Used by the Sumerians to drink their beer and avoid the dregs of fermentaion as early as 3,000 BCE, used by Argentinians for their mate, used by kids worldwide in its bendy form, the humble drinking straw has been a staple of beverage drinkers throughout the world and throughout the ages. It has evolved from gold and metal, to rye grass, to paper coated with wax, to plastic, and now to biodegradable straws that won't clog the landfills. The straw has been shown to limit tooth decay when drinking sugary drinks, as it limits the contact of the liquid with the surface of the teeth. In crazy straw form, it has coaxed children to drink their milk. My favorite is the straw pictured, the aimiable bendy straw. What little joys have been had by unwrapping said straw part way, then launching the wrapper at your brother blowdart style, scoring a direct hit.
I thought the bendy straw was invented for hospital patients who were too weak to lift their heads. And I, too, blew the wrappers off my straws in public places, well into my 30s, until my wife said it was childish and embarrassing. So I stopped ... until we had kids. I had to teach them proper and now we all do it (except the wife).
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