My husband and I ordered take out the other night from the local Japanese restaurant. We ordered three rolls, hijiki, a green salad and some dumplings. When we were done cleaning up, I took a step back and really looked at the waste generated from all the containers used to transport our meal. I’ve done this before, but never been motivated to actually stop and think long enough to want to change my behavior regarding one of NY’s diehard habits. And then I did a quick and rough calculation: I figured that if they got just 30 take out orders a night, and multiplied that times the number of days in a week, weeks in a year and then times that by the number of Japanese restaurants in Brooklyn alone…I lost track when I hit 230,000 separate pieces of plastic. I started to feel dizzy and a little sick. Not to mention guilty. Basically, that is one shitload of plastic containers. There has got to be a better way! First of all, no more take out.

Yes, I’d like a Blue Vervain Watersboten on the rocks please. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? The bottle looks as though it’s from a different century, the name implies that it’s from a different country and it tastes as though it’s from a different world. These are subtle elixirs. Fragranced and smooth. SD Watersboten, based in Pennsylvania, is a purveyor of what they call Herbal Table Waters. These are drinks based on Angelica, Verbena or Rhodiola Rosea. They have a rarefied quality. And at almost $17 per 32 fluid oz., they will be served accordingly. But don’t you just love the bottles! More information here. Photographs by Richard Quindry.

One of my favorite summertime meals is a calamari salad to which I have added bean thread noodles. They key element being the noodles themselves. And, they come in an eye-popping pink mesh bag. The closure consists of a red plastic ring and an orange rubberband. A lot of citrus fruits come packaged in those same types of bags. In part as a way to enhance the color of the fruit, which I find a little deceptive. Either way, I love the bags, and use the pink ones in particular instead of wrapping paper. I actually have one hanging on my wall because I love it so.