And everyone's tastes varySome recipes say 'salt and pepper to taste', but some salts are so much saltier than others.
Maybe he is baking a lemon cake?I hardly ever use recipes anyway. Just get the basics together and make it up as I go along with bits from the store cupboard. Lots of people who seem to be otherwise intelligent individuals cannot fathom this out. Baking is an exception where you must be reasonably precise.