than two but not many’. How does that differ from a few? AND, how do you think ‘many’ is defined?... ‘some large indefinite number’. A lot?... ‘a great number or amount’. Some?... ‘a certain unexpected quantity’. Numerous?... ‘great number, very many’. You would think that, through the years, someone could have defined these words better, if they could do it for ‘couple’. Unfortunately, it goes on ...and on…and…on …group, cluster, band, collection, etc. There is no “definite definition”.

... What's a pinch?

What about basic measurements?...cooking recipes, for instance...should be easy enough, right!...a cup of this, teaspoon or tablespoon of that, etc. However, what about my Cousin Annie’s Irish bread, my wife Barbara’s strudel and crescents, and Sue Green’s lemon thing. Even Annie’s children couldn’t make it like Annie because Annie’s pinch of this and a handful of that, is very different from anyone else, and can’t be measured. Obviously, it’s the size of her fingers and hands. Barbara uses the proper measuring tools so hers is more of a mystery, although it could be the texture of the brown paper (paper bag) the strudel and crescents are laid out on. Sue Green’s?...could be a geographic or cultural thing because she’s from Ohio.

Originally published July 2009