Straw Stories
I had lunch one Saturday at the Ateneo cafeteria with Rob Roque (’07) ( I was done with my Algebraic Structures class; he just finished shooting his political party’s ad for the freshmen elections). We reserved our table by leaving our stuff on it, and got our food at the sizzling counter.
I kidded Rob for getting a drinking straw for his complimentary iced tea (this last statement should be hilarious in an esoteric way); a lot of environmentalists discourage the use of straw for drinks, including Lakbay Kalikasan (the group responsible for all the Pisay sophomore Outbound Activities the last three years), for straws contribute to non-biodegradable trash. Rob countered by saying that he avoids immediate contact with the liquid; the cold drink causes pangingilo for him, thus his need for a straw. I rebutted by saying that using straws (especially in fast-food chains) make me accident-prone. I once tipped my drink by its straw, and saving all the food and things on the table from the wetness is such an adrenaline moment. By not using straws, I am lessening the chances of minor disasters. “Ang negative naman ng paradigm,” Rob commented.
It seems a drinking straw is useful for a lot of reasons. Aside from Rob’s dilemma, drinking a cold drink directly by the rim might not be the optimum way to maximize taste. Since ice floats, the drink’s flavor is more diluted near the rim than the bottom of the cup; with a straw, a person sips a more concentrated drink that is considerably cold. Of course, practicality should also be considered. There are tall and slim glasses that require straws. Zagu products and the like dictate huge straws for the sago and other solid ingredients. However, drinks in tetra pack do not actually require straws, even though they give complimentary ones. One can easily cut along the flap or in the corner and gulp.
A drinking straw is also one of the simplest tools that exhibit a lot of Physics phenomena, specifically air pressure. I remember a simple experiment in grade school, wherein a student is challenged to drink using two straws simultaneously: one in the water-filled glass, the other outside the glass, exposed to the air. It will take a bionic man to accomplish this.
Probably my first straw encounter happened when my siblings and I buy Coke at the sari-sari store in front of our house. We do not want to leave a monetary deposit for the bottles, so we just ask the vendor to put our soft drinks in plastic (I have always wondered as a child how these vendors perfected the art of transferring soda from the bottle to the plastic while containing all the “bubbles” that results from the action). We then walk back to our house happily, each sipping with a straw. We sometimes tie up the opening of the plastic and bite the bottom, drinking dextrose-style.
We actually buy the Family Size Coke more often since this is less expensive. Wow, the joy of transferring the soda to your cup and letting the effervescence tickle your nose. Thus my rule: straw when plastic, no straw when cup (sorry, Rob). How I miss soft drinks in general; I stopped drinking more than two years ago (in an effort to eat more healthful foods).
I was also fond of collecting our used straws and connect them end to end (I just realized now that they were unwashed). The unlimited polygons (especially quadrilaterals) formed amazed me. But I will not attribute my fondness of Mathematics to this events, though it might have helped.
Straw dispensers are another story. The first time I saw them in Jollibee, I was struck with awe. I just had to get ten straws for myself, while the person at the counter tried to stop me, all the while smiling. Bright people never stop inventing cool stuff.
Rob and I finished our lunch, and we had to part ways. I hope he wins; Rob has a lot to offer Ateneo, as witnessed by the Pisay community. If indeed he does, Ateneo’s SOSE (School of Science and Engineering) can just sip and relax.
I kidded Rob for getting a drinking straw for his complimentary iced tea (this last statement should be hilarious in an esoteric way); a lot of environmentalists discourage the use of straw for drinks, including Lakbay Kalikasan (the group responsible for all the Pisay sophomore Outbound Activities the last three years), for straws contribute to non-biodegradable trash. Rob countered by saying that he avoids immediate contact with the liquid; the cold drink causes pangingilo for him, thus his need for a straw. I rebutted by saying that using straws (especially in fast-food chains) make me accident-prone. I once tipped my drink by its straw, and saving all the food and things on the table from the wetness is such an adrenaline moment. By not using straws, I am lessening the chances of minor disasters. “Ang negative naman ng paradigm,” Rob commented.
It seems a drinking straw is useful for a lot of reasons. Aside from Rob’s dilemma, drinking a cold drink directly by the rim might not be the optimum way to maximize taste. Since ice floats, the drink’s flavor is more diluted near the rim than the bottom of the cup; with a straw, a person sips a more concentrated drink that is considerably cold. Of course, practicality should also be considered. There are tall and slim glasses that require straws. Zagu products and the like dictate huge straws for the sago and other solid ingredients. However, drinks in tetra pack do not actually require straws, even though they give complimentary ones. One can easily cut along the flap or in the corner and gulp.
A drinking straw is also one of the simplest tools that exhibit a lot of Physics phenomena, specifically air pressure. I remember a simple experiment in grade school, wherein a student is challenged to drink using two straws simultaneously: one in the water-filled glass, the other outside the glass, exposed to the air. It will take a bionic man to accomplish this.
Probably my first straw encounter happened when my siblings and I buy Coke at the sari-sari store in front of our house. We do not want to leave a monetary deposit for the bottles, so we just ask the vendor to put our soft drinks in plastic (I have always wondered as a child how these vendors perfected the art of transferring soda from the bottle to the plastic while containing all the “bubbles” that results from the action). We then walk back to our house happily, each sipping with a straw. We sometimes tie up the opening of the plastic and bite the bottom, drinking dextrose-style.
We actually buy the Family Size Coke more often since this is less expensive. Wow, the joy of transferring the soda to your cup and letting the effervescence tickle your nose. Thus my rule: straw when plastic, no straw when cup (sorry, Rob). How I miss soft drinks in general; I stopped drinking more than two years ago (in an effort to eat more healthful foods).
I was also fond of collecting our used straws and connect them end to end (I just realized now that they were unwashed). The unlimited polygons (especially quadrilaterals) formed amazed me. But I will not attribute my fondness of Mathematics to this events, though it might have helped.
Straw dispensers are another story. The first time I saw them in Jollibee, I was struck with awe. I just had to get ten straws for myself, while the person at the counter tried to stop me, all the while smiling. Bright people never stop inventing cool stuff.
Rob and I finished our lunch, and we had to part ways. I hope he wins; Rob has a lot to offer Ateneo, as witnessed by the Pisay community. If indeed he does, Ateneo’s SOSE (School of Science and Engineering) can just sip and relax.
posted by mardan at 9:37 PM
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