Even if it were sliced strawberries the density of the amount of strawberries compared to sand would be quite different,
Sand is granular and takes up most of the space of the bucket with very little air in between. strawberries would not fit together quite as well and a full bucket of strawberries would have a lot more air space.
The biggest minority in America is the individual.
[deleted]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the density of the amount of strawberries compared to sand would be quite different.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That idea immediately occurred to me the very first time I saw that scene on my first viewing of 'The Caine Mutiny' over twenty five years ago.
I think that the ship's officers were thinking the same thing as the scene was being played. The bemused expressions on their faces give the impression that they cannot believe that this is happening.
I think that the scene was meant to convey how far that Queeg's state of mind had descended into paranoia and obsession, in effect that logical reasoning no longer applied.
Still I thought someone would point it out (nicely) to Queeg just like they pointed out the thief might have disposed of the key. But it also might be a script error as it was also revealed there were actually pilfered Strawberries :)
The biggest minority in America is the individual.
It probably occurred to the men that Queeg's reasoning was flawed but no one dared to contradict his theory, that's part of Greenwald's final speech: no one tried to help Queeg, to reason with him. They all got wrapped ud in their hatred that the 'strawberries' issue was just the deathblow.
"Darth Vader is scary and I The Godfather"
I also considered the meaning of the 'strawberry scene' to imply that ANY ship's captain who is worrying about a trivial matter like strawberries during the battle of Leyte Gulf (the largest naval confrontation in the history of warfare) has definitely got his priorities wrong and is not doing his job properly.
share[deleted]
Much, if not all, of The Caine Mutiny, should be viewed metaphorically . . . not literally!
share--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The pilfering of food in any amount, large or small, is a very serious occurrence on board a ship!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in comparism to the battle of Leyte Gulf.
I don't think it matters.
The gaps between the strawberries exists in the bucket, in the ladle, and in each individual's bowl, so it's consistent.
All you need to do is measure where the strawberries top off... just like the sand.
Sure the sand is more dense, but it's consistent no matter were it's stored.
[deleted]
I thought the same thing the first time I saw the movie. Then I realized something. The measurements used are volume, not mass. Yes, the sand would be denser and would probably weight more, but it doesn't matter. A quart is a quart and a pint is a pint.
Since the sand is fine and will tend to pack equally each time while the strawberries could break up, liquefy, and perhaps pack tighter, the strawberries would be a bigger problem for varying density than the sand. However, canned strawberries would be packed in syrup just like canned peaches, so my point above is mute. A quart is a quart and a pint is a pint.
Valid point, sir. :)
The biggest minority in America is the individual.
You're right. The canned "strawberries" would not have been whole or even chunked strawberries; they would have been a mashed topping consistency - very liquidy. Hence, sand would have served well as a substitute for measuring the volume of the can's contents.
Where the steward went wrong, however, was in hastily and sloppily ladling out the sand, such that only partial quantities were removed with each ladle-full. We can be sure that the strawberry topping was measured as one full ladle per serving; so the sand, too, should have been ladled-out in equal measure, slowly and deliberately.
"moot"
shareThank you; good catch.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
In the book at least, Queeg does make some allowances for the difference by telling the messboy ladling out the sand to be "as generous as you like"; that is, err on the side of caution in estimating how much each portion contained. And in the end, he was correct; there HAD been some strawberries left over, and the messboys ate them. But as we know, that wasn't what he wanted to believe, so he didn't.
Whores will have their trinkets.
[deleted]
I may have missed the dialogue, but it is irrelevant. What matters is that they were not fresh.
If you have not opened, poured out, and used frozen strawberries, I suggest you do so. Freezing expands the water that is contained in the (rigid wall) cells of the strawberries. That ruptures those walls. Frozen strawberries will also be packed in their own syrup, usually with a sucrose based syrup added. When it is thawed out, as it must be to serve on the ice cream, it will be a liquefied syrup with strawberry pulp floating in it. Go to Baskin & Robins and order a strawberry sundae. Then check out the strawberry topping. Whether it is frozen or canned it will be measured by volume, not by mass or weight.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
[deleted]
Users can go to their settings on IMDB and turn on a particular app. That app sends an email to the user at address provided by the user telling them that someone has responded to their post.
This can be a convenience or a headache. It depends on how often you post and whether or not you like to read the responses. Lately, I have enjoyed the responses I have gotten because they reflect small points that I missed, salient points of view, or interesting tidbits of information. It has been weeks since every response was a game of "one up" insults. It seems like the world has been in a better mood.
Thank you for the conversation.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
[deleted]
I was thinking the same thing.
shareBut wasn't Queeg right? Some strawberries were missing and it is revealed that the guys working in the mess hall ate them. This was witnessed by ensign Harding.
shareNo. Queeg's hypothesis was that someone from the crew had made a duplicate of the key to the wardroom icebox. That's what had happened earlier in his career when he'd been wardroom treasurer on a cruiser.
This time, however, it was the mess boys who'd eaten the strawberries. The officers more or less knew it, but couldn't prove it. What's more, there weren't enough strawberries left for another meal, so they really didn't care if the mess boys helped themselves to the leftovers. (In the book, it's mentioned that the mess boys had always done so with leftovers and nobody ever paid any mind to it previously.)
Queeg's issue here was the lengths he was prepared to go to in order to find they key. (A complete search of the ship and stripping all hands to make sure nobody is hiding anything. Nowadays, a commanding officer would find themselves in a lot of trouble for ordering such a personal search of the men. Even back in 1944, I'm fairly certain that would've been considered problematic.) And then, and the real topper, was that he refused to believe that his premise was wrong. He refused to listen to the witnesses who told him that the mess boys had eaten the strawberries and there was no duplicate key.