The Plastic smile

Kids nowadays cringe to carry them, the ‘laadiez’ in goggles promptly hand over their responsibility to their drivers in public, the pseudo environmentalists loathe them and now they are charged for by grocers ! Yes, this little everyday ‘thing’ that invites so many emotions is nothing but your old friend- the plastic bag. What suddenly awoke my interest in writing about the plastic carry bag comes from a very fascinating way of boiling potatoes in the microwave , you heard it right, the microwave by simply plonking them in a water filled plastic bag. Now those of you who are hyper about what can and cannot go into the hotbox will understand my pure shock & intrigue while the others can just snigger at my ignorance of the wonders of the hotbox’s appetite for all things plastic baggy!

So, coming back to the tale, let’s accept it , however much all of us might recognize the evils of the garbage residue laced (that’s what someone apparently told me as a kid) , we all have our plastic bag treasures neatly tucked away under the bed, near the gas, under the utensils and of course the special ‘branded’ ones from that upto 50% sale at the luxury retail mart stacked unfolding in the special place in our cupboards. Trust me, the history of these useful treasures goes back to the 1950s. Even the new TV, the new car seats all things prosperous come covered in plastic bags that keep the shine going for a while longer. Even though there has been an outcry over the ecological hazards of plastic bags and their suffocation effect, they continue to be a part of our everyday lives. From the neighborhood vegetable vendor to the organic vegetable store at the mall, the plastic bag has seen times of inflation and times of plenty.  

You hate them, you need them, you throw them, you treasure them…. It’s all but plastic love in the end.