The car we drive looks as if it were made of nothing but steel and glass. But that is not true. A significant part of an automobile is plastic. What we wear may look like wool or cotton or silk. But it is not. My fine Calvin Klein raincoat is made of polyester, 100 % as the label explains. Polyester fiber is indestructible. That used to be a virtue. We now understand that indestructible means that the material is not biodegradable, hence may be a menace to the environment. My coat will not be forgotten. It will be around for a long, long time. There is something ominous about that thought.
In my youth we always bought a bouquet of flowers along with the food for the dinner table. Decorating one’s home with fake flowers, while cheaper in the long run, was a decided no-no, considered the epitome of bad taste. It just was not done. Not so any more. Artificial flowers are now so perfectly crafted that at first glance you cannot tell fake from real unless you touch. In bank lobbies, hospital corridors, restaurants, and other public places fake greens and flowers are normal decor these days. One often sees signs posted that warn housekeeping staff not to water “the plants.” Artificial flowers, being made of polyester, are of course also indestructible. They are a good investment. They keep a long time.
Somehow this makes me think of cemeteries. Never was there a sadder sight than a new grave covered with wilted and rotten flowers. I will leave instructions that I want a huge arrangement of polyester flowers on my grave. They will last 100 years, they say. Cemetery strollers-by will stop and look who is buried in that indestructible grave. My way to intimate immortality.
Some plastics, Teflon for example, are particularly useful in my daily life. I no longer burn as much of what I cook as I did before I got my Teflon pots and pans. I have now advanced to the next level of culinary expertise. I found out that I can melt plastic spoons and other utensils into humorous shapes simply by leaning them against hot burner elements.
Plastics are so common in our lives that even children understand their many uses. On a road trip with friends the three women in the front seat were discussing the merits of different fabrics for women’s intimate wear. Eight year old Mike in the back seat was following the conversation with great interest. One of the women said that she liked silk best. No, said the second, it has to be cotton. Before his mother had a chance to declare her preference little Mike felt obliged to join the debate: “We got plastic!” he informed the party.