Plastic Plates and Plastic Forks.

With the heat wave it has been difficult to be outdoors for any long periods of time. As far as I can remember, this was the first year I missed out on the fireworks celebrating the Independence Day.

Today I was watching Newshour and Gregory Djanikian read one of his poems. It was about the July 4 celebrations and he had a line about plastic plates and plastic forks. Until today I had thought of these plastic implements as tacky examples of the disposable consumerism plaguing this country. In my day-to-day life I avoid these items as I try to keep a low environmental footprint. But I realized today that plastic plates and plastic forks are part of the Americana. It is our culture just like Las Vegas, Popsicles or hot dogs.