5 ms·

The military has also been responsible for some rather gruesome crimes against the written word [0]: > Vanilla flavoring shall be pure or artificial vanilla in

The military has also been responsible for some rather gruesome crimes against the written word [0]: > Vanilla flavoring shall be pure or artificial vanilla in such quantities that its presence shall be organoleptically detected, but not to a pronounced degree. > Candied cherries shall be made from pitted cherries. They shall be thoroughly processed with sugars to a soluble solids content of not less than 72 percent and artificially colored with a red dye. They shall be cut to yield 1/4- to 1/2-inch (6.4 to 12.88 mm.) cherry pieces on the average. > One of the changes dictated by the Defense Department, Nunn said, shifts "the tolerance of candied cherries from 12.8 mm. to 12.7 mm. Always onward and upward." > The flavor of the finished product shall be typical of the type indicated. There shall be no off-flavors or off- odors. In case you haven't caught on, this spec is describing a fucking fruitcake. [0] https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-25-8503290530-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-25-850329...

onionisafruit 6y ago
That’s funny, but it has me wondering what recipes typically look like for mass produced food.
- larrywright 6y ago
  Having spent some time working fast food many years ago, it’s not far from that. Temperatures, cooking times, sizes. All precise. Much of the food comes from suppliers in a ready to use state — onions, pickles, fries, etc. I would bet that the specifications given to those suppliers are written in similar language.
  - gonzo41 6y ago
    When i buy fast food I'm chasing memories of my first bites, my first time made enough of an impression that I want to come back. If you mass produce food then it makes sense to distill the exact notes on what made me spend a dollar the first time so you can have it a second. There's nothing worse than being out field and getting a spoiled ration.
jasonpeacock 6y ago
Every time you see specs like that, imagine the situation that led to those specs. I'm bet at some point the candied cherries being used were too small (e.g. a supplier dumping their leftovers) and so they had to get specific about the requirement.
mattkrause 6y ago
Not sure I see the problem? It is very detailed, but isn't that the point of a spec? The alternative is getting/accepting a low bid where the vendor puts in a homeopathic dose of vanilla and one lousy cherry, resulting big profits for them but a deliverable that's almost entirely but not quite, unlike fruitcake. You could imagine a different system, where somebody tastes existing fruitcakes from different bakers, then picks one that seems like a good value for the money. However, there is still the problem of ensuring that the delivered product matches the sample. Moreover, it could, in theory) allow for corruption--how do you know the taster and baker aren't colluding? The US (and especially DoD) are set up to avoid that sort of "individual corruption", at the expense of much more bureaucracy. This isn't totally successful--somebody will instead lobby to reduce the maximum cherry size to 1/3 inch to exclude a competitor--but at least it's an ethos.
Animats 6y ago
> One of the changes dictated by the Defense Department, Nunn said, shifts "the tolerance of candied cherries from 12.8 mm. to 12.7 mm. Always onward and upward." That's 0.5 inch. DoD is all metric.

onionisafruit 6y ago

That’s funny, but it has me wondering what recipes typically look like for mass produced food.

larrywright 6y ago
Having spent some time working fast food many years ago, it’s not far from that. Temperatures, cooking times, sizes. All precise. Much of the food comes from suppliers in a ready to use state — onions, pickles, fries, etc. I would bet that the specifications given to those suppliers are written in similar language.
- gonzo41 6y ago
  When i buy fast food I'm chasing memories of my first bites, my first time made enough of an impression that I want to come back. If you mass produce food then it makes sense to distill the exact notes on what made me spend a dollar the first time so you can have it a second. There's nothing worse than being out field and getting a spoiled ration.

jasonpeacock 6y ago

Every time you see specs like that, imagine the situation that led to those specs. I'm bet at some point the candied cherries being used were too small (e.g. a supplier dumping their leftovers) and so they had to get specific about the requirement.

mattkrause 6y ago

Not sure I see the problem? It is very detailed, but isn't that the point of a spec? The alternative is getting/accepting a low bid where the vendor puts in a homeopathic dose of vanilla and one lousy cherry, resulting big profits for them but a deliverable that's almost entirely but not quite, unlike fruitcake. You could imagine a different system, where somebody tastes existing fruitcakes from different bakers, then picks one that seems like a good value for the money. However, there is still the problem of ensuring that the delivered product matches the sample. Moreover, it could, in theory) allow for corruption--how do you know the taster and baker aren't colluding? The US (and especially DoD) are set up to avoid that sort of "individual corruption", at the expense of much more bureaucracy. This isn't totally successful--somebody will instead lobby to reduce the maximum cherry size to 1/3 inch to exclude a competitor--but at least it's an ethos.

Animats 6y ago

> One of the changes dictated by the Defense Department, Nunn said, shifts "the tolerance of candied cherries from 12.8 mm. to 12.7 mm. Always onward and upward." That's 0.5 inch. DoD is all metric.