Plastic - It's Your Turn

     Plastic is a great product.  Nowadays it is hard to imagine how we survived without things like computers, gas barbecues and of course plastic.  Unfortunately with the plastic and maybe even the barbecues, I have a sneaking suspicion we aren't surviving as long as we could.  So today on A&A my friends it is time to take aim at plastic.

     Plastic has its place, but my fear is that plastic is leaking into our food and poisoning us.  I don't have any research to back this up (although alert readers can probably dig something up as there seems to lots of hints being made), but it is my gut instinct.  Even if I'm wrong, I do think I'm right that plastic changes the taste of things and changes it for the worse.  So here is what annoys me.  More and more liquids can only be bought in plastic.  It started with the milk, then moved onto Coke, and now.... wait for it... it has struck my beloved HP sauce.  HP sauce is now only being sold in plastic, at least at my local stores.  

     I have tried to avoid plastics as much as possible by using alternatives.  I switched to a metal water bottle. I switched to the 26 ounce rum when the mickeys went plastic.  I only buy the salad dressings sold in glass bottles.  I even buy the more expensive small glass ketchups rather than save money with the bigger plastic ones.  What's the alternative for HP sauce?  There is none.  How can I enjoy my sausages with anything but HP?  This plastic thing has officially gone from worrisome to annoying.  

Today's anecdote comes from my days long ago in the grocery business...

     Some of you may not be aware that back in university I worked at a local Safeway.  I was a lowly clerk taking care of buggies, bagging, and bottles.  Back in the day (the good old days) the pop was still sold in glass 750 ml bottles rather than today's plastic "torpedoes".  When these glass bottles were returned we would load them into empty banana boxes and pull them in a wagon to the back for shipping elsewhere.

     I had two of these banana boxes stacked on top on each other and was heading to the back when the load shifted and the top box fell.  I may have inadvertently have aided the dreadful advance of the plastic container.  As I stood there staring at the mound of broken glass that I had caused, the assistant manager came around the corner and gave me a very dry, "Way to go Jack," and walked away.  "Can we get a dry clean-up on aisle six, please."

P.S. - For more interesting stories from the grocery store, I recommend the cashier blog that I have added to my links list.  "Be Kind to Your Cashier".