BY LISA DURANT

In 2016 France became the first country to ban plastic plates, cups, and utensils and in so doing declared disposable plastic—a mainstay of “carefree” society—no longer à la mode. The laws go into effect in 2020 and transitions are underway, with exceptions only for compostable, bio-sourced materials. Hats off to French lawmakers, who in upholding the spirit of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement made it a priority and took decisive action. They believed that promoting a “circular economy” of waste disposal from “product design to recycling” was essential to curb global warming.

What’s interesting to consider is how carefree became a part of culture we tacitly accept as normal, proper, and advantageous. Since the 1950s marketers have promoted plastics as part of a retail mentality summarized by Victor Lebow, who counseled then President Eisenhower. Lebow said, “Our enormously productive economy … demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption … We need things consumed, burned up, replaced, and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.” Purpose, as experts explained, became consumption, a wheel that spins faster and faster.

The use of plastic was not only a marketing scheme to incent consumption, it ushered in a new era of convenience purported to help “modern” women with their home duties. Foods could be stored in plastic containers. Single-use plastic serving plates, cups, and utensils could be tossed out in lieu of cleaning them. Marketing convenience became a smash hit with Americans and fundamentally made “disposable” the national maxim and societal norm.

Companies were quick to profit from the consumption bandwagon and took it a step further by manufacturing for planned obsolescence—a methodology of deliberately designing products to fail and thus require replacement purchase. Products were skillfully marketed to emphasize “out with the old and in with the new.” This approach still works and has enriched a host of modern enterprises who have skillfully narrowed the time cycle between when their latest-and-greatest fashion item, gizmo, or smartphone shifts from “must-have” to disposable bling.

But fast-paced carefree convenience comes at a steep cost. The Paris Climate Agreement made a declaration amongst countries that things must change. It acknowledged the part that all participants in all systems must play to enable a cleaner, more sustainable planet for future generations. France didn’t put the throwaway culture’s go-to’s—plastic plates, cups, and utensils—under scrutiny just be cause of a cultural preference to sit and eat à table; theirs was a statement of responsibility and accountability that we should emulate. Not only do plastics require millions of barrels of oil to produce, but also they don’t degrade on disposal—they break into fractional and miniscule pieces. Recycling plastic is captured—expensively—at only a 10% rate and compound products such as razors, toothbrushes, and juice boxes cannot be parsed.

Sadly for our oceans, where most of our atmospheric oxygen derives, plastic pollution is grave and only worsening. The Ocean Conservancy estimates that 150 million metric tons of plastic are currently awash in the oceanic system—and an additional 8 million metric tons are added every year. This excess has created garbage cyclones known as “gyres” located in the North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and Indian Ocean.

According to Ocean Cleanup’s 2017 report, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch situated between California and Hawaii is three times the size of France. It consists of a whopping 79,000 tons of plastic in the form of 1.8 trillion pieces. But that is just what meets the eye! What scientists observe on the ocean’s surface excludes the microplastic particles that lack enough surface tension to float—these wind up drifting to the sea floor or being ingested by marine life. The UN Clean Seas Campaign estimates that there are a mind-boggling 51 trillion such particles in the oceans—500 times the number of stars in the galaxy.

Beyond environmental degradation are the health concerns. The BPA and PBB in plastic products leach into the food supply and incineration releases dioxin. The toxicity of these chemicals makes us sick with cancer, endocrine disruption, skin lesions, allergies, and who knows what more? Nevertheless, plastic production and consumption are expected to double in the next 10 years.

As Rachelle Strauss of UK Zero Waste Week says, “We never actually throw anything ‘away,’ it’s really just put somewhere else.” Dealing with plastic is a matter of setting intentions responsibly at all levels—by individuals, companies, and government. Beyond the plea for consumers to bring their own bags, bottles, utensils and jars, there is a plea for manufacturers to reconsider and redesign their product and packaging with a beautiful and sustainable planet in mind. Let’s face it—the solution to halting plastic pollution is simple: Reduce, reuse, recycle.

The consumption ethos of the ‘50s promised greater satisfaction. Was it false advertising? If we look at health statistics and other measurements such as those from the World Happiness Project and compare them to those from the ’50s, the answer is clearly yes. Surely it’s time to reconsider the true price of our cavalier carefree disposable lifestyle and take a page out of the latest French stylebook. The French are famous for saying life’s greatest pleasure is found by slowing down and taking time for meals, savoring them with friends and family, or even solo if need be. Let’s follow their most satisfying example—sans plastique.

Lisa Durant is a sustainability, food, and wellness expert and event designer

BY LISA DURANT

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

—James Beard

How fitting to feature James Beard’s quote in Common Ground Magazine, as we share a timeless, eclectic list of San Francisco food favorites inspired by place, history, and culture.

Zuni Café

This famous café opened at the crossroads of Market and Rose Streets in 1979, and walking into Zuni still feels the same as it did in those heady early days. The familiar brick oven roasting Judy Rogers’ famous chicken makes a visit seem like coming home when travels have taken us away. Paired with toasted bread salad and Little Gems, Zuni’s roasted chicken is the perfect antidote to SF’s chilly fog. Champagne and oysters with mignonette make the experience especially festive.

Café Jacqueline

Also in 1979, Jacqueline Margulis opened one of the most romantic restaurants in the city on Grant Street in North Beach. The ambience of this boutique outpost with its old wood floors and small tables for two and four adorned with white tablecloths and red roses pronounces love even for the skeptic. The waiters like to know your story and if you’re a longtime patron they certainly do. Jacqueline herself whisks dozens of fresh egg whites into an old copper bowl every night to create the light, fluffy peaks that make every soufflé sublime. The menu is simple: hors d’oeuvres, salads, and sweet and savory soufflés. The butter lettuce salad, leek soufflé, and Grand Marnier soufflé can’t be beat.

Yank Sing

Who can resist the rolling carts chock-full of steamed delights served up Cantonese style with a friendly smile? The Chan family started serving dim sum in 1958 and the award winning cuisine continues to delight at new locations on Stevenson and in the Rincon Center. Go for the pork dumplings, pea shoot dumplings, soup dumplings, and sesame balls with jasmine tea.

Jackson Fillmore Trattoria

Open since 1985, Jackson Fillmore remains an SF hot spot for those in the know about places to swap food and stories. Delight in any pasta dish, especially an all-time favorite, the spaghetti alla carbonara, and yes, you can count on the traditional garlic-tomato bruschetta, complimentary as always. As devotees know, finish with the signature zabaglione.

Gracias Madre

“Welcome to a seat at love’s table.” So goes the phrase to welcome you at Gracias Madre, which became an instant classic when it opened in 2009. It serves food the way the protagonist in Like Water for Chocolate did—where food is a representation of love. Flautas de camote, crispy tacos filled with sweet potato and caramelized onion, topped with guacamole and cashew nacho cheese, are my suggestion, paired with a glass of house Tempranillo. The vegan chocolate cake and coconut cream will assuage any sweet tooth.

Plouf

When Bastille Day rolls around every summer, expats and Francophiles celebrate at 40 Belden Place. For more than 20 years, Plouf’s have been the best moules mariniere to be found, accompanied by an incomparable buzz of vieux monde street café atmosphere.

Sidekick Café/Cowgirl Creamery

Inspired by Paris agricultural fairs, West Marin’s favorite old school creamery opened a café in the Ferry Building that serves some of the best grilled cheese “toastie” combinations to be found stateside. On Saturday market days look for the French Haute-Savoie favorite, raclette, served traditionally with cornichon.

Tartine

No great food list would be complete without Tartine Bakery, the place to find viennoiserie as you’d expect it in France. Chefs Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson trained in France and first launched Bay Village Bakery in Point Reyes. They even had a small presence in Mill Valley for a time. Who knew a small endeavor would grow to become a worldwide sensation? Enjoy the pain au chocolat, croissant aux amandes, toasted sandwiches, and fresh country bread available at 4pm.

Italian Homemade

When the founder of Bakers of Paris, who is Parisian, insists Italian Homemade is the best pasta in the Bay, take note. At Italian Homemade, diners choose their pasta type: tagliatelle, pappardelle, fettucini, gnocchi, ravioli, and top with their choice of sauce: Bolognese, meatball, marinara, pesto, béchamel, butter and sage. Fantastic, even to the most demanding Parisians!

Lisa Durant is an event producer and experiential marketing strategist.