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Comment by guelo | Hacker News Reader

The demand comes from car culture. Drinking in cars is difficult without lid and straw.

You ever try eating your fast food on the train/subway/bus. The same situation exists there too.

The problem isn't the cars. The problem is that we don't all live in some fantasy where people have time to sit down and eat their food and drink not on the go. If it wasn't the straws people would be complaining about the plastic coffee cup lids.

I haven't, my local public transit bans food and drink.

So how did people manage to eat on the go prior to the invention of straws and plastic lids?

The first hot dog man provided nice white gloves for his customers to hold the wieners and toppings with. They were supposed to be returned after use, but evidently they were too fancy and many customers would hang onto them. His wife suggested serving the wieners in a bun instead.

A lot of cultures have food wrapped in leaves (e.g. lotus or banana or corn). Like zongzi or tamales.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zongzi

I just like a straw in an iced coffee while walking around.

Except you see people drinking through straws while sitting down, too. So weird. I’ve always thought of straws as things only small children and maybe the disabled need. Like if you don’t even have the motor control to merely bring a glass up to your lips. I mean, even while walking and moving I somehow seem to be coordinated enough to sip liquid from a glass. I don’t know, maybe I’m an acrobat or something.

This might be a USA thing but a lot of times in restaurants they’ll bring me my drink with a straw in it and I can’t help but think “WTF do I look like a six year old?”

I used to also but then I started thinking how obscene it is that the piece of plastic will be around for thousands of years just so I can have slightly more convenience for an hour or two.

I guess. It’s a minimal amount of material that’s made from a waste product anyway. Pottery and glass last just as long, or longer.

Something made of cellulose that breaks down more easily would be better, so long as it comes from agricultural byproducts.

*edit I’m saying this might be better because some light plastics like straws end in in storm drains and on road sides, so something that breaks down over time into organic compounds might be preferable.

Why would that be better? Plastic somewhere in a landfill doesn't bother anyone, does it? Not more than pottery and glass in a landfill.

And later cultures could dig it up and burn it, if they wanted to.

I mean marginally, you know in case it ends up in a river or something.

Maybe. But someone can cut themselves on glass shards, too..

Yeah, I’m fine with plastic straws.

So? How high is the total impact of manufacturing that piece of plastic? It probably pales compared to eg the coffee beans used. Or the cardboard cup.

Stones stay around for a long time, too, but no one cares. (And fire can destroy plastic easily.)

People drink coffee in cars all the time without straws. It's perfectly fine with just a lid and a small opening.

Drinks with takeaway food here have been using that style of cup for years now.

Is there any evidence to this? Or is the source just irrational car hate.

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