“I know y’all probably don’t pay attention to the news much”

[Deleted]

Actual thing my father said to me yesterday before asking if I’d heard about the Thai boys in the cave.

LOL. DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?

He also asked me today if we don’t believe in paper plates because I’m serving pancakes on real plates. And then proceeded to try to convince me that paper plates are more eco friendly because they don’t use electricity or water to wash.

Send wine and prayers.

[pugz]

Omg 😳

[lilac05]

OMG. Are you sure wine is sufficient? May I suggest some blueberry vodka and lemonade?

My mom and I have been having the discussion for years about using paper plates. She thinks they’re “so much easier.” I have a dishwasher, so literally the only thing it saves me is having to unload the dishwasher. Otherwise, it’s the same...PLUS we have to pay if we have over one small trash can per week of trash! (Not to mention the environmental impact!) She about had a heart attack when she heard I bought the OMG EXPENSIVE!!! chinet plastic plates for an event. At least they can be washed and reused or recycled instead of just thrown away,

[AAM2012]

Do we have the same father?

[karinothing]

Jul 13, 2018 7:55:59 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Actual thing my father said to me yesterday before asking if I’d heard about the Thai boys in the cave.

LOL. DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?

He also asked me today if we don’t believe in paper plates because I’m serving pancakes on real plates. And then proceeded to try to convince me that paper plates are more eco friendly because they don’t use electricity or water to wash.

Send wine and prayers.

Dude my MIL is obsessed with paper plates. She used to always bring them and bottled water to my house when she visited. I think I finally got her to stop after 10 years lol.

[Deleted]

The thing with the paper plates is that MAYBE that argument would work if you were talking about only serving prepared foods in a place that has a drought (kind of like how it’s not clear that cloth diapers are really better in places like California). But I don’t live in a drought area, AND plates are honestly the least of what’s going in the dishwasher - what about the bowl where I mixed the pancake batter, the turner I used for flipping them, the measuring cups, the cutting board where I sliced the strawberries, the silverware we used, etc etc?

He then threw in some quip about Teslas that I didn’t even understand.

HELLLLLLLLLP ME.

He is, however, doing a good job of helping my H build screens, so I guess this is the price I pay for his home improvement labor.

[Deleted]

Jul 13, 2018 8:18:27 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Jul 13, 2018 7:55:59 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Actual thing my father said to me yesterday before asking if I’d heard about the Thai boys in the cave.

LOL. DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?

He also asked me today if we don’t believe in paper plates because I’m serving pancakes on real plates. And then proceeded to try to convince me that paper plates are more eco friendly because they don’t use electricity or water to wash.

Send wine and prayers.

Dude my MIL is obsessed with paper plates. She used to always bring them and bottled water to my house when she visited. I think I finally got her to stop after 10 years lol.

And the thing is, WE ARE USING PAPER PLATES at the new house. It’s not that we “don’t believe” in them. It’s that we only use them at appropriate times - tailgates, parties where we have more guests than we have plates, when we haven’t moved our stuff yet and are in the middle of painting our new house. Like NON CRAZY PEOPLE.

[tacokick]

So weird about the paper plates! I bought a jumbo pack 15 years ago to when we have crabs in the backyard for sides since it’s so messy and we are still only about 1/4 through it. And we don’t even have a dish washer! I didn’t realize people used them outside of a picnic.

[icedcoffee]

Jul 13, 2018 8:16:02 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

OMG. Are you sure wine is sufficient? May I suggest some blueberry vodka and lemonade?

My mom and I have been having the discussion for years about using paper plates. She thinks they’re “so much easier.” I have a dishwasher, so literally the only thing it saves me is having to unload the dishwasher. Otherwise, it’s the same...PLUS we have to pay if we have over one small trash can per week of trash! (Not to mention the environmental impact!) She about had a heart attack when she heard I bought the OMG EXPENSIVE!!! chinet plastic plates for an event. At least they can be washed and reused or recycled instead of just thrown away,

I've always kind of wondered which plates are the most environmentally friendly for the rare times we use them.  I know Styrofoam is bad.  Once we used a caterer and they provided the chinet plastic.  I recycled the ones that were still clean enough, but I figured if I was washing and then recycling it was no longer convenient, but also using water.  I also had no idea if they were actually recyclable

I don't know, I always buy these paper ones from Costco assuming they're the least evil:



In any event, I don't understand at all when people use paper plates or plastic cups in their everyday life.  It is so easy to just throw them in the dishwasher.  

[CallingAllAngels]

I don't get the paper plate thing at all. Plates are like the easiest thing of all to wash. It takes zero time to wash a plate, and I'm one of the laziest people on the planet.

[kadams767]

Jul 13, 2018 8:22:00 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Jul 13, 2018 8:18:27 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Dude my MIL is obsessed with paper plates. She used to always bring them and bottled water to my house when she visited. I think I finally got her to stop after 10 years lol.

And the thing is, WE ARE USING PAPER PLATES at the new house. It’s not that we “don’t believe” in them. It’s that we only use them at appropriate times - tailgates, parties where we have more guests than we have plates, when we haven’t moved our stuff yet and are in the middle of painting our new house. Like NON CRAZY PEOPLE.

But, for pancakes?  That seems to be potentially messy as hell, what with syrup or sauces soaking through.  You'd be wasting even more, because, at least for my messy self, I'd need like 4 plates to layer.

[lilibet]

Good luck. At least he's helpful.

My mom and grandma always bring up paper plates at Thanksgiving. Like you said, plates are the least of what I'm washing.

And now I've learned there's blueberry vodka and now I need some.

[gerberdaisy]

This always baffles me too, the paper plate thing. First of all I hate eating off of them and plates are so easy to wash!

Same with plastic forks/knifes, you just throw them in the dishwasher, not difficult

[icedcoffee]

Also--I'm super anti paper plates, but we have had zero luck convincing my grandmother (who has no dishwasher and a tiny kitchen) to start using disposable stuff at Christmas Eve where there are 25-30 people. She insists on using china and real glasses. It's fun, especially since she's also not in great shape to do the dishes anymore.

[captainobvious]

Heh, when we went to my parents on the 4th, my mom apologized for using paper plates. "I'm so sorry, I just thought it would be easier if we decided to eat outside." It's cool mom, we don't need to use real plates all the time. You know I'd break a plate on the cement patio anyway.

[Deleted]

Jul 13, 2018 8:18:27 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Jul 13, 2018 7:55:59 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Actual thing my father said to me yesterday before asking if I’d heard about the Thai boys in the cave.

LOL. DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?

He also asked me today if we don’t believe in paper plates because I’m serving pancakes on real plates. And then proceeded to try to convince me that paper plates are more eco friendly because they don’t use electricity or water to wash.

Send wine and prayers.

Dude my MIL is obsessed with paper plates. She used to always bring them and bottled water to my house when she visited. I think I finally got her to stop after 10 years lol.

At least he doesn’t bring them up. But we go through this EVERY SINGLE TIME he visits. No, dad, we haven’t started using paper plates on a regular basis since the last time you were here.

[icedcoffee]

I think it is an Olds thing too. We were on vacation last week and the house we were in had a well. I was concerned with DS drinking it because it can be full of various minerals and whatnot and I didn't want it to upset his stomach since he's so little. I asked my parents to pick up a gallon jug of water we could use to fill his sippy cup and they insisted they wouldn't because they brought a 24 pack of bottled water. Dude...my kids cup doesn't need to be filled up from small wasteful bottles. Buy one gallon jug for 89 cents and it will last him the whole trip.

[2curlydogs]

We not only use real plates but *GASP* cloth napkins!

#sofancy

[TBM]

My mom was a big fan of paper plates. I think she started relying on them once it was just she and my dad at home, but he preferred real plates and continued to use them (he also loaded and unloaded the dishwasher and ran it all the time), until he got sick, and he went to paper too.

I am the exact opposite, and have a cabinet full of white plates that we bought at IKEA for less than we could have rented them for an event. They have been used for wedding receptions (the original reason for purchase), rehearsal dinners, showers, large family meals and holiday dinners. I force them on friends and family to make their events more special...also, I hate eating off of paper plates. ;p

It takes something like 8 gallons of water to make the paper for one paper plate...you can run a full load in the dishwasher and use about the same amount of water.

ETA: I am probably as old as most of your parents so 'not all moms'. I was going to say 'olds', but I refuse to consider myself to be old, since I am not. ;p

[StrawberryBlondie]

My parents brought paper plates up to the cabin last year. At first it made sense for like, picnic lunches at the picnic table down by the lake and such. But then they started using them for basically everything. I may hide them if they do that this year.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

My mom would buy those plastic plates, and then wash them to re-use. The pure insanity of washing disposable plates instead of just using and washing REAL plates (that she had in her cabinet!) was lost on her. She just kept pointing out that she was re-using them, not tossing them.

[followyourarrow]

This must be a parent thing. My mom is constantly trying to get me to use paper plates and disposable glasses. I'd rather wash dishes than take the trash out constantly because the can is full of paper plates.

[mskitkat]

I will see your paper plates and raise you reusable paper towels. “You ... wash...your paper towels?” My family now thinks I’m a hippy.

[mrsd2006]

Jul 13, 2018 9:51:40 GMT -5 mskitkat said:

I will see your paper plates and raise you reusable paper towels. “You ... wash...your paper towels?” My family now thinks I’m a hippy.

At least it's not reusable toilet paper....

[UMaineTeach]

Jul 13, 2018 8:32:29 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

  I know Styrofoam is bad.

Have you seen the brand of styrofoam cups that tries to justify itself with a statement on every cup that says something to the effect of ‘styrofoam is good, because it puts less trash, by weight, into the landfill’
They come mostly in super 80s-90s designs. [

Right.
Edit: Dart brand, this whole environmental statement is full of spin.

“In fact, all polystyrene plastic products represent approximately one percent of all products generated, by weight, in municipal solid waste. Of this total, polystyrene foodservice packaging accounts for approximately 0.4 percent, by weight, of all polystyrene products generated.”


www.dartcontainer.com/environment/environmental-q-a/

[turnipthebeet]

Jul 13, 2018 9:19:07 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

We not only use real plates but *GASP* cloth napkins!

#sofancy

Same, and someone commented once that isn’t washing them more wasteful than using paper. Like... they do not get their own load of laundry. They go in with other shit that we are washing and take up no extra room.

[WOT?*]

Jul 13, 2018 8:40:32 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Also--I'm super anti paper plates, but we have had zero luck convincing my grandmother (who has no dishwasher and a tiny kitchen) to start using disposable stuff at Christmas Eve where there are 25-30 people. She insists on using china and real glasses. It's fun, especially since she's also not in great shape to do the dishes anymore.

We're allowed to toss food-used articles in our mulch bin so they get composted along with the yard waste. Pizza boxes and paper plates and grass clippings ftw. I still prefer to waste water on real dishes because I'm classy.

I quoted because I have to tell this story. For Thanksgiving, DH's grandma used to make tons of food. What was left over was put on tin trays (the old-school TV dinner style trays with separate compartments made of real metal, not that disposable toss-away stuff they use now), covered and placed in the freezer. That's what we would have for Christmas dinners, so there was no worrying about cooking and major clean up. There would be fresh mashed potatoes and dessert but the rest of the dinner was already prepared from Thanksgiving leftovers. It started with DH's grandmother and the trays and the habit have been passed down to the next generation.

ETA: mskitkat - grandpa washed paper towels. My grandmother had a million uses for old milk jugs.

[Michelle]

Jul 13, 2018 9:19:07 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

We not only use real plates but *GASP* cloth napkins!

#sofancy

One of my favorite colleagues brings her own cloth napkins in her lunch kit every day. I love her for so many reasons but as she explained she tries to minimize waste I loved her even more. <3

[lemoncupcake]

Jul 13, 2018 9:19:07 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

We not only use real plates but *GASP* cloth napkins!

#sofancy

Me too! It really weirds out my ILs.

I kind of want new ones, as the ones we registered for when we got married a decade ago matched our old dishes, but I can’t justify the cost and waste. They’re all in great shape still.

[penguingrrl]

It’s something about the boomer generation, for sure. MIL drives a small car and FIL drives a hybrid, they don’t have AC and made sure their house is very well insulated, all in the name of environmentalism. Except that’s once H moved out they’ve moved to always using paper plates, and they always have cases of the small water bottles. I don’t understand! And now my mom, who has always been environmentally minded, has moved over when she entertains, although not otherwise.

And they’re always trying to tell me that paper is easier for a holiday meal than my nice china. No, it really isn’t. Especially now that I have a dishwasher, but even when I didn’t it really wasn’t a big deal!


They also passive aggressively ask for “real” napkins because they don’t want to “make more laundry for me by using the cloth ones.”