Straws
At a local restaurant
the other day, Mrs. C had to ask for a straw for her glass of water. It seems that plastic straws are now a menace
to the environment.
Apparently
some sixth grader did a class project a few years ago where he determined that
the world used 6 billion straws per day and they were destroying the
environment.
Personally,
I doubt this statistic. I think the kid misplaced
a decimal point and no one checked his work.
But, it seems
the straws we use every day, if put together would reach the moon and
back. That’s a lot of straws. So now, in New Jersey if you want a straw at
a restaurant, you have to ask for one.
Personally,
I don’t care, I have no use for a straw anyway.
I have not used a straw since I had the flu when I was 12. I guess a straw helps you to drink without
dribbling all over yourself if you are forced to drink lying down. Otherwise, what is the point?
There was a
straw called the “Flavastra” which had a flavor strip in it to convert milk to
chocolate or strawberry milk when sipped though the “Flavastra”
Have you
seen one of those lately?
No! Perhaps it was a really stupid idea.
Anyway, I
don’t use a straw. The lady step-crank
has her own personal reusable straw so she will not be accused of hurting the
planet. I guess that will become a
thing.
I’m not sure
of the real purpose of a straw. I prefer
just sipping from a glass. It is
especially a New York thing to drink from a straw.
Every New
Yorker I have ever known will not drink soda from a can.
They have to drink from a straw.
I have asked
these people,
“Why do
you have to drink from a straw?”
Every single
one has told me the same story.
“I have an
uncle who used to unload soda cartons from the rail road cars. He told me that if you saw what went on with
the rats and bugs in those cars you would never drink from a can again!”
I have asked
about straw use to at least 17 New Yorkers.
They all have an uncle who used to unload soda from the rail cars.
Every… single… one!
Now, it seems
to me that punching a hole down into the soda can that has been defiled by rodents
and insects is just as disgusting if you then dip a straw into the can or if
you drink from the lip of the can…but that’s just me.
Interesting
enough I have never seen a New Yorker drink a can of beer through a straw. It is only soda. Apparently, rodents do not like beer cans.
Anyway, you
can make the damn things illegal altogether for all I care, I don’t drink soda
and I never use a straw.
Save the
planet, sip from the lid.
I think women prefer straws so they don't leave lipstick marks on glasses or cans, and maybe also so they don't get soda or milk moustaches. The plastic straws do take a long time to break down within the environment and then we get "microplastics" in the water supply and they are now being found in the fish we eat, so it is a problem. I bought reuseable stainless steel straws which came with their own tiny bottle brush to clean them with, but they get very cold and can be painful on the teeth, so I don't use them. I don't drink soda anymore anyway.
ReplyDeleteI have a reusable one like River and Mrs. C. I don't have an uncle who unloaded soda cartons but I was aware of the contaminents that could be on the cans. I do rinse mine off at home. I think the alcohol in the beer protects the beer drinkers. An automatic sanitizer.
ReplyDeleteIt is a question of how and what you practice at home as a kid. I never used a straw in my childhood and don't use it to this day.
ReplyDeleteGood thing all those New Yorkers don't drink their bottled water and Gatorade with a straw. You know, because the plastic from the STRAWS would be bad for the environment.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a straw when drinking (not dirty-water cocktails) beverages in public, because when I drink from the glass, the ice shifts and then a tidal wave of the beverage cascades paste my mouth and onto my shirt. At home, I re-use my 44 oz Diet Coke straws, rinsing them with hot water each day. One will last quite a while.
I heard about the bugs and rats, but I was already not using a straw, so I must be immune from that $#|+. California has had the ask law for a couple of years now and it's another one that's ignored.
ReplyDeleteI never knew about the bugs and rats - I don't, nor do anyone I know, use a straw in cans. That is strange. I use straws when I am out but at home, I don't, Its because (and I know this is strange) I don't care for the feel of an unknown glass. Some places use those melamine plastic glasses which to me are total yuck. I prefer glass glasses at home and out I use a straw.
ReplyDeleteHere in California we've been asking for straws for a couple of years now. Just dumb. Now paper straws are all the rage. Yeah trying sucking up a thick milkshake with a paper straw!
Living in California this happened a long time ago, but now we're back to getting straws without asking. Go figure. I'm guessing it depends on where you live. I don't need straws either and I don't drink sodas either.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day, Joe. My best to your wife. ☺
When i was a kid, getting to drink through a straw at a restaurant was a big deal. Now, i wouldn't have a problem with getting rid of them.
ReplyDeleteI have a reusable straw. The hospital has uses paper straws. Patients do have a problem drinking without a straw. I used the paper one once and it felt awful in my mouth. Yuck. Guess I'll just stick to my metal one.
ReplyDeleteOh how I HATE those paper straws, they deteriorate before you can finish your drink, which they still serve in a Plastic Cup, but, whatever, and they feel weird in your Mouth! I've taken to not drinking with Straws anymore, damn that Kid, whoever he was, that started the whole thing! *Smiles*
ReplyDelete