Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Lauren Fink, Ed. ·
Mar 17, 2011 at 8:08am
Under the reign of Nancy Pelosi, Capitol cafeterias went "green" with compostable cups and utensils. Now, House Republicans have ended the program - returning to trusty plastic utensils and foam cups - and enraged Democrats, who say the Capitol is hurting the environment.
Republicans say the compostable utensils dissolved in hot liquids, couldn't penetrate lettuce, and easily broke. Also, big surprise, the environmental benefits were paltry: "the total savings were equal to taking one car off the road per year."
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Comments :
Feb '11
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
I don't know the details of this, but several possible objections to the post come to mind.
How many people eat at the capitol cafeterias per day? 5,000? 10,000? Scale that up to the size of the country and you have 30-60,000 vehicles off the road per year. Non-trivial.
Secondly, you're comparing apples and oranges. The plastic is filling up land fills and is inert. Cars cause an entirely different set of problems, unless you're talking about cars in landfills.
So, I'm more perplexed by the post than anything.
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
This is why I still eat with my fingers.
Sorry mom.
May '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
At least it prevented congresscritters from stealing the silverware. Incorrigible, those guys.
Also, they got rid of Pelosi's San Francisco haute cuisine. The longest line in the cafeteria is now for the BBQ counter. Why? Cause it's America, dammit, that's why. The way things ought to be.
Dec '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
They seem to have no trouble gorging themselves at the public trough so why not use those instead?
Feb '11
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Hang On: Secondly, you're comparing apples and oranges. The plastic is filling up land fills and is inert. Cars cause an entirely different set of problems, unless you're talking about cars in landfills.
So, I'm more perplexed by the post than anything. · Mar 17 at 8:24am
I could have been clearer that the article states the compostable utensils and cups “failed to produce significant savings in carbon emissions," and only compared to taking one care off the road per year. Carbon emissions was the connecting thought there.
I agree that plastic utensils aren't a perfect answer, but I think the bigger issue is practicality: Pelosi's choice of utensils weren't good utensils. The Republicans are saying, we'd like to eat. We'd like to stab our lettuce. And sip our soup with spoons that don't disintegrate.
Aug '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Plastic is fine if it is recyclable and you recycle. It is the massive piles of the stuff ending up inert in our landfills that are the biggest problem in my mind -- same for Styrofoam.
Personally, I like the potato based spoons/forks I used to get at Whole Foods.
Jun '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
I like the washable utensils myself — no landfills needed.
Edited on Mar 17, 2011 at 10:12amJul '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
They're consuming liquids containing utensils turned compost?
I call it just deserts. They've been feeding Us crap for decades.
Feb '11
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Lauren,
I read the NYT article after I posted. So sorry for that. I understand about wanting to be able to stab your lettuce and cups not disintegrating. But it makes me chuckle to think the bottom of Nancy Pelosi's cup is going to fall out like the bottom of everything else she has touched has fallen out. Somehow very apt.
Oct '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Welcome Lauren and Semper Fidelis to your husband, even if he is an attorney.
It's reassuring to hear that our congress is transitioning away from being paper tigers but won't the plastic utensils increase the risk of injury?
Jun '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
I love the liberal penchant for empty symbolism: instead of attacking problems like too much spending, they demonstrate their fundamental goodness by engaging in activities that are utterly meaningless. What's Congress' approval rating? Say 20 percent. Yet they have somehow convinced themselves that they are the models of behavior that the great unwashed will immediately follow because they do it. Nancy thought people care what kind of cutlerly they use. We don't.
Try out Tom Sowell's book The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulations as the Basis for Social Policy. It's a terrific analysis of this silly liberal propensity. Nero fiddles while Rome burns.
Edited on Mar 17, 2011 at 12:38pmOct '10
Re: Cafeteria Fight: No More Melting Spoons on Capitol Hill
Riddle me this..How many folk use disposable tableware at home ???
If the concern is that Congress folk will lightfinger metal table utensils...
Make them sign for them, or issue some upon arrival. Now there is a test of responsibility... If they cannot be trusted with keeping track of knives, forks and spoons... Well you figure out the rest....
Or maybe let them bring their own, now that saves by letting them clean up themselves...
Edited on Mar 17, 2011 at 4:50pm