Saturday, January 31, 2015

Doggie-Bag Dilemma

We eat out. It happens. Portions are very generous these days. Remember back in the '80s when it was all the rage to have stupidly tiny portions for insane prices? That sure went away. I can rarely finish my meal when I go out to eat. If it's a sandwich then I ask for a piece of foil rather than a container which is inevitably and will for some future time in my area be Styrofoam.



That leaves the other times when I have something slightly messier. You'd think that I - of all people - could remember to bring something from home to take my food home, instead of using that offensive piece of garbage they bring out to me.  Why can't I remember this one simple thing? 

Styrofoam is getting banned in a lot of towns and will be in more to come. I should not be waiting for that. Tossing them in the recycling bin isn't a solution. Not using them in the first place is. It's mind-blowing to me to think how much garbage we would save if everyone refused this stuff for just a week. But we don't even think about it. I think about it and still forget when it comes down to it. Would restaurants frown upon the practice of our bringing our own containers? I get weird reactions when I ask for foil, but they come around quickly enough. We can point out that by bringing our own containers, we are saving them money.

It's not like I'm talking about bringing them to a buffet. But for a meal for which we have paid, this shouldn't be questionable at all. Is it inconvenient? Probably to those who refuse to bring reusable bags to the grocery store. If you take food home you will be carrying a bag anyway. Why not carry one in? 

And while on that point, you can refuse that plastic bag they give you, as well. If it's something that's going to spill, either be careful or make sure you have something in the car for such an occurrence. It's not difficult, once you get in the habit. 

Let's all start this habit. We'll save a ton of trash. Literally. I promise, next time I go out, to friggin' remember this at last! Embarrassing? Hell no! What's embarrassing about trying to save this place for the next generation? We can at least try.