I'm in some kind of blogging slump, combined with way too much to do at work, and the sloth of the deep dark winter.
In the meantime, I need to share a passage from yesterday's New York Times, from an article titled Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes - that is, you want to compost, your husband doesn't want to bother. Or, you want fluffy dryer dried towels, someone else is okay with crunchy air-dried towels.
Anyway, here's the passage I had to read aloud at the breakfast table:
If Ms. Petso prepares a vegan meal for the family, her parents prepare hot dogs to go alongside. Her parents serve on throwaway Styrofoam plates; she grabs a plate that can be cleaned and reused. Her mother, who says she prefers the way food tastes when it is served on Styrofoam, notes that washing dishes has its own environmental costs.
Please. Explain to me how food tastes when served on Styrofoam, because I am at a complete loss.
20 comments:
She must have defective tastebuds.
Just eat the plates. They might be better for you than the hot dog.
Um, I have only noticed an added flavor component when said styrofoam plate was heated up in the microwave. It was not a pleasant flavor.
Is it similar to the way water tastes different from the bathroom tap vs. the kitchen one?
Or in this case, the bathroom TOILET? Styrofoam! Gross!
We laughed about that one, too (although, mayberry, I do maintain that water from the bathroom tap tastes different from that from the kitchen tap, despite the fact that I realize it's all the same water).
I also laughed, though, b/c the first time my parents came to my house for a meal, my mother cooked some hamburger on the side for her and my dad. She doesn't do that anymore, though.
The most insane article ever. The reporter was high or something. Women are cautioned not to become vegetarians without the consent of their husbands. (I exaggerate, but just barely.)
I read that sentence about the styrofoam three times. I kept think I must have misunderstood it. How could anyone say that unless out of pure spite?
I swear to goodness, The woman? With the stryofoam? Yeah, she's my mother-in-law. But even better than that? She washes and reuses the stryofoam. Oh yes huh, I'm telling the truth.
One of the things I miss from work is drinking tea in a styrofoam cup, because it did taste different/better. I can't put my finger on why - thought it was the extra heat for a long time, but other travel cups keep it hot and it doesn't taste the same. So, I switched to coffee.
Perhaps styrofoam highlights the taste of artificial ingredients, allowing for a truly synthetic experience.
Hm.
What kind of food are you putting on the styrofoam?
I'm with anonymous: styrofoam really works best with pungent foods, like caviar. Or anything doused in Sriracha.
I used to marvel about fountain drinks in Styrofoam cups. The way they could keep the temperature low for so long. Ice for days. But that was a long time ago.
I haven't seen a styrofoam plate in years. Plastic, yes. Paper, yes. Not styrofoam. Oh, the loss to my palate!
I think it makes food sweaty, maybe?
I fell down the rabbit hole & forgot to come back and comment... seriously, I would rather pick off the plate or eat out of the pot than eat from styrofoam.
I suspect it's not the styrofoam, it's the passive-aggressive behavior her mother refuses to let go of.
I don't know that it would taste any different, but to me it's a texture thing - like having tea in a ceramic cup versus a styrofoam cup or using "real" silverware versus using plastic silverware.
Great point! That was bad writing.
Mmmmm...hot dogs and spite with a side of nose-thumbing at the environment. Isn't forbidden fruit always sweeter (or something like that)?
Post a Comment