No. 6 - Twist Tie Colors

My blackberry buzzed this morning with a message from my brother who resides in a much warmer climate than the one currently being felt in Pennsylvania. In the e-mail he writes: "What is the meaning of the colored twist ties on loaves of bread, buns, etc.?  Not the general meaning, but the specific meaning, because only that can help you."

A couple quick Google searches later I learned that there are generally five different colored twist ties used to secure a loaf of bread: Blue, Green, Red, White and Yellow. Each color corresponds to a day of the week that bread is delivered: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. A few search results indicated that different bakeries may use different color schemes so the consumer might not benefit from this knowledge. Heck, I've always just looked at the date stamped on the package to make sure I'm getting the freshest loaf. The color codes do seem to serve a purpose, though, for the bread delivery guy so that he can quickly rotate the stock, older bread to the front, newer to the back.

This got me thinking that the way I view bread on a shelf is a bit different from the way the guy delivering the bread views it. I look it from one angle; he from another. He sees something slightly different than me. He has knowledge that I don't have. Will I look at bread differently now that I have this "secret" knowledge the next time I am in the grocery store? Perhaps.

I wonder, though, if I was missing the alternative meaning of something as simple as twist ties, what else am I missing? There is no possible way for all people to have all knowledge on all subjects...to be omniscient. We shouldn't take for granted that the way we view or understand something is the way others will view or understand it.