The Bitter Guide to Buying Sliced Meat

[thebitterguy]

Have I already asked this? I can't remember.

But, yes. There is something that vexes me. It tasks me. It tasks me, and I will have my satisfaction.

Could you please tell me, why do people buy sandwich meat by weight? I mean, seriously. If you are buying sandwich meat, it's entirely likely you'll be using it to make sandwiches, right? And who makes a sandwich by weight? No one. No one makes a sandwich with 45 grams of meat. You make a sandwich by slice. One, two, three slices, whatever you want, that's what you use to make the sandwich.

Some simple math (three meat sandwich days x two people x two slices per sandwich = 12 slices of meat!) will save you and the nice people at the deli counter a great deal of aggravation.

Seriously, unless there's this great common knowledge that never got passed on to me (and, given my life, that's very possible!) about the weight of different types of meats per slice, why should anyone order 150 grams of ham? Just order slices, darnit!

Comments

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

If I buy deli cheese that's sliced thin, twelve slices will make four sandwiches. If it's sliced thicker, twelve slices will make six sandwiches. If I don't specify whether I want thick or thin slices, what I get will depend on the default setting at the store, or maybe it'll just be the same thickness as whatever the last person ordered.

But no matter where I buy it, the same weight of cheese always ends up making the same number of sandwiches, because I like a certain amount of cheese, not a certain integer, on a sandwich.

Plus, if it was sold in slices, stores could fool you into buying less food for the price simply by slicing it thinner. It's like toilet paper. Brand A is 4 rolls for a dollar, while Brand B is 4 rolls for a dollar and a half. Brand A looks cheaper until you realise that each roll from Brand B has more sheets and is three-ply, which means it won't be used up as quickly.

[thebitterguy]

Well, I'm fine with paying by weight (in fact, I expect it), but ordering by weight is what messes me up.

I never order cheese at the deli, so I've never had that situation (I get the pre sliced havarti).