Jocelynephiliac 
This is a thing?! That's why costco has it in different sizes?!
Mar 16 at 9:59pmWeb
Show threadEve, Over Here NowMar 16
@twipped Is west coast butter butterier and more concentrated?
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 16
@twipped yes, it's a Thing. dairies east of the rockies and west of the rockies ended up using different machines for packing butter
Show threadartemistMar 16
@twipped until a few years ago, trader joe's sold west coast butter on the east coast. i definitely preferred it, but my favorite packaging format continues to be 250g paper-wrapped blocks. unfortunately they're not used in the us very frequently.
Show threadFaith, Purple haired feminist 🧋   Mar 16
@twipped It's totally a thing. And Canadian butter usually comes in a 0.5 kg block, not 1/4 lb sticks. We have different butter containers here.
Show threadRetMar 16
@twipped definitely thought these were LED COBs at first.
Show threadAnn AnnasMar 16

@ret @twipped

Same

Show threadEarthshineMar 16
@twipped yes. It was super confusing when I first moved to the west coast.
Show threadAnn AnnasMar 16
@twipped
I thought these were SMT LEDs at first lol
Show threadWilliMar 16
@twipped how to sell different products for items almost identical in volume and function? nice wendor lock in leason here, thanks.
Show threadRob ZazuetaMar 16

@twipped West coaster here...

The one on the right looks exactly like the butter I'm familiar with.

The butter on the left looks like the fancy Kerrygold stuff my wife buys for her *amazing* homemade bread.

I assumed it was a European or Irish thing...

East coasters - is it the opposite for you?

Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 16
@robz it was, the first time I saw the shorter bricks after moving from michigan to california, I was like "tf is this? I don't have muscle memory for measuing this."
Show threadRob ZazuetaMar 16
@twipped absolutely wild. Back when we weren't so connected as a country, our standards were weirdly regional.
Show threaddiana 🏳️‍⚧️🦋🌱Mar 16

@twipped

[ the metric system enters the chat ]

Show threadThe Witch of Crow BriarMar 16
@dianea @twipped The most realistic thing here is that the container size, and presumably price, is the same for both 😅
Show threadJeff GriggMar 17

@crowbriarhexe @dianea @twipped

There's almost a 1% difference in volume.

Show threadRick OsborneMar 17
@twipped Huh. I'd always wondered why the sticks were suddenly a different size after we moved here. I'd mentally just lumped it in with the fact that California has 3 different kinds of trash can for Florida's one.
Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@ricko wait, what?
Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@ricko oh you mean the three different color road bins?
Show threadRick OsborneMar 17
@twipped Oh, just trash splitting in general: recycling, composting, landfill. That wasn't really a thing in FL when I left — everything went to the latter. I mean, I'm used to it now, but "Cali Trash Guilt" (as we called it when we first got here) was a bit of a surprise. Especially when we'd occasionally stumble on places that took it even further,, like dedicated bins for glass or metal.
Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@ricko yeah, in michigan we had multiple recycling bins. Paper, glass, metal. No yard waste though
Show threadPavel JaníčekMar 17

@twipped Me, an European, who was hoping that at least the "stick of butter" is consistent across all of the USA:

Also me, an European: Well, the Americans will do just about anything than switch to the metric system!

Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@paveljanicek they are actually both the same volume, 4 fluid ounces
Show threadPavel JaníčekMar 17

@twipped [Visible sigh of relief]

At least you used fluid ounces and not something like "volume of one moderately surprised hamster" </joke>

Show threadnyanbinaryMar 17

@twipped soooo... is this a spectrum, where the further you go west the butter gets smaller? How small is Hawaiian butter?  

Or is it a binary? If so: Where is the cutover??

Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@nyanbinary I am told the dividing line is the Rockies.
Show threadJuniper 🏳️‍⚧️🌲Mar 17

@twipped
Different shapes, anyhow. The volume difference with the given measurements is 1/16 of a cubic inch. (And the West Coast stick is the larger.)

There's also the difference in ice cream packing

Show threadTimMar 17
@twipped I think the names of the shapes are Elgins and Western Stubbies.
Show threadBłażej KowalczykMar 17
@twipped have you ever thought about measuring food products by weight instead of length? Preferably grams
Show threadJocelynephiliac Mar 17
@koval_blazej Most packaged food in the US is actually measured by volume. both sticks are 4 fluid ounces.