Go to any number of restaurants these days, and you will be handed one of the above bundles of dishes that includes a plate, bowl, spoon, and glass. they are the sign of the new trend in Shanghai’s restaurants, outsourcing of dish washing to third parties.

Initially, you might think they are a good idea. A sign of safety that the dishes are clean, safe, and ready to use, but for me what they represent is waste that goes well beyond the plastic wrap.

They are wasteful by their very design in that these packages, once opened, require that every dish need to be sent back for re-sterilization and re-wrapping. so, pop the plastic, and use the spoon.. and you have to clean the plate, the bowl, and the cup in order to make the set complete again.

Wasteful of resources. No, instead of the kitchen staff washing the dishes as they are used, they most store enough for a day (requiring more dishes then would normally by be purchased), while at the same time an equal amount is being washed. So, the actual stock of dishes needed to support the store are actually 2-3 times what would normally be required…..don’t forget the fact that now (unlike before) all those chipped, but still useful, items are now no longer fit for service, which means that the average age of the products is significantly less.

Wasteful of energy. Instead of washing on site, the entire lot must now be crated and sent (by truck) to a centralized facility where it is washed and then returned (by truck) to the store.

.. and finally, there is all that plastic wrap that is only there for show. That really serves no purpose but to give customers a measuse of reassurance that the plates they are about to eat from are spotless.

There really must be a better way to accomplish a goal of providing customers with a feeling of safety without this product.