Grasping at Straws

My husband and I love going to the movies. We both grew up enjoying a darkened theater, hot buttered popcorn and the thrill of the unknown unfolding before our eyes.

We met and married in a small town in southern New Mexico.

As adults living in Tiny Town, USA, there wasn’t a whole lot else to do on a sweltering hot weekend. Fortunately back then, the summer time was prime time for new movies to come out.

As the years progressed and we moved to the booming metropolis we call Spokane, we still headed to the movies, regularly.

The advent of CoVid 19 and subsequent quarantines certainly put a hold on all things public, including movie making and movie going.

It also forced us to change the way we do business in nearly every business. The Movies are no exception.

Pre-CoVid, we loved going to B & B Theaters in Airway Heights because you could enjoy dinner and a show without ever having to leave your seat.

The food was actually delicious, not the usual microwaved, previously frozen fare found at other theaters, but real, fresh cooked meals.

Coupled with a drink from the bar all ordered from the comfort of your theater seat and delivered while you enjoy a film, the whole dinner and a show experience was one of pure enjoyment.

Not so anymore, thanks to two hard years of CoVid restrictions. This theater which once stood above the others now serves up the same fast food fare.

No more fancy pasta dishes or daily specials. Just fake cheese nachos, microwaved frozen pretzels and hot dogs- seriously what’s in those things?

Also, forget the mixed drink or beer with dinner and you have to order at the concession because no-one’s coming into the theater to deliver your order.

First world problems, right.

Last weekend we went to see Oppenheimer.

Before the movie, we stopped at the concession to get our drinks and popcorn. Jim and I love the slushy, overly sweet, artificially dyed concoctions that give one a brain freeze and burn the throat.

Served up in a plastic cup with plastic bubble lid, they usually come with a longer, wider plastic straw.

Not anymore. Nope, we’re saving the world from the dreaded plastic straws that will be the absolute death of us all.

They offered only skinny, paper straws about two inches too short for the drink cup.

Knowing how inefficient paper straws are, I grabbed a few extra. Jim got two sips into his and the straw swelled shut.

I got part way down the cup before I had to give up on mine and replace it.

Drink fast, I thought, because I only grabbed two extras. Now I ask you, how is it saving anything if we have to use more than one straw? People love to use so called earth friendly products and avoid using plastic products.

But have you ever thought about what resources go into making all those “earth friendly” products?

Or what resources, like hot water and soap, are being used washing out containers for recycle, not to mention the process of recycling?

Large diesel trucks transporting the recyclables to the center, processing them for shipment to who knows where, transporting them to their final destination, then burning lots more fuel to actually recycle the plastics, papers and metals.

I know I’m going off on a tangent, but it’s just the kind of thing I think about.

Out of sight, out of mind is not my motto. I think about the whole process, from my home to said recycled product’s next life.

I’m not saying overflowing landfills is the answer, but I honestly don’t know how much good we’re doing by recycling, either.

Ok, now that I got that off my chest, this whole rant started because of the poor quality food (is it real food?) and crappy paper straws

B & B is passing off in their drinks. I don’t like them or the farce they represent. I guess I’ll bring my own plastic reusable straw next time. And of course, there will be a next time.