Dirt Don't Hurt: How about opening the lid to allow respect for opinions of others

You might think the easiest way to divide a group of people is to ask their political preference, religion, or whether they prefer cats or dogs. But there is another question that sends ripples of disagreement through a crowd that might rival those dividing categories.

I sat in a room of mature women, all roughly the age of my mother-in-law who kindly invited me to attend a luncheon with her. A speaker educated us on healthy eating and food safety, and during the Q & A session, someone started asking about plastic food containers.

We learned that reusing food containers such as from sour cream or whipped topping are not really appropriate for storing food, and should be discarded. (This brought slight gasps and murmurs through the crowd because any midwestern woman worth her salt has sent home leftovers with loved ones marked as Cool Whip.)

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Food storage container facts of life

The conversation took a slight pivot from thinking about how much food we’ve frozen or given away in an empty tub of margarine to how and where we store our food containers. And while the conversation in the room may have been limited, I sat in the back and imagined what was going through every woman’s head.

Storing containers with the bottoms stacked and the lids separated is the best way, thought some. It saves on space and I can easily find a bottom and a top.

Storing bottoms in one basket and lids in another is the best way, thought some. This way they don’t get intertwined and I can easily keep them separate.

Those handy storage solution shelves are the best way, thought some. They keep my lids organized so I don’t have to sift through shelves or baskets of lids and bottoms trying to find the ones that match.

Mixed opinions can equal a delicious casserole

And there I sat, surrounded by women who know way more about kitchens and life than I do, and I slowly raised my hand, thinking about all of the times I have dropped to my knees and gone into the cave of containers at other’s houses, working up a sweat trying to find the right lid for chosen bottom.

“I, um, store my containers, um, with the lids on,” I said. And I do. Stacked right up there in the cabinet, not any more in number than will fit Thanksgiving leftovers in my refrigerator. After my comment I looked down so I couldn’t see the stares of shock coming from across the room.

But there is a moral to this story. Just like cat people versus dog people, we are all different and if we weren’t, what a boring place the world would be. Choose what’s best for you but be respectful of others because no matter where you store your lids and bottoms, we all hope they come together to store what’s left of a delicious casserole.

Reach Karrie McAllister at mckarrie@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: McAllister: Matters of opinion can be recipe for super casserole