Survivors

 

Weirdly sad - for someone who grew up in the fifties, sixties and seventies - was the news the other day of the demise of Tupperware, or at least of the Tupperware company. Founded in 1942 by the eponymous Earl Tupper, their products were to define food storage habits for the next eighty-plus years; their airtight seals [still!] keeping crackers, biscuits, cookies and sundry other perishables fresh after opening. The offspring of Tupper's vision can be seen in countless knock-off products and food packaging the world over. His marketing genius dreamt up the idea of 'The Tupperware Party' - a kind of franchise system - where someone, pretty much always a housewife [God that sounds so archaic] would take on the rôle of host in their own home, to sell Tup's products to their friends and family over drinks nibbles and banter, in the evening, while the men were either out doing whatever 'men' did in those days, or else banished for the duration to their shed or den [tick culturally appropriate box as appropriate].

My mom used to attend these soirees back in the sixties, coming back with an assortment of polyethylene goods, ranging from simple storage boxes to funny little cruet sets, most of which were still in service in some way until she died in 2007. Pictured, is our rice steamer, bought when we lived in our first flat, before we were married. Jane went to a 'Tupperware Party' at our friend Julie's flat in the same building and came back with the above. It's been in use ever since, and as you can see, there is zero wear and tear evident, apart from some discolouration of the outer part of the lid. That's forty-six years of regular use. The thing is evidently indestructible and will outlive us by a very long margin indeed; in fact, come the eventual extinction of mankind, there will be some notable survivors which will still be around for a few more million years hence: cockroaches, fruit flies and bloody Tupperware...