I don't see why - we've managed it fine and I've got a terrible memory. I've got a messanger bag and usually just keep a metal straw in it for whenever we want some.
A fair number of people carry around reusable coffee travel mugs and those are far more of a pain in terms of size and weight.
I'd clarify, I'm living in Canada so there might be some cultural differences here.
So you always have your messenger bag on you? Or you always know ahead of time that you're going to bubble tea and bring your messenger bag?
What do you do after you use it? Do you wash it after use or put it in your bag dirty to wash later? Not trying to argue but surprised people actually go through the trouble.
> A fair number of people carry around reusable coffee travel mugs
Yeah but that's usually in order to carry coffee they made at home. Not in case they decide to visit a coffee shop during the day.
I live in NYC and I'm not sure most people who are getting bubble tea knew they were going to get bubble tea when leaving their home.
I indeed always have my messenger bag[1] on me - after using it, assuming I'm not carrying the drink container home with me (or to someplace I can easily rinse it) I'll usually wrap it in a paper napkin - that's pretty rare though, usually by the time I can dispose of the drinking vessel I'm able to wash the straw out.
Reusable bubble tea straws are also small enough that they'll easily fit in most purses - the length might be a bit too much for clutches but if your purse is big enough for a phone chances are the bubble tea straw will fit just fine.
Yeah, I guess as someone who wouldn't always have a bag or purse on me the calculus is different (and for that matter, someone who would forget to wash the straw).
I think that's totally reasonable yea - reusable items aren't environmentally sane for infrequent purchases - if you drink coffee a few times a year it'd be silly to get a travel mug, similar to bubble tea straws. So, on the other hand, if the straw came with a 5cent disposal fee it probably wouldn't significantly impact your purchase.
That's a good idea, a very reasonable way of doing it.
Would be totally fine with an even higher(25cent) disposal fee. Makes no difference to the 4 times a year user, the frequent user gets a reusable straw.
A lot of Canadian grocery stores now have bag taxes - so a 5c fee for a bag to carry your groceries out in. A lot of people just swallow the cost, but it has led to a pretty dramatic increase in reusable bag adoption.
It's not in any way/shape/form more practical to carry more things with me when the alternative is that someone hands me a disposable version of the thing at time of purchase.
Not everyone carries a bag with them -- and even if every single person on earth had a bag it'd STILL be more inconvenient for those people to waste cargo space in the bag with a straw when the alternative of being given a disposable one at time of purchase is available.
I feel like there is a misunderstanding of the word 'impractical' here.
Carrying your own straws is a lot of things -- wise, prepared, ethically-conscious, whatever -- it won't ever be practical ( practical : of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas. ) until the much more convenient option of being given a disposable straw at purchase time and trashing it at the end of use is no longer available to choose.
- You'd have to know you are getting bubble tea before you leave your apartment (or always carry a metal straw)
- It's deeper than most pockets, and can poke and potentially hurt you when bending over, so you pretty much need a bag (or use a shorter straw that will get lost in your drink).
- You need to somehow clean and dry it after use, and put it back in your bag
You're suggesting people bring their own straws to bubble tea? That's very impractical.