In a country that embraced thedecimalsystem earlier and more enthusiastically than many western ones, anything containing a numeral like two just seems odd.
It is only now, 400 years after the invention of thedecimalsystem by Simon Stevin, a forgotten Belgian tradesman, that counting time in tens has become an economic imperative.
Academia Barilla's many American students head first for books on American cooking, says Giancarlo Gonizzi, the librarian who classified its contents along the lines of the Dewey decimalsystem to help users find their way around.