#18 Waste Not, Want Not Or I Said NO Bacon!!!

Snowman and I are at Houston's. I order the iced tea. They don't give me a straw. I'm not sure why, but they never give straws with their iced tea. Out of habit, I ask for a straw, but once they give it to me, I say to Snowman, "I forgot, I wasn't going to ask for straws anymore in an effort to conserve plastic. I mean, if they give me a straw, I'm going to use it, because it's not like they're going to save it if I don't, even if it's still wrapped. So it might as well be used. But if they don't give me one, I'm not going to ask."

Snowman called this the Straw Paradox, which is something to the effect of, some things might as well be used--even if you're morally opposed--because otherwise they'll just be thrown away.

This was a no-meat day for me (for those of you who don't know, I alternate days of not eating meat) so I order a salad, hold the bacon.

They don't hold the bacon. I say to the waitress, "This has bacon on it." She whisks it away.

But then we discuss: What's more important? That I don't eat meat on a no-meat day or that I don't waste the salad they gave me which they're just going to throw away? I mean, the pig is dead and the bacon is cooked.

I can't decide before my new salad arrives. With no egg, but still with bacon.

I say to Snowman, "What? I hadn't come to a conclusion about the Straw Paradox yet! I'm not ready to be tempted!"

I say to the waitress, "This still has bacon on it." I say it more because they got the order wrong twice and I want them to know it (although, the service is usually spot on).

I finally get the right salad, but I feel badly because I've wasted two and the pig is dead, dead, dead whether I choose to eat it or not.

This how I made my peace with the Straw Paradox: I'm not a vegetarian, and until I become a full-timer, if I ever receive a meal with meat in it, I'm going to eat it, because at this point I think it's more important not to waste the food than to stick to my princple not to eat it.