234
TIL the US government once banned sliced bread (www.mentalfloss.com)
submitted 2 months ago by CrayonMaster@midwest.social to c/til@lemmy.world
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[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 85 points 2 months ago

Starting January 18, 1943—the midst of World War II—sliced bread was barred from American bakeries and homes. New baking regulations set by the Office of Price Administration had boosted flour prices, and the government wanted to prevent these costs from getting passed down to the consumer. By banning the use of expensive bread-slicing machines, the government was hoping bakeries could keep their prices low. Officials were also worried about the country's supply of wax paper—and sliced bread required twice as much paraffin wrapping as an unsliced loaf. (It prevented the slices from drying prematurely.)

[-] mox 88 points 2 months ago

I would love to see a return of wax paper instead of plastic bags.

[-] dojan@lemmy.world 42 points 2 months ago

Wax paper is great! What I think is so funny about this is that to me wax paper feels more premium. I guess it's because it's because plastic is so ubiquitous that despite being an incredible and versatile material, it's also ridiculously mundane.

[-] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 2 months ago

Your local neighborhood bakery almost certainly still uses wax paper instead of bags. I don't eat much bread these days, but when I do I always just walk down to the bakery and pick out a loaf. It's a million times better than the sugary stuff full of preservatives at the grocery store.

[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 25 points 2 months ago

Would it be actual wax paper? These days it could just as likely be coated with plastic rather than wax, as the plastic coatings do the same thing and are cheaper.

I've just spent a while searching and can't find any reliable way to tell whether paper is wax coated, oil coated, plastic coated, or silicone coated.

[-] rocketpoweredredneck@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago

Wax paper tastes different

[-] mox 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And reacts differently to abrasion, high heat, etc.

The silicone-coated stuff is generally called parchment paper. I've never seen plastic or oil-coated paper sold as wax paper.

[-] lemming741@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Fun fact- traditional parchment paper is soaked in sulfuric acid

[-] delirious_owl@discuss.online 2 points 2 months ago

Yeah, I always rip off a piece of the paper and give it a munch before buying the bread to make sure its made with actual wax instead of plastic

[-] rocketpoweredredneck@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

You should! It's probably not bad for you. It hasn't killed me yet anyway.

[-] CM400@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

I wish I had a local bakery like that. We have a few pastry shops, but unsweet bread is harder to come by.

[-] NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth 3 points 2 months ago

Same, we have grocery store bakeries, a pie place, a cupcakes, and one French guy who is only open on the weekends

[-] bpcomp@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

What do you do if you need a French guy on weekdays?

[-] NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth 2 points 2 months ago

Go look in the pond

[-] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 2 months ago

Local bakery is great but definitely uses plastic containers and bags

[-] howrar@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 months ago

My local bakeries use paper bags. But they also don't sell sliced bread.

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 2 months ago

Wax paper isn’t recyclable and putting paraffin in landfills isn’t great. Regular brown paper in a freshly made local bakery is quite fine, though.

[-] AceBonobo@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago

Did it work?

[-] fubo@lemmy.world 33 points 2 months ago

No. Homemakers objected, exceptions were passed, and then the ban was rescinded about a month later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliced_bread#1943_U.S._ban

[-] Stamau123@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

So if your bakery already had the bread slicing machine then you were still good? Except not being allowed to use wax paper of course.

[-] darklamer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago

By banning the use of expensive bread-slicing machines,

So they didn't actually try banning sliced bread.

[-] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 39 points 2 months ago

I learnt from xkcd :-)

[-] CrayonMaster@midwest.social 5 points 2 months ago

Haha same. I didn't believe it and found the article

[-] delirious_owl@discuss.online 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Snakes are wide instead of long lol imagine

[-] athos77@kbin.social 23 points 2 months ago

In the UK, bakers were forbidden from selling bread on the day it was baked, in order to make it more stale and reduce demand.

[-] Skua@kbin.social 30 points 2 months ago

"During WW1" is the context for this

[-] athos77@kbin.social 10 points 2 months ago

And WWII.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

And WWIII??

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago

Is this a Douglas Adams bit?

[-] athos77@kbin.social 12 points 2 months ago

Sadly, no:

Bakers, bakeries and bakers shops were required by law only to sell their 'national loaves' when they were a day old because stale bread did not cut to waste like fresh bread. Source

[If you can find it, the BBC Timeshift episode 'Bread: A Loaf Affair' mentions this along with a surprisingly interesting modern-ish history of bread in the UK. It's narrated by Tom Baker.]

[-] NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth 9 points 2 months ago

Wtf does cut to waste mean?

Thick instead of thin?

[-] SolOrion@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

I have actually been googling the hell out of this and I still don't know.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

Bing AI gave me this: "The phrase "did not cut to waste" in the context of bread rationing during wartime refers to the idea that stale bread, being firmer and less crumbly than fresh bread, could be sliced more thinly and evenly without falling apart or producing excess crumbs. "

[-] Stamau123@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Perhaps it means when you cut it, it doesn't mold as fast?

[-] nelly_man@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means to cut in a wasteful manner, particularly in terms of fabric. From elsewhere, it looks like it's also used in construction in regards to cutting material such that the remaining sections are not usable for other purposes.

However, I'm not sure how stale bread discourages such cuts.

[-] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 months ago

Fresh bread tastes amazing. You overconsume by eating it by itself.

Stale bread tastes... stale. You actually cut thin slices so you can top it with stuff that masks it.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I see where he got his sense of humour at least. I'll try to find that, thanks.

[-] paraphrand@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Sliced bread, humanity’s downfall

[-] moistclump@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Thank you! Learned something.

[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 3 points 2 months ago

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this post was submitted on 26 May 2024
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