It's Friday lunch time and I'm sitting at my desk trying to eat with a set of flimsy wooden cutlery. The so-called knife barely cuts through the meat, the pointy bits of the spork are too blunt and too short to stab anything with, and the spoon part is too shallow to be scoop anything up.
The paper straw in my drink has turned soggy after less than 10 minutes and it's got this damn ugly taste to it.
I'm curious if anyone actually likes these replacements?
They used to be though. In the 1950s-80s plastic cutlery was quite good: strong, could cut steak, etc. But as usual, once China started producing it, every possible skimping of quality and cost was made, making them complete crap. They became only slightly more useful than looking at a photograph of the previous versions before eating. Push them into a steak and they'd just bend and snap.
In true ozbargain style, I never buy takeaway drinks (well, maybe 2-3 times per year on long driving trips). therefore I never encounter paper straws
$1 large frozen coke from Macca's is not going to break the bank. Maybe your belt buckle, but definitely not the bank.
During winter?
I mean I don't like paper straws but I prefer their environmental footprint over plastic straws
It seems like a waste to even manufacture them in the first place since they don't really serve its purpose.
Well honestly, I haven't had an issue with their use.
If they don't serve your purpose, perhaps consider stop using them.
I will. They taste like shit.
@bobbified: You're not meant to be eating them. They're meant to assist you with what you're eating. ;p
@bobbified: And so ends the case of the paper straws, tune in next week for the saga of wooden cutlery
Exactly.
People say this but go on to (profanity) the environment up anyway with all their other lifestyle choices so I don't buy it at all. If you really cared about the environment you'd be doing something about it that actually makes a difference. Eating less meat/dairy, not driving a gas-guzzler everywhere and not supporting businesses that contribute to environmental destruction would solve our environmental problems but that is too much of an inconvenience for most people so they just virtue signal with their useless paper straws.
Yeah may as well do nothing, aye?
Jfc
Never said that. Do you have an argument or was that it?
@smartazz104: not really
it's like donating $10 to a man $10 trillion in debt, sure it technically helps but ultimately doesn't really make a difference
If people cared enough to put the environment first, this stuff wouldn't have needed the government to step in with bans and regulation. The amount of times I've said no to the offered bundle of straws and cutlery quoting the environment, then watched the server throw it into the bin rather than return it. Then there's the people I'm meeting using the cheap crockery and cutlery from Kmart as disposable and throwing it in bin rather than washing it.
Has anyone tried the Krispy Kreme straws? Now those are good, sturdy straws. Not sure if they're paper or something else, but would be nice if that was more common
Damn frustrating how soon others go soggy, and the taste of paper cutlery (maccas icecream etc)
A few decades ago (before McDonalds and KFC infested our nation) most milk bars used paper straws. They were thinner than McDonalds ones, slightly wider than plastic was. But they lasted. If you bent or squashed them you could just straighten them out and finish your drink without much difficulty. I believe they were coated in wax. So heat would melt the wax and the straw would rot. These current paper straws are awful. All they do is irritate people, turn people off Greenie causes (which is actually a good thing anyway, lol), making them more enemies of their agendas (also a good thing).
I can live with the cutlery but the straws are the worst.
Worst are McDonalds paper straws. They disintegrate after 5 minutes of use.
I can survive (and actually prefer) drinking soft drinks without straws, but it's necessary for frozen coke and it's seriously annoying trying to suck stuff while the straw is falling apart.
wooden cutlery is a subtle punishment for not bringing your own.
I'm also old enough to remember paper straws that were covered in wax (i think) and they were fine. These new ones are like using 1 ply toilet paper after curry night
Hah, snap! I mentioned that above. Ah… 1970s milkbars and takeaways… before McDonalds were every few km… you could bend one of those wax-coated straws and still 80% drink through it. The wax melted in the heat, the straw rots down. So it took a bit longer to disappear but while it was in the cup it worked. I also remember when they all began switching to plastic straws and you suddenly couldn't drink a thickshake anymore, because the stupid things would collapse in on themselves, form a fold line all down the length of the straw then close in, so you couldn't drag the thickshake up through the straw. Their fix for that that was not using real ice-cream anymore… they all switched to the filthy pig-fat-based soft-serve Mr Whippy crap. I haven't had a decent thickshake since the 80s, from an Oak factory outlet. So many things like that are crap now. KFC is another one. It doesn't taste anything close to as good as it used to.
I agree that we need to cut down on plastic but paper straws just don't cut it.
The only good paper straws I've used are from Chatime. So thankful that they can provide a good quality paper straw to pierce the plastic lid of my plastic cup #savetheplanet
I'm OK with wooden cutlery
Much harder to pierce the bubble t
I hate when eating cake or other food that gets stuck to a fork, trying to get that food off a wooden fork just tastes like a mouthful of wood and hard to get it all off whereas a metal form doesn't taste of anything and the food comes straight off.
Plastic forks suck as well. Use wooden chopsticks
I’m surprised people are still having issues with paper straws?
Maybe like 12-18 months ago paper straws sucked but the ones I get from Maccas and the movies actually last fine. I remember when they were first introduced, sometimes they would actually unspool/unravel. Hasn’t happened to me for a while now though.
Maybe they're buying their own somewhere else, because I didn't eat McDonalds for years, only really ate the last several months, and the straws are awful. They just fall apart after a couple of minutes in the drink.
if you are sitting at your desk why aren't you using proper cutlery.
i have a set of my own at my desk knife, spoon, fork and chopsticks along with a glass straw.
it's not the first day i've eaten take away and it wont be my last so why punish your self.
if you are sitting at your desk why aren't you using proper cutlery.
Often when getting takeaway, they put the set in the plastic bag already - so it's either toss it whole or use it and then toss it. So sometimes I just use it. But I get your point.
I tend to use some garden hose in my drink bottles.
Specifically a gatorade bottle?
I think paper straws have improved a lot. When getting McDonald's frappe they used to get soggy quickly, but now they seem to last indefinitely. The straw can get clogged with ice if left in and the only way I can get it out is to remove toe straw and suck the other end, so it's not perfect.
Nope
"No more plastic straws in paper
Just paper straws wrapped in plastic, congratulations"
Yeah except this literally doesn't happen… not once have I had a paper straw wrapped in plastic.
Ah yes, mr you haven't experienced it so it doesn't exist.
Literally first page of google: https://www.discountpartysupplies.com.au/assorted-coloured-s…
Also first page google: https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/697548/woo…
And another: https://www.bigw.com.au/party/tableware/straws/c/720503
Poor guy, you need to get out more if you haven't seen any of those.
Take the L, move on.
Except he didn't lose. You're comparing two different things: a) buying an entire packet of straws to b) getting one straw from a takeaway. In the latter case you either get a plastic straw in a plastic bag, or a paper straw in a paper bag.
Btw… that first youtube link is right… people really are stupid because some actually like rap. Even worse, by white guys.
@[Deactivated]: But the thing is I'm not comparing two different things, never in anything I said was your individual straws blah blah. I don't get why it's so hard for you people to actually read the words that are written and then respond to those words. You people always make up your own stories about words that were never said, I really don't understand it Is it a mental illness? Happens so often….
@Willy Beamish: people are respecting your opinion enough to assume you have something important to complain about - like paper straws being individually wrapped in plastic.
You point out that what you're actually criticising is that some plastic is still used in the production, implying that is some sort of huge hypocrisy…
@[Deactivated]: Imagine stating the obvious… The purpose of the paper straws is to not use plastic, yet plastic is still used. Congratulations, you can read.
@Willy Beamish: I'm just explaining why people are misreading you. If you don't want to listen, that's your choice.
I'm not sure how else to explain it. Your criticism isn't reasonable
You're cherry picking… individual paper straws do not come wrapped in plastic.
Poor guy, you need to get out more if you haven't seen any of those.
Dude you posted links to Big W and Woolworths, lol
It's not as good as plastic, but I'm not a precious snowflake so I'll take whatever incredibly minor inconveniences are required to help lessen my impact on the world.
Self-flagellation is making a comeback too, you might be interested to know.
Did it ever fall out of favour? Nobody told me!
Clearly I've been carrying the team this whole time.
Paper straws are also not disabled person friendly. We always have to carry a reusable silicone straw on hand for my disabled brother and a small reusable cutlery set. The disposable cutlery is fine for him but it isn’t pleasant for us so can’t imagine it is pleasant for him either.
Kmart sell a nice little knife and spork set in the camping section for about $3. It's what I carry in my lunch box for work.
Haven't noticed a difference.
Paper straws rubbish. Bamboo straws on the other hand…
Can any enviro boffin comment on these? Look good on face validity:
https://bonniebio.com.au/product/compostable-straws-unwrappe…
Ugh… there it is… the fabled turtle they inserted the straw into its nostril for a photo op. Pity someone didn't compost the Greenie who set up that photo instead.
I guess all the turtles turning up with floater syndrome from eating plastic is all just a big conspiracy then?
If you seriously think removing every STRAW from the ocean for the next 1000 years will reduce that, then you have zero hope of grasping rational thought.
Drink Faster
Makes no difference. I rarely eat McDonalds but have been buying the $6-$8 deals lately that come with the smallest size drink. I put their paper straw in the other day, had a couple of sips while eating the burger. I was done in about 2 minutes but halfway through the drink the straw was already coming apart.
Strange, I had no such issues last night. The straw is still even usable today if I wanted to.
I wonder if McDonald's has a couple of different suppliers for their straws.
I have no problem drinking soft drinks from MD, but they seem to become soaked and limp almost immediately when trying to drink a frappe.
First world problems, anyway.
Time to start carrying our own cutlery and straws around if you want them. Just like we carry around our own bags and coffee cups
In medieval Europe people used to carry around a knife to cut their meat at each meal. Anyway the government could solve coffee cup waste by enforcing the use of cups that can be recycled and paying the recycling companies to start processing them or at least cleaning and collecting them for the cup maker to more efficiently recycle. Coffee would cost 50 cents extra, but that cost would go down with time.
Who the (profanity) uses the paper/wooden cutlery..? Just plan better..?
Yes all those kids at school sport carnivals, footie, hockey events, should carry metal cutlery on them. As well as skateboarders, surfers, bmx riders, people biking their way to/from work… Just think of all the accidents with knives and forks sticking out of peoples' leg/arm/eye. The point is it costs something like 4 cents or less for a food outlet to provide a straw, knife, fork and makes the most sense because you don't need them until then when eating, and that's exactly why they've done it for decades.
If you dine in at Taco Bell, they only have the horrible wooden shit
What about the cutlery?
Hate them… bought a couple hundred plastic ones and just keep 10 at a time in the glove box.
Work I have a couple of stainless steel ones I wash and re-use.
i did the same. got stock at work and home. should last another 5 years i rekin.
Shyte
First world problems right here
Makes sense since we live in a first world country…
Paper straws in non biodegradable take away cups… Sure. Whenever I go to Costco I grab a stack from the takeaway window with my meal. They have sensible cups and biodegradable straws.
Hire a servant to feed you each and every morsel of your lunch by hand.
They’re focussing on the wrong things with the whole environmental move…
So if you've got a cramp, and an untied shoelace you shouldn't tie up your shoelace because the cramp is a bigger hindrance, even though the shoelace is easier to fix?
this isnt fixing the shoelace, its more like shove the shoelace inside the shoe instead of fixing them.
The climate issue is the inability to walk correctly. This is mainly caused by the cramp (factories spewing out pollution, not moving to sustainable energy), but is also slightly hindered by the untied shoelace (the average person's plastic waste, and energy usage).
This is tying the shoelace. People say the same thing about getting solar. Why should I do this for the environment when big corporations use way more power? This is an even stranger argument as solar pays for itself ~5 years.
Our quality of life is retrograding because of climate cultists. People need to see environmentalism for what it is, a totalitarian ideology that is anti-freedom and anti-prosperity. The aim of environmentalist is to lower the living standards of ordinary people to the level of a mediaeval peasant. Environmentalism is anti humanity.
If you think carbon dioxide is evil, then stop producing it; stop breathing.
Lol
Moral of the story is to bring your own straw and cutlery set to work.
Reusable metal utensils.
I find the bamboo/ wooden cutlery more sturdy than the plastic ones.. then again it's very rare that I use disposable cutlery, since I bring my own or use the office cutlery
I have a portable set of Cutlery, that I will use - something like this - https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/157512?utm…
At least they don't charge 10c for them yet… I try carry a little set in my bag, a sharp knife, fork, teaspoon and keep-cup. Just like my own bags for shopping. It's a hassle, but worth it. Don't even use it much, often forget I actually carry them, don't often get takeaway… most work places have plates and cutlery in the kitchenette! Those wooden things are emergency implements they should probably only supply on request like shipping bags :)
Paper straws are the worst, useless.
their basically non functional, so a complete waste of time
I've always found straws ridiculous. Creating a piece of semi-permanent rubbish just to have a drink. We have lips, they are completely unnecessary. The amount of pollution we create for food convenience and packaging I think will be looked back in embarrassment. If you want to use cutlery for your fast food, carry it with you.
What if someone couldn't move there jaw?
Obviously if someone has a disability we find ways to help improve their lives.
So straws are not always junk?
Plastic straws are actually one of the more useful (and difficult to effectively replace) items of disposable plastic.
Take a look at a typical shopping trolley of goods. How much of that plastic packaging is totally unnecessary and unneeded - this is the waste we should be eliminating.
Not the plastic straws and carry bags which actual have some useful purpose.
Its a good effort, but when you think about it, Australia makes up a tiny proportion of plastic going into the ocean, compared to nations like india that just dump all their plastic waste into rivers/sea. Its a pathetic short term improvement at best, but may have significant long term effects.
I dont mind the bamboo forks/knives/spoons. They are a entirely useless at a steak BBQ but for the reduction in plastic going into the ground, worth it imo.
But in saying that, im all for revolutionaising the way we deal with plastics, particularly at the shops, ditching plastics entirely and returning to reusable jars to transports goods between stores and pantries. There is a lot of improvments to be made and we could be a model to the third world who may emulate our systems of plastic use reduction. We can send men to the moon(arguably for some), we can figure out how to integrate a society with earth conscious plastic use. Makes sense to me.
Me using paper straws makes up for billionair BP oil spills.
All us doing that is undone with stuff like that
I find them slightly less functional than the old plastic styles, but that is more than made up for in that it is a single use plastic reduction method.
Added bonus is that they seem to wind up anti-environmentalist types.
Solid net gains.
we got a drink yesterday with a paper straw - left it awhile in the drink - and the paper went soft !
We were WTF - that's not sustainable - if you can't leave a straw in a drink for a short time before it becomes useless.
A lot of the disposable plastic stuff wasn’t that great either. Especially for things like cutting meat. I just keep normal cutlery at work.