A newly married couple had invited the wife’s parents for dinner. The husband was proudly watching his new wife prepare a roast dinner. Before placing the joint into the roasting dish, she lopped a slice off the end, and placed it on top of the roast. Puzzled the young man asked why she did that. he had been well-schooled and carefully avoided saying “My mother never did it like that.”

The wife explained that that was what one did: her mother had always done it that way. Over dinner, the young man asked his mother-in-law during the meal about this unusual practice. She thought about it for a moment and then explained that that was the way her own mother had always done roasts.

Tactfully, the young man explained that he had never seen it done that way before and was curious about it.

Fortunately, the grandmother was still hale and hearty, so she decided to ask her when they had tea together later that week. The grandmother looked blank when she heard the question. The mother-in-law went to great lengths to remind her how she had always done a roast for Sunday lunch, and had always lopped a slice off the end and placed it on top of the joint. Light dawned on the old lady’s face.

“Ah!” she explained, “I had five children and a small oven. The only way I could fit a big enough joint into the roasting pan was to cut a piece off the end.”

And there they were, two generations later, with larger ovens and smaller joints, still cutting the end off the roast, because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”

The last cry of a dying organisation: “because that’s the way we’ve always done it!”

A newly married couple had invited the wife’s parents for dinner. The husband was proudly watching his new wife prepare a roast dinner. Before placing the joint into the roasting dish, she lopped a slice off the end, and placed it on top of the roast. Puzzled the young man asked why she did that. he had been well-schooled and carefully avoided saying “My mother never did it like that.”

The wife explained that that was what one did: her mother had always done it that way. Over dinner, the young man asked his mother-in-law during the meal about this unusual practice. She thought about it for a moment and then explained that that was the way her own mother had always done roasts.

Tactfully, the young man explained that he had never seen it done that way before and was curious about it.

Fortunately, the grandmother was still hale and hearty, so she decided to ask her when they had tea together later that week. The grandmother looked blank when she heard the question. The mother-in-law went to great lengths to remind her how she had always done a roast for Sunday lunch, and had always lopped a slice off the end and placed it on top of the joint. Light dawned on the old lady’s face.

“Ah!” she explained, “I had five children and a small oven. The only way I could fit a big enough joint into the roasting pan was to cut a piece off the end.”

And there they were, two generations later, with larger ovens and smaller joints, still cutting the end off the roast, because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”

The last cry of a dying organisation: “because that’s the way we’ve always done it!”

A newly married couple had invited the wife’s parents for dinner. The husband was proudly watching his new wife prepare a roast dinner. Before placing the joint into the roasting dish, she lopped a slice off the end, and placed it on top of the roast. Puzzled the young man asked why she did that. he had been well-schooled and carefully avoided saying “My mother never did it like that.”

The wife explained that that was what one did: her mother had always done it that way. Over dinner, the young man asked his mother-in-law during the meal about this unusual practice. She thought about it for a moment and then explained that that was the way her own mother had always done roasts.

Tactfully, the young man explained that he had never seen it done that way before and was curious about it.

Fortunately, the grandmother was still hale and hearty, so she decided to ask her when they had tea together later that week. The grandmother looked blank when she heard the question. The mother-in-law went to great lengths to remind her how she had always done a roast for Sunday lunch, and had always lopped a slice off the end and placed it on top of the joint. Light dawned on the old lady’s face.

“Ah!” she explained, “I had five children and a small oven. The only way I could fit a big enough joint into the roasting pan was to cut a piece off the end.”

And there they were, two generations later, with larger ovens and smaller joints, still cutting the end off the roast, because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”

The last cry of a dying organisation: “because that’s the way we’ve always done it!”