The most common stereotype levied against Americans by the Brits is our perceived lack of class and overall coarseness. During my time in the UK, I frequently joined in because poking fun at my country is infinitely easier than trying to defend it and there is a bit of truth in it, no? Bear in mind, I am not a huge fan of generalizations and stereotypes. I always brushed such accusations off as leftover sore feelings from the Revolutionary War.
However, the truth has been revealed to me. We Americans are savages and it’s because we use paper plates.
This travesty of civilized behavior was brought to my attention during a work dinner. A co-worker was recalling her vacation in the US with relatives. ‘I had a great time BUT’… then she leaned in and made a confession in a hushed tone… ‘they served us meals on paper plates.'
The table recoiled in horror as though just informed they served the family dog for dinner. Exclamations of ‘Shocking, why?’ filled the air.
Then, the truth. ‘Well, they were on vacation and didn’t want to wash dishes.’
Naturally, all eyes turned to me. They wanted affirmation. Why do Americans love paper plates? At this point, I considered denying this was American related and that her experience was a fluke coincidence. But I didn’t. I decided to fess up. ‘It must be because we are lazy’ was my honest reply.
I knew the Brits were not paper plate fans shortly after arriving in the UK. This section at Tesco is woefully small. Except for messy meals, Perry and I are huge fans of paper plates. So, we have a large pile on hand at all times.
A friend came for dinner one night and as I opened the cupboard, she spied my cache. She squinted and wrinkled her nose. “Are you serving dinner on paper plates?” I briefly considered serving her spaghetti on a paper plate just to take the piss out of her but the mess factor got the better of me and instead replied “We usually serve guests on real plates.”
A few weeks later, we happened to pick up a pizza from Pizza Hut. On the box was a fun new tag line ‘There’s More to Life Than Washing Up’. Presumably to remind harried mums that washing dishes after cooking a meal is taking precious time away from nurturing her children (thanks marketing!), Perry and I decided it was really a sign to continue our paper plating ways with abandon.
The phrase resides on the fridge as a constant reminder.