Paper straws are scientifically terrible for carbonated drinks. All of those fibers make a ton of nucleation sites for the CO2 and just make darn sure that your carbonated drink isn’t carbonated by the time it gets to your mouth. Seriously, if you wanted to design something to intentionally make a carbonated soda flat by the time it gets to your lips, I don’t know how you’d do it better than with a paper straw. Maybe a long hose that shakes the liquid as it goes through?
And sure, ok, plastic straws aren’t great environmentally. But surely there was a third option before we went back to literally the worst choice? Something decently cheap, biodegradable, and non-porous? Can we not invent something like that? There’s tons of industrially-compostable polymers, right? Wouldn’t those break down in the ocean over time?
I now take the lid off the beverage and drink straight from the cup like a savage. If you’re a beverage lid purist, you might want to consider investing in a personal metal straw, they even make them crazy now.
I agree that sipping is probably the best option. My problem is that most to-go cups at restaurants use lids for structural reinforcement; they make the cup less sturdy (because it’s cheaper) and count on the lid to keep it stable.
For clumsy and forgetful people (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem) the option right now seems to be buying a reusable straw that ends up sitting in my silverware drawer permanently, living with the fact that I’m just always going to have some sort of stain on my shirt, or drinking subpar, flat sodas. Or, I guess, switching to a non-carbonated drink. None of them are my favorite options. Come on, scientists!
Something decently cheap, biodegradable, and non-porous? Can we not invent something like that?
Have you tried lips yet? They’re free for most of us and while still a bit porous, they’re quite effective for helping transfer whatever liquid you are trying to transfer from the source into your mouth- soda, beer, whiskey, wine, coffee, water, piss. You can also use them for fun on friends, like sucking dick or eating pussy (or ass). 100% reusable and biodegradable!!!
There are drinks or packagings that are worse without a straw.
That said, we alread have pasta straws. Companies should use pasta straws. I drink boba tea pretty slowly so paper’s not gonna survive that. Milk through paper straw is the worst milk I tasted. There’s no good reason to use paper straws. Pasta straws are better.
So, I get that humans are taste and texture driven, and experience is a delight. But even with a pasta straw, that’s a lot of resources, like land use, water use, the fuel that goes into harvest, the manufacturing, and the transport that are wasted on the growth, production, and one time use of a wheat based straw just so you can enjoy a boba tea the way your like to. Sure, it’s going to decompose quickly, but while that straw isn’t lasting for a lifetime in a landfill, it’s also not lasting a lifetime of use. There’s a balance to be found between our indulgences and what is required to achieve that indulgence.
Average American rolling up to the average American fight to prove you’re not the average American if the internet argument but also aware; you gotta save them and they deserve a decent meal:
I have silicone straws that have been in regular use for several years. They came with little plunger doohickeys for cleaning, which is nice. Can’t boil and eat them afterwards, but I’m on a diet.
I’ve had silicone straws before that also had a lot of nucleation sites because of texturing, and ended up foaming up the drink in the process of sipping, too. Is there a particular thing I should look for? Or do I just need to suck it up (ha) and buy a titanium straw?
Yep, right now that seems like the best option to me. But the problem is that most to-go cups at restaurants require lids for structural integrity. It’s also not the greatest solution for particularly clumsy people (like me) who tend to spill drinks down their shirt.
There is a demand for change that falls on the consumer that is different than the way that gets pushed by corporations trying to guilt trip us into changing our ways than shaming us for accepting what they’ve offered while trying to greenwash something they’ve figured out is cheaper for them while changing nothing about their own habits. Sometimes, we are going to indulge the convenience of to-go cups, it’s the world we live in. But how many times do we default to that for convenience rather than either eating there and drinking from a glass, metal, or clay cup? How many times could we have eaten at home on our own cups/plates but just wanted it faster and simpler? The fault is not entirely on the consumer, but it can be affected by actively resisting the allure of convenience.
I agree that we could all stand to be a lot less convenience-driven. But there’s also a level at which, until the companies providing that convenience are forced (by public demand or by regulation) to provide a product that people will accept, most people won’t give up that convenience. Which makes my complaint less of a personal feeling of grumpiness and more of a call for something that could actually work for more people.
Paper straws are scientifically terrible for carbonated drinks. All of those fibers make a ton of nucleation sites for the CO2 and just make darn sure that your carbonated drink isn’t carbonated by the time it gets to your mouth. Seriously, if you wanted to design something to intentionally make a carbonated soda flat by the time it gets to your lips, I don’t know how you’d do it better than with a paper straw. Maybe a long hose that shakes the liquid as it goes through?
And sure, ok, plastic straws aren’t great environmentally. But surely there was a third option before we went back to literally the worst choice? Something decently cheap, biodegradable, and non-porous? Can we not invent something like that? There’s tons of industrially-compostable polymers, right? Wouldn’t those break down in the ocean over time?
I now take the lid off the beverage and drink straight from the cup like a savage. If you’re a beverage lid purist, you might want to consider investing in a personal metal straw, they even make them crazy now.
I agree that sipping is probably the best option. My problem is that most to-go cups at restaurants use lids for structural reinforcement; they make the cup less sturdy (because it’s cheaper) and count on the lid to keep it stable.
For clumsy and forgetful people (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem) the option right now seems to be buying a reusable straw that ends up sitting in my silverware drawer permanently, living with the fact that I’m just always going to have some sort of stain on my shirt, or drinking subpar, flat sodas. Or, I guess, switching to a non-carbonated drink. None of them are my favorite options. Come on, scientists!
Have you tried lips yet? They’re free for most of us and while still a bit porous, they’re quite effective for helping transfer whatever liquid you are trying to transfer from the source into your mouth- soda, beer, whiskey, wine, coffee, water, piss. You can also use them for fun on friends, like sucking dick or eating pussy (or ass). 100% reusable and biodegradable!!!
There are drinks or packagings that are worse without a straw.
That said, we alread have pasta straws. Companies should use pasta straws. I drink boba tea pretty slowly so paper’s not gonna survive that. Milk through paper straw is the worst milk I tasted. There’s no good reason to use paper straws. Pasta straws are better.
The only real flaw with pasta straws is cross-contam’ing everything with gluten. Celiacs can go fuck themselves I guess, so that’s sorted.
But wait, what if you’re Italian?!
So, I get that humans are taste and texture driven, and experience is a delight. But even with a pasta straw, that’s a lot of resources, like land use, water use, the fuel that goes into harvest, the manufacturing, and the transport that are wasted on the growth, production, and one time use of a wheat based straw just so you can enjoy a boba tea the way your like to. Sure, it’s going to decompose quickly, but while that straw isn’t lasting for a lifetime in a landfill, it’s also not lasting a lifetime of use. There’s a balance to be found between our indulgences and what is required to achieve that indulgence.
You’re supposed to save them up. After a month or so that’s a decent meal!
Average American rolling up to the average American fight to prove you’re not the average American if the internet argument but also aware; you gotta save them and they deserve a decent meal:
I have silicone straws that have been in regular use for several years. They came with little plunger doohickeys for cleaning, which is nice. Can’t boil and eat them afterwards, but I’m on a diet.
I’ve had silicone straws before that also had a lot of nucleation sites because of texturing, and ended up foaming up the drink in the process of sipping, too. Is there a particular thing I should look for? Or do I just need to suck it up (ha) and buy a titanium straw?
Sorry, I can’t tell you what you want to hear. I have one metal straw and it gives me Final Destination vibes.
Oof, that’s an intrusive thought I wasn’t expecting to develop. Good call, no metal then.
Yep, right now that seems like the best option to me. But the problem is that most to-go cups at restaurants require lids for structural integrity. It’s also not the greatest solution for particularly clumsy people (like me) who tend to spill drinks down their shirt.
There is a demand for change that falls on the consumer that is different than the way that gets pushed by corporations trying to guilt trip us into changing our ways than shaming us for accepting what they’ve offered while trying to greenwash something they’ve figured out is cheaper for them while changing nothing about their own habits. Sometimes, we are going to indulge the convenience of to-go cups, it’s the world we live in. But how many times do we default to that for convenience rather than either eating there and drinking from a glass, metal, or clay cup? How many times could we have eaten at home on our own cups/plates but just wanted it faster and simpler? The fault is not entirely on the consumer, but it can be affected by actively resisting the allure of convenience.
I agree that we could all stand to be a lot less convenience-driven. But there’s also a level at which, until the companies providing that convenience are forced (by public demand or by regulation) to provide a product that people will accept, most people won’t give up that convenience. Which makes my complaint less of a personal feeling of grumpiness and more of a call for something that could actually work for more people.
That’s what I tell myself, at least.
I’ve never understood why they don’t just use the coffee lids for everything.