There are days for all tastes. Strange days and curious days, such as February 11. Do you know why? Because that day is celebrated, no more and no less, than the World Straw Drinking Day. As you may already know, we are lovers of reusable straws and super haters of plastic straws.
But do you know who were the first to use them? Well, none other than the Sumerians and the Babylonians. And do you know why? Well, to avoid swallowing the dregs of beer. But the most curious thing of all is that they were made of precious materials and had the same shape as the trunk of butterflies, essential for sucking pollen from flowers.But the years went by and the wonderful invention that is the straw also evolved. There were several pioneers, all of them curious and eager to solve some little problem or other related to drinking. It was not until 1870 when a man named Eugen Chapin patented the first straw. He made it for sanitary purposes, as he claimed it was "a drinking tube for invalids".
Updates and new versions followed, such as that of Marvin Stone, a cigarette holder manufacturer who invented a straw made of Manila paper to avoid drinking the hay stalks in his cocktails. He then made it waterproof by adding a kerosene film. Finally, we cannot forget Joseph Bernard Friedman, another inventor who decided to help his young daughter drink through a straw. What he did was to incorporate a flexible fold, making the straw much more comfortable and ergonomic. Such was its success that the healthcare sector came back to demand it. Thanks to this small inclination, patients lying in bed could drink even while lying down.
Yes, the straw is a very cool invention. It has made drinking easier for children, the elderly and the sick throughout history. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Straws were wonderful accessories made of paper or cardboard, but come the 50s and 60s and everything changed. Plastic, plastic and more plastic. A lot of disposable items made of plastic, such as straws, invaded the lives of people all over the world.
Well, that's when this harmless product began to invade our planet, generating millions and millions of plastic waste that is totally harmful to our environment. Such is the magnitude of the problem that the European Parliament itself has banned single-use plastics such as cutlery, plates, cotton buds and straws. If all goes well, by 2021 these products will disappear from our supermarkets.So don't deprive yourself and enjoy the benefits and glamour of drinking through a straw. Of course, always reusable, like our super set of 2 stainless steel straws. An ideal alternative to leave behind plastic straws, which we use for only 5 minutes and then spend five centuries on Earth.