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Styrofoam food containers used by street vendors
Posted: 2:39 pm, December 22nd, 2009 in Miscellaneous
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13 Comments
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i think mr brooks posted something about that once re: melted polystyrene at the fried chicken cart. it was gross.
but i don't really see them ever changing their containers. aside from their ability to retain heat better than other containers, i have a feeling it's more economical for vendors to use these (in much the same way you can get 3 lbs of food at mcdonalds for a much lower price than 3lbs of fruits and vegetables at the grocery store).
unhealthy is cheaper in America.
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If you are eating from a cart, I don't think you should be worrying about the styrofoam containers, say, over the likely fat content of what you are consuming LOL
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Hey, Goats, i order Big Mac with diet coke.
Maybe i will bring my own stainless steel container next time and ask the guy to put my food in there. I know some people who do that with their coffee. lol
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That makes more sense than the styrofoam concern to me...since perhaps you are saving calories for a 2nd or dareisay 3rd big mac.
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2 big macs in one sitting? Sounds like a great dinner to me. Forget the fries and eat a 3rd. lol.
I don't like styrofoam either but do enjoy eating XPL. That's probably why 53/6th would have a very slight edge for me with their aluminum containers. ;P
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well, I order Bic Mac maybe once in every 3 years but i eat lamb over rice from XPL like once every week so it concerns me especially when these containers have proven to be very bad for your health.
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i don't know if it has been 'proven' to be bad because they've never really told us how much would be needed to harm us. whereas we know how bad nitrates can be if subject to high temps, and eaten in mass quantities etc etc.
it is pretty much everywhere though (even yogurt containers and water bottles) and that worries me. not to the point of paranoia but i do wonder sometimes ...
aluminum is technically poisonous to us too. the products we use don't harm us because of some oxidation process that creates a barrier of unharmful aluminum. but if you scratch it and breath it in or rub it into your skin, it will damage you too. i've also heard that aluminum based deodorants can cause memory loss.
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dean- a big reason my mom changed over to stainless EVERYTHING. she's a bit paranoid when it comes to things that cause other things.
haven't tested it in a while, but the 53rd&6th containers used to leave a trail on my desk (cream colored). in other words, if i would take the container, and slide it across my desk, it would leave marks like i was writing with a pencil. now those containers are stacked one on top of another, so i'm sure i'm ingesting some part of that. oh. well.
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@locondcoco, haha, I am beginning to fall into that category as well. so is the world truly scary or are we all budding hypochondriacs?
FYI, sodium laurel sulfate (found in toothpaste) is a possible carcinogen! and flouride in tap water may help prevent tooth decay but it is also lethal in high doses. oh and stainless steel that is made with nickel or chromium could also be harmful. nickel is poisonous and chromium can damage your DNA.
... yea there's no getting around it. everything in the world can give you cancer.
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Wait, are these styrofoam-phobes the same people who are buying and drinking water out of plastic bottles? (While getting ripped off AND hurting the environment unnecessarily at the same time!) Wow.
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Next time, bring a glass bowl then to the Halal cart if it bothers you. Forget metal or plastic anything. We all know that anything can harm you in large quantities.
And I also see the metallic film come off the containers on my desk from 53/6th. It happens and bothers me a little that I eat their salad but whatever. Even worse when I once found a bit of aluminum foil and another time there was plastic in my street meats but that wasn't at 53/6th. Never know what might get you besides the nitrates...
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Disposable plastics are bad in so many ways. Apart from the cancer some impart on food when melted. Environmentally it's wasteful, and it destroys the enjoyment of eating food for it turns almost all foods soggy and spongy. This is especially disappointing where food is supposed to be crunchy or crispy or chewy.
The commissary at my work uses paper-based containers. Bascially, they're made out of the same type of paperboard as egg crates but shaped like the usual strofoam containers. While they may not be the best for very wet foods, the food within maintains its integrity.
I'd rather eat tepid food that has the right texture.
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Alas, that kind of material has limited utility... can't really use it for soups, rice, dumplings, stews, pasta, salads, ice cream.... unless you spray it with wax or plastic like they do in paper cups. But then it would be difficult to recycle (and obviously we're trying to avoid plastic here).
i know what you're talking about though. i think Whole Foods uses that type of container too, except it doesn't have a hinge.
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I am a big fan of street vendors but I'd be an even bigger fan if they get rid of their styrofoam food containers(aka #6 plastic, Polystyrene) which are known to cause cancer, etc. Have you ever ordered a hot food that came in a melted styrofoam? I love going to XPL and love their $5 lunch special. I'd gladly pay $5.50 if they change their containers to something abit 'healthier'.