Experiences

Styrofoam Coffee Cups Suck

Years ago, I would occasionally use styrofoam coffee cups while camping. There convenient, they are one less dish to wash. Despite what the greenies will tell you, in a hot fire, styrofoam burns fine. It’s cheap, and it doesn’t involve cutting down trees. Then I switched to a regular coffee mug, as I like the feel of the mug in my hands on a cold morning at camp.

Barge Canal Backwaters

After a while I started getting tired of washing the coffee cup, but I want a disposable, e.g. that I could discard and burn, and that I could take in the truck to sip coffee. I got these plastic-coated paper cups with lids which were quite nice, but relatively expensive. I used up the paper cups but still had lids, so I was thinking I could get some cheap styrofoam cups, and use them with the lids. They don’t fit, and I hate how they feel in my hands, and how they make the coffee taste.

Second cup of coffee

I went back to the old ceramic coffee cup to enjoy my coffee up at camp. They aren’t that hard to wash. And maybe go green, and use a reusable cup in the truck. Coffee cups are easy to rinse out, they are much less of a pain then plates, which I think I will continue to use paper or foam ones that are disposable and burnable up at camp. I figure if they aren’t going to the landfill because I’m burning them, I don’t have to feel guilty about using them once and tossing them, although I guess you could argue that your still wasting the chemicals and trees that make up the styrofoam or paper plates. But so be it.

Just get the full pineapple! 🍍

My mom insisted that I should get the pre-cored pineapple for two to three times the price as cutting a pineapple is difficult. She of advanced age has trouble cutting fruit, an issue with sharp knifes I don’t have. And I’m glad I didn’t take her advice.

For one, full pineapples aren’t packaged in plastic that either gets burnt or heads to the landfill. With me, likely the prior but plastic is still toxic and nasty to burn so I’ve been trying to cut back on packaging. In contrast food scraps are just compost to feed the land or fine to burn in a hot fire. I no longer believe in the myth of industrial recycling.

But also a full pineapple offers a superior option for a lower cost. For one, a pineapple unopened need not be refrigerated and will not mold up quickly until openned. The high cost of pre cut pineapple is probably most due to large amount cut and landfilled at the grocery store. Moreover it’s much more fruity when fresh, and you can leave the core and skin on while cooking so it doesn’t fall apart while cooking – or even cook the full pineapple directly on the coals. It’s just a much more flexible option – and with a sharp knife cutting up a pineapple ain’t too difficult either.