Skip to main content

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
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scary walkway on Kerinchi, Bangsar South

The whole purpose of having a walkway is so that pedestrians have a path to walk on instead of venturing on to the side of the roads where motor vehicles zoom by. This sheltered walkway leads to some expensive highrise condominiums up Kerinchi Hill in Bangsar South (anything named or part-named Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur represents "prestigious living"). By all accounts, it should be a breezy walk on this walkway but it's really not the case. Not only it gets flooded on a stormy day, the locals have been abusing it to an unbelievable state. Rubbish everywhere If you are not one of those privilege enough to have a car, but have to walk up the hill every day, you'll know what I mean. You'll find rubbish, broken stools, mud left from the flood, etc, along the walkway as well as inside the wrecked open drain holes. It is disgusting yet hazardous, because you can easily trip and fall into the deep holes especially in the dark (no I have never seen the lights working). I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Smokers can quit being so generous

Here is the most miraculous moment I have ever encountered this morning. I was looking out from a local coffee place, and saw smoke coming out from the top of the hedges. Oh no, it’s on fire! However, pedestrians kept walking pass it but no one noticed it or paid any attention to it. I walked to the hedge and took a look. It was a cigarette lying on the top of the hedge, burning and releasing smoke. And it is not quite done yet. I had to take a snapshot – priceless! But I did not put it off because some very fierce gangsters may have left it there for later, or may be, some very generous smokers have decided to share his joy! And funnily enough, as I turned away from the cigarette, these 3 Chinese men sitting next to the hedge were staring and glaring at me as if I was some kind of an alien. And they were right. Note the pictures below: The first being the mysteriously unattended, burning cigarette; the second shows that the cigarette was on the top of a hedge (red arrow) right next to...
2 comments
Read more

All I want for Christmas

I love Christmas, but I have much reservation about the notion that, to celebrate Christmas means that you will have to buy something for someone, and subordinate completely to commodity without much thought. Every time I feel like buying something for my friends, I tend to think that I might be adding to: Their clutter - excessive wrapper and trimmings on top of gifts that my friends may have no idea what to do with. Do they throw them away? I may feel unappreciated. Do they reuse or recycle them? That may be too much work for them. They may just throw the wrapping paper away, but it’s still an unnecessary contribution to the landfill. Their chores - things like flowers, nice. But they would have to get the water changed everyday, and I will worry about what they would do when the flowers are dead. I normally bury them, but I can’t possibly expect all of my friends to do that too. Their extreme hassle and guilt as they may have no idea what to say to me - if they totally do not like w...
3 comments
Read more