Okay, but this is wildly infuriating: "as tall as an NBA centre", "half the length of a pool cue" - just state the size of the things! I'll even cope if it's expressed in feet or inches, the NYT being American and all. These comparisons are daft for such easily comprehensible length measurements.
A useful diet app some years ago used hand portions to estimate servings: Thumb for smallest, then two fingers, palm, and fist.
Then the app was updated to use sport balls (golf, tennis, baseball, softball) instead. Could never remember if baseball or softball was larger. Less effective, somehow.
I can't help feeling that it would have been an even *more* useful diet app if it just used measurements... which were invented specifically because of the wild inconsistency of hand / body sizes.
The app made a point of using "estimates" rather than actual measurements. No measuring cups, no kitchen scale needed.
My hand was always... handy. It worked well for me. Using that and an "8 minutes a day" exercise plan, I lost 25 pounds in four months.
