A translation for those of us in other lands whose butter does not come in such a measurement (here in Noisyland it is spring and butter comes in blocks which weight about a pound – don't use two of those).

I asked Teh Google "how much is a stick of butter?" and it said "1 US stick of butter = 118.294118 milliliters" and I wondered what sort of maniac measures butter by volume.

Knowing that 118.294118 milliliters is the same as 118.294118 cubic centimetres, but being relucant to get out my tape measure and calculator, I forged onward. Somebody said that a stick of butter is half a cup, and again I wondered "Do these people have melted butter? How do they know how much to melt?"

This one was my favourite: "Eight tablespoons. Get a giant measuring cup, fill with water to the 1 cup mark. Add butter pieces until it reaches 1.5 cups. Drain the water and use the butter as normal. That'll get you the half cup which is one stick of butter."

"Eureka!" I thought.

But still I was not satisfied, not being an Ancient Greek. "a stick of butter weighs 1/4 pound (butter is sold in pound boxes in the usa) there are 4 sticks in each pound. 1/4 pound = 4 ounces". At last, the holy grail – weight.

And then, not being in the 19th century, I translated that to 113 grams. Or 226 grams for two sticks (see what I did there?). Or half a block.