“So how was the breakfast?” my husband asked as he prepared to check out the complimentary meal offered with the price of our night’s stay at the hotel.
“They have a sign that says, ‘We have disposable silverware available for those who ask,’” I replied.
No comment on the biscuits and gravy (hubby’s favorite, which I never fix – too fattening).
No comment on the oatmeal cooked to perfection, its variety of toppings, the monster muffins or selection of juices.
No comment on the strawberries and whipped cream ready to top a freshly made waffle – I really like waffles topped with strawberries and cream.
No, I immediately went for the type of dishes used. As my husband well knows, I abhor the rampant use of plastic dishes and plastic spoons.
I abhor them – not because the use of Styrofoam plates and plastic silverware goes straight to the landfill and stays there in their non-biodegradable form.
I abhor them – not because the plastic bends and breaks with the least amount of heat or duress or that the Styrofoam melts into some foods when microwaved.
I abhor them – not because I am such a cheapskate and would rather use the dishwasher than the trash can – although that is true.
No. I abhor plastic utensils and Styrofoam plates and bowls because they feel like someone said, “Just get the food on them thar plates and get these folks fed. Ain’t got no time to spend fussing. We’ll just slap some plastic plates and spoons on the disposable, plastic table cloth just before they come and then scrap it all up and shovel it into the bin afterward. Give’em plenty of food and they’ll be happy. No one cares about the dishes if they have plenty of grub.”
Disposable white plastic utensils and white Styrofoam feel like I am not worth the time it takes to deal with re-useable dinnerware. Before the plethora of plastic, folks once proudly pulled out their fine china to entertain guests. I am not worth their time afterward. That used to be the time when the family and guests worked together scraping, washing, rinsing and carefully put away the cutlery and china.
So yes, I took much pleasure in the fact that my husband’s online search for the least expensive hotel charge took us to a delightful breakfast buffet with breakable plates, bowls, cups and silverware and an employee who checked the buffet regularly before stacking the used dishes in a bin to take into the kitchen to wash.
I know, I know. Everyone says it saves money to just use disposable dishes. Really?
Serve the food on white paper plates and the savings began by cutting down 25- to 30-year-old trees to pulverize, inundate with chemicals, squeeze and press through machines to make paper plates and cups sold at the store and carried home. This saved time and money?
Use plasticware and the story begins at the oil well, travels to the oil refinery and the industry line where the oil is chemically reconfigured into plastic and pressed into the the shape of a spoon, a plate or a cup. Because we no longer carry our own dishes to basket suppers and fast food restaurants cut out the dishwashing crew, we have the ubiquitous Styrofoam cup. According to keepingwoodgreen.org, “Every year, Americans produce enough Styrofoam cups to circle the earth 436 times.” Or in other words, “Americans throw away enough disposable plates and cups to give the world a picnic six times a year.”
All true, but such green statistics do not drive my distaste. It’s just that when asked china or plastic, I’ll take the china any day. Perhaps it has something to do with the feeling of “you are important” every time I see a picture of an English tea. I felt privileged the day I showed up to an invitation for a light lunch and found the table spread with linen and the sandwich served on fine china. Even at home, the decades of memories piled on the plates from our ancestor’s dish cupboard add a subtle pleasure to any meal.
That’s the best I can do for explaining my snobbery. It will have to suffice. For now, I fully plan on returning to that hotel the next time we visit that area again. They know what I like and make sure I have it.
(Joan Hershberger is a staff writer for the El Dorado News-Times. She can be reached at joanh@everybody.org.)