News Disney removing plastic straws and more by mid-2019

[Lensman]

Just some factlets:
1. Temperature of your refrigerator: 40 F or below. Mine is set for 37 F.
2. Temperature of soda dispensed from a Coca Cola Freestyle machine: below 40 F, according to the Freestyle user manual.
3. Why does soda taste better at McDonald's: clean fountain, fresher syrup, filtered water, chilled syrup lines, and custom straws

Having your soda poured over ice will result in the drink being 32 F and maintained at that temp. One problem with soda over ice is that the continually melting ice will water down your soda eventually. Despite a vendor being able to adjust the brix of their fountain, as the ice in the drink melts, the soda will start to taste watered down.

I don't use ice at home, but I do when visiting relatives in more warmer climates - especially the ones who don't have AC!

Note that not all ice is made equal. According to ice aficionados, nugget ice, also known as "Sonic ice" is the ideal ice for drinks. After the start of the nugget ice craze*, manufacturers started targeting countertop nugget ice makers for the home market. I mention this to highlight how much ice is worshipped here in the U.S.. I imagine this is hard to understand for those who grew up in other countries - or maybe even in the less ice-obsessed parts of the country!

* If anyone knows where this craze started I'd love to know. The earliest reference I have to it is this interview with Matthew McConaughey in the Texas Monthly in 2008 that references a 2003 interview. Yet I know that Scottsman invented nugget/pellet ice in 1981 so it's possible for the home pellet ice craze to have started earlier than 2003.

 

[Fishbait]

While I do support taking better care of the environment, the problem is that it feels like they are just virtue signaling and forcing that upon guests. I use maybe 2 straws a week? I don't believe vague/unsubstantiated numbers anyway and don't believe that this is anything more than pandering.

To be honest, "progressives" and their recent tendency towards authoritatrianism and groupthink is more troubling to me than plastic straws.

Still, I don't support Disney leadership or the direction the company has gone in recent years and so stopped giving them my money years ago. So virtue signal all you want, Disney.

 

[Texas84]

Has anyone confirmed paper straws or no straws at all?

 

[jaklgreen]

You are completely misapplying the other poster's comment about 'formulated for ice' - In a fountain drink, the ratio of syrup to water is a huge factor in taste and 'texture' in the drink (how heavy it is or not). I believe what he was referring to was how the syrup ratios are set expecting an amount of contribution of ice. In both carbonation levels and syrup ratios due to the water contribution - not that they syrup is different itself. Syrup for distribution for fountain drinks is different than bottling plants tho AFAIK.

Second, yes, syrup is different in other parts of the world. This is why you can buy 'mexico coke' now here... we use HFC in the US, many other countries do not... instead using true sugar. The difference is quite noticeable.

As for no ice, yes it's common practice in some other countries... but it's practice and culture that pre-dates soda. The behavior is more tradition than science driven. (stigmas about dirty ice.. or the preference for spirits or wine). You'll also notice that europe prefers carbonated water over non (they call it still water). Where as here, tonic and carbonated water w/o flavor is not common at all except in older people. Why? It's what people are brought up with and cultural expectations. Same thing can be said for portion sizes...

I've read stuff about the properties of carbonation in different containers... foam vs paper/wax, etc.. but I've not seen anything that would suggest significant impacts to customer satisfaction. But I've not researched that specifically either...

This is so true. We went to Poland and they do not like to use ice in anything(this is how I grew up, drinking warm soda yuck). And I learned a hard lesson about the bottled water. I had to pay attention and read the bottle to make sure it was not carbonated. The funny thing is the carbonated water just said water and the still water said "noncarbonated," in Polish of course. I think it is a cultural / personal preference thing on how cold you like your drinks. Some people drink warm water(gross again) but others have to have it cold. Neither is right or wrong just personal taste.

 

[jaklgreen]

Note that not all ice is made equal. According to ice aficionados, nugget ice, also known as "Sonic ice" is the ideal ice for drinks.

That is because there is more surface area to the ice and the drink gets colder, just above freezing. We keep our fridge at 34 degrees. The MrPibb comes out nice and cold from the can. But fountain soda is better. When we win the lottery we will set up a fountain in our house. LOL

 

[Lensman]

Here's a funny article about Russians and iced drinks:
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/ice-enough-already/?ref=opinion

Here's my favorite line:

Later, I asked one of the waitresses, why the no-ice policy.

“Over in Ukraine, they put ice in their drinks,” she explained. “But not in Russia.”

Note: It's not just the Russians, but rather all Europeans. And when I visited Beijing, the restaurants I went to served hot water in water glasses. My friends said it was probably due to habit from having to boil water before drinking it. Also, they said that there was somehow a feeling that cold water and cold drinks are unhealthy. A quick Google search shows that ice water is uncommon in India as well. In fact, I've been hard-pressed to find a country where ice water is common - even our neighbors to the north in Canada default to water (no ice). My last hope is Australia, which I've heard is similarly obsessed with cold drinks, but I can't find anything definitive and they may be biased because they are a Commonwealth country. LOL

 

[jaklgreen]

Here's a funny article about Russians and iced drinks:
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/ice-enough-already/?ref=opinion

Here's my favorite line:


Note: It's not just the Russians, but rather all Europeans. And when I visited Beijing, the restaurants I went to served hot water in water glasses. My friends said it was probably due to habit from having to boil water before drinking it. Also, they said that there was somehow a feeling that cold water and cold drinks are unhealthy. A quick Google search shows that ice water is uncommon in India as well. In fact, I've been hard-pressed to find a country where ice water is common - even our neighbors to the north in Canada default to water (no ice). My last hope is Australia, which I've heard is similarly obsessed with cold drinks, but I can't find anything definitive and they may be biased because they are a Commonwealth country. LOL

This is EXACTLY how I grew up. Cold drinks are bad for you according to the older generation. My grandma still freaks out when I bring over a cold drink and acts as if it is attacking her hand if she touches it. My dad would put warm water in our orange juice, ick! And soda does NOT taste the same warm as it does ice cold.

 

[Gitson Shiggles]

And soda does NOT taste the same warm as it does ice cold.

Warm soda (non-chilled) tastes sweeter; usually, too sweet. Food and beverage temperature does affect taste.

https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2005/12/19/Food-temperature-affects-taste-reveal-scientists

 

[21stamps]

Some people drink warm water(gross again) but others have to have it cold. Neither is right or wrong just personal taste.

The warm water drinkers are wrong.. drinking cold water helps to burn calories.

 

[jaklgreen]

Warm soda (non-chilled) tastes sweeter; usually, too sweet. Food and beverage temperature does affect taste.

https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2005/12/19/Food-temperature-affects-taste-reveal-scientists

To me it does not taste sweeter, but it does feel more flat.

 

[Gitson Shiggles]

The warm water drinkers are wrong.. drinking cold water helps to burn calories.

There’s this great brunch place in town where they will put down a carafe of cold, but not ice-cold, water without ice. The glasses we receive for water do not have ice in them, either.
We then request cups with lids for our kids, and guess what, they bring our kids out cups of water with ice. Why do the kids get the good stuff?

 

[Gitson Shiggles]

To me it does not taste sweeter, but it does feel more flat.

That is because there’s less energy in colder soda, which prevents CO2 from escaping.

 

[21stamps]

There’s this great brunch place in town where they will put down a carafe of cold, but not ice-cold, water without ice. The glasses we receive for water do not have ice in them, either.
We then request cups with lids for our kids, and guess what, they bring our kids out cups of water with ice. Why do the kids get the good stuff?

I prefer ice-cold water sans ice.

 

[_caleb]

While I do support taking better care of the environment, the problem is that it feels like they are just virtue signaling and forcing that upon guests. I use maybe 2 straws a week? I don't believe vague/unsubstantiated numbers anyway and don't believe that this is anything more than pandering.

YOU use only 2 straws/week. But Disney "uses" many, many more. You say "virtue signaling," but isn't it really just marketing? Many Disney park guests (and potential guests) might appreciate the "virtuous" change and be more open to buying stuff from Disney. Also, Americans are increasingly moving away from single-use petroplastics in every aspect of life– water bottles, plastic bags, etc. Straws and lids are the next easiest thing to reduce/eliminate. Perhaps keeping with this trend is pandering, but is it bad?

 

[fluffy]

I have no problem with paper straws but I would like them to have an option to use a "paper bag" rather than charge you for a reusable one. I guess I will be packing my reusable bags in my backpack this time.

 

[Lensman]

YOU use only 2 straws/week. But Disney "uses" many, many more. You say "virtue signaling," but isn't it really just marketing? Many Disney park guests (and potential guests) might appreciate the "virtuous" change and be more open to buying stuff from Disney. Also, Americans are increasingly moving away from single-use petroplastics in every aspect of life– water bottles, plastic bags, etc. Straws and lids are the next easiest thing to reduce/eliminate. Perhaps keeping with this trend is pandering, but is it bad?

I believe the idiom, "damned if you do, damned if you don't" was created for situations like this.

 

[UCF]

YOU use only 2 straws/week. But Disney "uses" many, many more. You say "virtue signaling," but isn't it really just marketing? Many Disney park guests (and potential guests) might appreciate the "virtuous" change and be more open to buying stuff from Disney. Also, Americans are increasingly moving away from single-use petroplastics in every aspect of life– water bottles, plastic bags, etc. Straws and lids are the next easiest thing to reduce/eliminate. Perhaps keeping with this trend is pandering, but is it bad?

Thats not true. Water bottle consumption is still increasing every single year, with no end in site. Disposable plastic bags are typically replaced by single use paper bags that are even harder to reuse and are physically 8+ times the size, and much heavier, needing much more fuel to move them around, from initial production all the way to disposal at the landfills. Our latest trend is the single use individually wrapped pre-portioned food ingredients for single meals, which uses much more plastic and resources. The straw thing is simply a feel good action thats easy to do and typically has relatively little suffering, much like the plastic bags being replaced by paper bags (after we replaced paper bags for environmental reasons with plastic bags, something people keep forgetting). Ironically one of the pizza places near me used to give plastic straws and jumped on this bandwagon, and about the same time, they also switched from reusable plates to plastic disposable... I asked why and they got rid of straws to save the environment, and switched to plastic plates because with minimum wage going up they couldn't afford to keep paying a dishwasher and switching to plastic plates is cheaper. Some environmentalists...

 

[Lensman]

Ironically one of the pizza places near me used to give plastic straws and jumped on this bandwagon, and about the same time, they also switched from reusable plates to plastic disposable... I asked why and they got rid of straws to save the environment, and switched to plastic plates because with minimum wage going up they couldn't afford to keep paying a dishwasher and switching to plastic plates is cheaper. Some environmentalists...

I suspect that the reason for both changes was to save money. They just had a convenient excuse for the straw change. They're clearly not environmentalists.

BTW, I recently came across the 2016 United States National Postconsumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report and the 2016 National Post-Consumer Plastic Bag & Film Recycling Report. Fascinating stuff. Recycling rates on bottles hit a peak in 2015 and have slumped slightly since then. It's not clear what's caused this but the report calls for additional consumer education and a continuing increase in convenient collection of bottles for recycling in all public venues.

 

[flynnibus]

after we replaced paper bags for environmental reasons with plastic bags, something people keep forgetting

No we are just smart enough to know it was a bs excuse. At the time reducing paper waste was the fad... but it was short sighted pitch that ignored paper was renewalable and easier on the environment. The eco pitch was marketing only.... the real benefit was to the bottom line and the expense of the future. Eventually that future arrived, and the penalty was seen. Now the move is to reusable....

 

[flynnibus]

I
BTW, I recently came across the 2016 United States National Postconsumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report and the 2016 National Post-Consumer Plastic Bag & Film Recycling Report. Fascinating stuff. Recycling rates on bottles hit a peak in 2015 and have slumped slightly since then. It's not clear what's caused this but the report calls for additional consumer education and a continuing increase in convenient collection of bottles for recycling in all public venues.

They should do what other countries do.... force deposits of significant value on the bottles and make it super easy to reclaim it. There are vending machines out there today that take the bottles in... shred them... and give the person their deposit right then and there. And deposits are of significant size too... nearly a dollar a bottle.

Works amazing in Oslo... imagine what a finite space like wdw do if they wanted to be a model for people to experience and learn ‘yes we can...’