trendwatch: my hashi benetton chopsticks
i really must give ecoprops to my japanese homies for pioneering eco (pronounced eh-ko ｴｺ) before it was what all the cool kids were doing, and my observations from my recent trip to japan only furthered that belief. to be fair, there were some rather disappointing practices that made me frown as well, but more on that later.
since my closest friends like to beat me when i don’t bring back omiyage for them, i found myself scrambling around the massive shopping complexes of my mom’s hometown whimpering, and at times, blatantly talking to myself. each shop displayed wares which were either too cutesy, too useless or too illegal to bring back to the u.s. until, to my utter delight, i discovered my hashi (by benetton, yes, that benetton). apparently, they don’t just make corduroy pants and cashmere berets in all the colors of the rainbow. they also make chopsticks in all the colors of the rainbow!
 |
my hashi, which means, surprise!, “my chopsticks” in the mother tongue, allow you to tote around your own pair of utensils and obnoxiously whip them out when dining with your pals. it’s a great conversation starter, although you should be warned that many of the reactions will be hostile. one hostess even tried to force her disposable wooden chopsticks on me! seriously, can i live?!!!
overall, i think these my hashi are great, but there are 2 flaws that i would like to point out:
 |
1. they are packaged in a plastic tube wrapped in yet another plastic sleeve! why??! they are supposed to be eco-conscious!
2. the “hashi wipe” tissues that come in the package are a bit silly. i’d rather excuse myself to clean my hashi in the bathroom than rub them vigorously with alcohol-smelling disposable napkins.
all in all, i give my hashi a thumb and a pointer finger up! get it? because you use those fingers to hold your hashi… no? okay, i’ll stop now. let’s just say that they are worth the 1050 yen, but you could certainly find a better, less wasteful alternative.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
why is this a site?
swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.
look for stuff
feed yourself