'Styrofoam' Paranoid

"S T Y R O F O A M " a word inside my 'devil list' especially when comes in association with food.

I went for my breakfast at a muslim stall I used to patonize, located at Fortune Centre along Middle Road. Usually, I order rice with dishes which was serve on standard melamine plate, today I decided to give a try on their mee goreng noodle.

I placed my order, the lady took out a styrofoam plate to start serving the mee goreng noodle. I was irriated, as i am always when someone serve me food with a styrofoam, thus I asked her why she give me a styrofoam plate, i don't like it! She explained that is how the stall serve breakfast for mee-goreng, so later they could just dispose it. Obviously, that doesn't sound like a reasonable enough reason for me, as i don't see a different why they can serve rice on melamine plate and serve breakfast mee goreng on a styrofoam?

I continued: "styrofoam is not good, it's very bad for the environment".

Interesting the lady replied: "... it's impossible to be that 'not good' lah, if not they will not sell it to us."

As if my comment is not valid to her... I proceed to the cashier, feeling so obliged to take my breakfast with such devil serving. And I still cannot get over why someone could trust styrofoam 'can never be so bad', I presisted another method to sound to her...

I said: ' Oo you don't know that styrofoam is not good huh?'

She replied: 'No not good wan, if not good Singapore government where got allow them to sell to us. You know Singapore government...'

I replied: 'Styrofoam cannot be recycle you know? It take 500 years to degrade.' (I wasn't sure how long styrofoam takes to degrade in the environment actually, i was just trying to sound how serious and difficult this material is to recycle).

She laughed and replies: 'Hah 500 years! We where can live until so long...'

I was real annoyed this time: 'Hi how can you say that... Do you have children? It will affect your children you know...!'

I settled the bill. I guessed our conversation ended as 'joke of the day' on the '500 years' to that lady...
but it haunted me the whole morning on why someone could be so ignorant, irresponisble and puts all responsibilty to the government?

DOUBTS
How could people be so ignorant in this information edge society?

Are people misleaded by information for commercial purposed?

Why do people feel nothing wrong at all when certain things are used commonly and allowed by law?

Why certain people regards life after their death not as their responsibility? Aren't they worry that their acts are damaging their children and generations down the road?

So called 'environmental movement' and activities is happening in and out of the city; so often addresses in TV and radio programs.
"Do people really understand the word 'RECYCLE' means?"
.... afterall, this word does not surface so regularly in our life until recent year.

Is it so difficult for the government to outlaw the use of 'styrofoam' in a small city?
How much time does our planet still left ...?
Many cities and counties have outlawed polystyrene foam (i.e. Taiwan, Portland, OR, and Orange County, CA).

LINK
http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html

IT TAKES ACTIONS...
Imagine, if everyday just one customer bothered to stand out to sound to the hawker lady:
'Hi do you know that styrofoam is bad for environment and our health!'.

In a week, there will be 7 customers, in a month there will be at least 29 customers whom had rise the same issue to the hawker lady.

Say after a year, getting 348 repeated comments on one same issue might not change the 'stall policy' ... but it could help to draw ones consciousness to a fact ... one day. We can't give up hope on our planet, can we?

CONSUMER POWER
Say 'NO' everytime when someone serve you with styrofoam material and keep them inform that 'Styroform is not a desire material to use'.

HOPE
Our government outlaw the use of ploystyrene form or styroform in our city.

Why I start this blog 'Convenient Society'

With endless 'Inconvenient Truth' flashing in our life,  i can't help to think of the price man had actually paid for a 'Convenient Society' in exchange of our mother-earth.

The damage might be beyond repair however I hope it's never too late to realize and learn again the food we eat, the lifestyle we lead.

2009, I was living in a rather remote town in Central Vietnam for a few months. At the beginning life there was 'so inconvenient' for me in many ways. I can't wait to pardonize the first 'KFC' on its grand opening, to indulge in my 2 Pc-Meal!  I was counting down so impatiently for the BIG-C Hypermart opening, hoping that it will carry all the convenient stuffs I needed.  As few months passes, I realized I had lived though the inconvenient ways naturally.  My flu was healed with lemongrass inhale threatment.  Vegetables in wet-market don't look so 'beautiful' visually, later did I realized that was what known as 'organic food' in the city and that is supposed to be pricey. Over there, it only cost me less than USD0.30cents for a big bundle of fresh lettuce; with soil still intact on it's roots.  Fresh beef was wrapped with banana leafs... and usually people in the town do not stock dairy food in the freezer overnight, they just buy what is needed to consume within the day. 

Unconsciously, my mind had slipped into a different operation mode. Many things are simply D.I.Y., not like back at home where I would just grab what I need from the hypermart or dine out so conveniently. When in Vietnam, I even make my own jam with the excess strawberries from the highland.

The time came when I have to be back to the city life. I recalled I was just away from home for less than 6 months, in my return I discovered much 'wrongs' everywhere.... the smell, the noise, the taste, the color, the spirit and etc. 'What's wrong?'

I realized I have got my (default)senses back, senses that I do not remember I had before or rather lost unconsciously as I grew up in a commericalize and polluted city. Being a mutated city dweller indulged in this 'Convenient Society' over the past thirty over years, I never even question or sense if anything is not so right in such a convenient society... I used to think that's supposed to be what is to be.

With the blessing of my senses tuning back to its default point, I began to see life otherwise. After all so assumed 'inconvenient' ways of living does not seen so bad after all....really. It is just a matter of changing our daily habits.

At one look we could be the winner of  this 'Convenient Society', on another could we be a victim, or could we be a culprit?

In this 'Convenient Society' blog, I am going to recall the issues I discovered from another perspective... no longer a mutated city dweller but with the senses I was 'gifted' back. I am real thankful indeed.

Nothing is better than getting back ones consciousness.