Planning a Super Bowl Party without the Mess
Happy New Year! Christmas and New Years are behind us. The next big event, other than the 33rd annual Wedding Party Show this weekend, is Super Bowl Sunday, February 5. Many people have Super Bowl parties, some at restaurants or pubs, others at private homes. If you are among those planning a party at home or perhaps at your community club house, you are probably not looking forward to the mess at the end of the day. Unfortunately, when a group gets together and food and football are involved, messy happens.
You can control some of the messies, and help the environment, with a bit of preplanning. You might start with what you serve. If you order in pizza, you will have boxes, crusts, sauce and other possibly gooey and messy items to deal with, so be sure to have plenty of large trash cans and bags on hand. If, on the other hand, you prepare a crock pot of soup or chili, you will have considerably less clean up, even if you use disposable bowls and spoons. Serving beverages in individual cans or bottles means more trash. Purchasing 2-liter bottles and providing glasses or making coffee or tea will reduce waste.
Interestingly, according to a Cornell Food and Brand Lab study, what you use to serve the food affects how much people eat, both at the party and later in the day. The key factor is whether guests consider the food to be a meal or snacks. If the food is served in real dishware with real spoons or forks, guests think of it as a meal. They will eat more, but in most cases will not have another meal later. Conversely, if paper plates and napkins and plastic forks and spoons are used, guests tend to think of it as snacks. They will graze throughout the game, then go home and consume a meal.
The choice is yours - disposables and take-out or delivered food equals more clean up. Or you can provide your own food and real dishes, which means you have to wash dishes, but you keep a great amount of gunk out of the landfill. If you decide to use paper and plastic, look for biodegradable products made from corn, bamboo or wheat fiber, including cups, spoons and forks.
Whatever you decide to do, plan your party so you can relax and enjoy the game, rather than feeling as if you must spend your time on clean up patrol.
You can control some of the messies, and help the environment, with a bit of preplanning. You might start with what you serve. If you order in pizza, you will have boxes, crusts, sauce and other possibly gooey and messy items to deal with, so be sure to have plenty of large trash cans and bags on hand. If, on the other hand, you prepare a crock pot of soup or chili, you will have considerably less clean up, even if you use disposable bowls and spoons. Serving beverages in individual cans or bottles means more trash. Purchasing 2-liter bottles and providing glasses or making coffee or tea will reduce waste.
Interestingly, according to a Cornell Food and Brand Lab study, what you use to serve the food affects how much people eat, both at the party and later in the day. The key factor is whether guests consider the food to be a meal or snacks. If the food is served in real dishware with real spoons or forks, guests think of it as a meal. They will eat more, but in most cases will not have another meal later. Conversely, if paper plates and napkins and plastic forks and spoons are used, guests tend to think of it as snacks. They will graze throughout the game, then go home and consume a meal.
The choice is yours - disposables and take-out or delivered food equals more clean up. Or you can provide your own food and real dishes, which means you have to wash dishes, but you keep a great amount of gunk out of the landfill. If you decide to use paper and plastic, look for biodegradable products made from corn, bamboo or wheat fiber, including cups, spoons and forks.
Whatever you decide to do, plan your party so you can relax and enjoy the game, rather than feeling as if you must spend your time on clean up patrol.
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