Guilty of using plastic straws at restaurants and takeout places? Every time you drink from a straw try to imagine baby turtles, seals, and dolphins choking on these non-biodegradable pieces of plastic. Why exactly do we drink out of straws? From the time we were small children (and all through adulthood) restaurants provide us with the norm of drinking out of straws for “sanitary reasons.” I’m all for being sanitary and healthy when it comes to food, but I often stop and think- why do we need straws for drinking when the glasses we use have been washed and sterilized by a dishwasher?
If drinking directly out of clean glasses at restaurants seems sketchy because other people used them, then we should be avoiding restaurants. If straws are needed to ensure cleanliness, then we would be eating off of only single-use items. I don’t think people want to i use paper plates and plastic utensils for fine dining experiences!
If people are okay with using forks and knives that have been washed, why is it socially expected to drink from a straw rather than right from the glass at restaurants? Why is it okay to drink from a wine glass without a straw, but not a soft-drink glass? Just imagine the amount of waste that would be saved if every restaurant stopped automatically serving their drinks with straws. If straws weren’t given, people would have to ask for them. And people may not notice or they may realize that yes, we can get on without straws.
Next time you give a drink order, please remember to explicitly request no straw with the beverage. If enough people begin doing this, waitresses will automatically ask their customers if they would like to drink from a straw. That would be pretty neat.
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