What's the History of how Butter is sold in Oregon?? (Portland: buying, living in)

[philwithbeard]

Way out in Left Field question...

Back East, that is Eastern and Central Time Zones, like a good part of the USA, a pound of butter is sold cut up in to long quarter pound sticks. I'm guessing here, but I think about 1 inch X 1 inch X 5 inches long or so; could be 5-1/2" long. (Don't have a stick to measure with.)

Now I'm living in Pacific Time Zone, Portland OR to be exact, the 1 pound of butter comes in quarter sticks that are 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" X 3-1/4 inches. A bit larger on end, and shorter. Same weight (4 oz) but my covered butter dishes don't exactly fit right.

Not a big deal, but I am curious, is this an Oregon thing, West Coast Thing, or what?

What is even more curious to me, is the dimensions of the stick I am measuring may not be exactly imperial measurements: 3.700 cm X 3.700 cm X 8.150 on my metric callipers. (I don't trust those last zero's as I am measuring butter, not tool steel which some consider a more stable substance)

Anyone know, or better yet know of a link as to why the difference in how butter is sold in Portland?

Phil

[sayulita]

I don't have any useful information for you but I just had to let you know that you gave me a chuckle. It's 6:30 am on Saturday and you are musing about butter sizes! I'm over in SW Portland and although I've been up since 5 am, I still haven't had enough coffee to be thinking about butter and metric callipers. But I'm headed to Canada today so I'll do a little research on their butter and how it's sold and get back to you. I was in Mexico recently and didn't notice anything different about their buttersticks. Different producers package it different ways has been my experience.

[philwithbeard]

If it is early morning, and one is sipping coffee while waiting for the toaster to POP, then the mind will wanders a bit into such questions. I mean, the butter is waiting for the toast, and it don't exactly "fit" my back east butter dish, and WIKIpedia talks about the "Western Pack" for butter, BUT WHY???

Phil

[PNW-type-gal]

It's west coast and western sections of the US - also take a look at what cuts of meat are called and you'll find real differences.

[malachai23]

The sizing of units of a lot of food products - especially dairy - on the West Coast is definitely different than any other place I've lived or visited. I have realized that since traveling to other areas of the country and now living in the Midwest. In addition to butter, the one that always gets me is blocks of cheese. In the supermarket in Portland, a standard large block of cheese is like what about 5 x 5 x 12"? You know, it's called a "Baby Loaf". You can't even get a Baby Loaf anywhere else I've lived or been to. Cheese here comes in dinky little wedges that aren't even wide enough to make a sandwich slice out of and not enough to make a cheese and cracker plate out of.... *maybe" enough for a couple quesadillas. Maybe.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by malachai23

The sizing of units of a lot of food products - especially dairy - on the West Coast is definitely different than any other place I've lived or visited. I have realized that since traveling to other areas of the country and now living in the Midwest. In addition to butter, the one that always gets me is blocks of cheese. In the supermarket in Portland, a standard large block of cheese is like what about 5 x 5 x 12"? You know, it's called a "Baby Loaf". You can't even get a Baby Loaf anywhere else I've lived or been to. Cheese here comes in dinky little wedges that aren't even wide enough to make a sandwich slice out of and not enough to make a cheese and cracker plate out of.... *maybe" enough for a couple quesadillas. Maybe.

Pretty sure Tillamook started the whole "baby loaf" thing

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Pretty sure Tillamook started the whole "baby loaf" thing

Could be. Still doesn't explain why all the stores here carry Tillamook brand and *not* Baby Loaf! LOL Ah well. Hopefully soon I will be back to the land of Baby Loaves

[Minervah]

When I moved here from Chicago, I noticed the butter dishes I saw in stores were short things. They were half the size of the ones I had seen all my life in the Midwest. Then I saw the butter that fits into the half-size dishes and understood why.

If you buy Land 'O Lakes butter in the West, it's short and stubby. If you buy it elsewhere, it's long and thinner. Same company, different sizes. And while we are on the subject, why is it Helman's Mayonnaise east of the Rockies and Best Foods West Mayonnaise of the Rockies?

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by Minervah

When I moved here from Chicago, I noticed the butter dishes I saw in stores were short things. They were half the size of the ones I had seen all my life in the Midwest. Then I saw the butter that fits into the half-size dishes and understood why.

If you buy Land 'O Lakes butter in the West, it's short and stubby. If you buy it elsewhere, it's long and thinner. Same company, different sizes. And while we are on the subject, why is it Helman's Mayonnaise east of the Rockies and Best Foods West Mayonnaise of the Rockies?

Oh I KNOW, huh? The whole Helman's/Best Foods thing had me so confused! All my life I bought Best Foods and grew up listening to "Bring out the Best Foods and bring out the Best!" commercials. I collect cookbooks, and I kept seeing recipes from other areas of the country calling for "high quality mayo, such as Helman's" and I couldn't wait to try it when I moved here. So I did, and it tasted exactly the same as Best Foods. I was bummed out. Then I Googled it and read that they were the same company, just different labels for different parts of the country. Too funny!!

[philwithbeard]

WHAT??????

Best Foods = Helman's
No WAY dude.....

And you mean I had to settle for buying that Kraft MAYO because I couldn't find Helman's on the shelf at Alberson's or WinCo. It was there, but hiding behind a left coast label?

Now THAT's cheezy.

Phil