Disposable plates and utensils for Thanksgiving dinner?

[Pam]

We usually use the real stuff but we don't have a big family. This year it's all disposable as my Mom's dishwasher is kaput, to the point she had to turn hot water off at the sink. No biggie. And no racking our brains on what to get her for Christmas

No you're not weird. There are no "rules".

[Mr Downtown]

Good heavens, what would you consider an occasion for which the good china should be used?

[cbelt3]

The Good China and silverware gets broken out for holidays and birthdays. Over the years we've lost perhaps one of each piece.

HUGE gatherings involving finger foods and people circulating, and outdoors ? Definitely paper.

[NewtonMP2100]

.....saves you work but that is a lot of plastic......and styrofoam is not recyclable....at least use paper plates and biodegradable utensils.........

[3d]

NewtonMP2100 wrote:
...and biodegradable utensils.........

Kinda difficult to eat mash potatoes and gravy with wooden chopsticks

[3d]

Mr Downtown wrote:
Good heavens, what would you consider an occasion for which the good china should be used?

Good china?? We don't even have a dining table. We have a 4-seat table in the eat-in kitchen. We break out 2 long plastic folding tables from Costco for company. The tables serve double-duty for backyard BBQs in the summer. And cover the folding tables with plastic table cloths from the dollar store to class it up for the holidays

[davester]

Most of the plastic will end up in the oceans or clogging rapidly dwindling landfill space so we don't use plastic disposables at our house. For parties with finger foods we use compostable paper plates and sometimes reusable plastic glasses. However, for a nice sit down dinner disposables are pretty tacky IMHO. How hard is it to put some dishes and utensils in the dishwasher?

[Markintosh]

davester wrote:
Most of the plastic will end up in the oceans or clogging rapidly dwindling landfill space so we don't use plastic disposables at our house. For parties with finger foods we use compostable paper plates and sometimes reusable plastic glasses. However, for a nice sit down dinner disposables are pretty tacky IMHO. How hard is it to put some dishes and utensils in the dishwasher?

Well said Davester

miley-gen013:

[OWC Jamie]

Not everyone has plates and utensils for 35 people.

[Uncle Wig]

billb wrote:
Not everyone has plates and utensils for 35 people.

Where'd you get 35 from?

3d, I hate to think about all the waste you generate with your parties. Washing dishes is not that big a deal (says the guy who doesn't own a dishwasher).