Going out for a quick bite can be a real hassle for the green conscious. Everything is packed in plastic or polystyrene (styrofoam) and plastic utensils are free of charge with your order.
So I don’t eat out that much anymore. But sometimes I just can’t stop the craving for a good Baja Burrito. And of course when I go to parties the food is usually served on plastic plates and with plastic utensils and so are the drinks. Yuk!
What to do?
I can’t just not go out. I can’t just not eat when I’m starving after I rode 10 miles to get to the party. So I decided to find another solution. I purchased my own utensils that I have in my bag with me at all times. And it has been very handy at many occasions.
- At restaurants
- At surprise birthday parties (at meetings or rehearsals) - would never say no to a piece of cake or pie. I’ll eat it with my hands if I forget my utensils.
- At the fair
- When my friend shares her lunch 
- On film shoots (they serve everything in plastic 
)
- At Gallery opening parties
- At Theater opening parties
I use my utensils all the time and now I bought three more so there is one in each of my bags. The set includes a fork, knife, a spoon and a salt and pepper shaker in the cover. I filled the pepper shaker with hungarian paprika. Yum!
Whenever I use my camping utensils, I wipe it clean with a wet paper towel or wash it in the bath room and I put it back in its cover and in my bag for later use.
I eliminated many, many plastic forks from reaching the landfill or the ocean and I hope you will be inspired to do the same. I carry the utensils on my back on my bike wherever I go.
Get these Boker Snac Pack utensils and show all your friends that you have solutions for more sustainable ways of living. Let me know if you have other ideas on how to live a more sustainable life.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Presley // Mar 29, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Nice post. I live in the Bay area and have collected plastic debris from the San Francisco Bay for years. Plastic cutlery is very common! It’s a bit deceptive cause most is made of dense plastic that I call bottom floaters, therefore the forks and spoons don’t show up on the high-tide line with the plastic bottles and styrofoam. You have to search at low-tide to find them.
I hope you keep up the good work. I’m a ceramic artist and I’m always shocked when clay artists use plastic cutlery and plates and cups at their parties.
Do you think a business that brought the ceramic dishes and cups and stainless cutlery to parties would work? It would be like catering for dishes.
2 joey // Apr 10, 2008 at 11:29 am
just go to goodwill and buy a fork, knife, and spoon. ridiculous expensive camping gear is stupid.
3 Enci // Apr 10, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Joey,
$5.99 is hardly ridiculously expensive. Sure, you can go to Goodwill, or you can use your utensils from your kitchen drawer. Don’t forget though to wrap it in cloth to protect yourself from being cut or poked when you reach for it in your bag.
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