Too old-fashioned to use porcelain and glassware?

Serving food and drink in porcelain or glassware was a natural thing to do. They are durable (if you don't break them), do not release poison under high heat, and are washable - so that you can keep reusing them until you break, or chip them. But since when have we discarded that practice and opted for non-reusable tableware?

I guess I can accept someone arguing that they ‘need’ a non-reusable plastic cup for their takeaway drinks, but to serve drinks in that to a dine-in customer? Beats me.

Can someone tell me the point of that, please? Here in Singapore, I am sitting at a table in a restaurant, stationary. Yet, when my drink came, it was in a disposable plastic cup, complete with sealed cover, and a straw strike through it.

They must have heard me wrongly, and thought that I wanted it to go. So I asked them.

They said: No, it’s not a mistake. That’s how we serve drinks here.
But I am sitting down, not walking around or jumping around with the drink in my hand. Why do I need it sealed, plus a straw?
That’s how we serve drinks here.
But I don’t even need a straw. I can drink from the cup. I’m way passed the sippy-cup training stage.
That’s how we serve drinks here.
Can I request for my drinks to be served in normal cups?
That’s how we serve drinks here.

WRONG. The right answer is: "we are too bloody lazy that we can’t be bothered to do ‘unnecessary’ washing up. Traditional reusable tableware is too much a hassle, and doesn't solve our lazy problem. And we do not welcome freaks like you."

I now check with the food outlet’s serving method before I commit to any purchase. Yes I may be an unwelcome freak, but I managed to slow down the process of adding on more unnecessary waste to landfill, slowly but surely.

Comments

Anonymous said…

I whole heartedly agree, disposable cups when you are dinning in is really wrong.

For a short period last year I had to spend some time visiting a UK Hospital, which for some reason went over to dispodable cups. After many complaints from me, other visitors, staff and Doctors they finally went back to proper cups. Victory!

In England, we are bought up to 'not make a fuss' or 'stop complaining' well, as the story above shows, complaining can be a worthwile passtime. Complaining can even lead to campaigning against daft policies and even get them changed .... long live the revolution !!

23 February 2007 at 02:45

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