Are straws an unnecessary (but convenient) invention?

DragonWasabi@monyet.cc to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 75 points –

People often talk about swapping out plastic straws for other materials to help the ocean/fish and the environment, but they also complain about paper straws falling apart easily. Other alternatives that are slightly more sturdy like straws made of straw don't seem very common.

But do we even need straws? My first reaction was that any liquid can be drunk directly from the vessel it's in, and straws just add another level of convenience. If we don't want to use plastic straws and the alternatives mostly suck (actually all straws suck 🤓), why not just ditch straws entirely?

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There's a couple of reasons straws might be convenient or even necessary:

  • You have a disability that causes movement problems like shaking
  • Limited neck/shoulder/arm mobility or a swollen lip (The latter makes it hard to get a proper seal)
  • You wear lipstick or other makeup that could get washed away
  • Your edibles were too strong
  • You can build containers that don't spill when they fall over

(Edit: Add text at the beginning instead of just throwing a list out there)

Your edibles were too strong

A mistake easily avoidable. This only happens if you say "these edibles ain't shit" 45 minutes after taking them.

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