I am sitting behind my computer with a l litre carton of yoghurt drink. It is called 7 Mijlsdrank - 7 Miles Drink. Yet I bought three of them. I scrutinized the carton to find out what it was about. The seven miles have nothing to do with English miles but with the fairy tale of 'Klein Duimpje en de Zevenmijlslaarzen', in English Hop o' my Thumb and the Seven Leagues Boots. This is are part of our folklore. These leagues were at least 5 km long. I grew up with this and other fairy tales. And even if I would not want to revert to our old units, I still respect them for being part of our past.
If this drink had been named 10 Engelse Mijlendrank (10 English Miles Drink) I would not have bought it and I would have sent a protest to the manufacturer.
