Here is a story of modern times and consumer pleasures: Plastic containers in Mexico have become as familiar as a carnival procession in a small town. Not so long ago, market booths gleamed with metal tins, pottery pots, and woven baskets. These days, you are more likely to find mouths open at the convenience sprawled over the aisles in the form of clever, vibrant plastic containers. And oh, the stories they chronicle.
If you pay close enough attention, you could hear a vendor in Mexico City remembering grandma’s kitchen where beans simmered in large clay pots. By now, even abuelas are enjoying the light-weight marvels of plastic. After all, when you’re simply storing a few leftovers, who wants to lug a load as weighty as the family drama?
Looking over the pages of recent supermarket history reveals a range of amazing ideas. Wander down any corridor containing kitchen supplies and you might find some UV-light sterilizing containers that would as well wave a magic wand over your food. These are the convenience kings and queens, not just plastic boxes, people. Keeping sopes from turning mush, tamales warm, and beans fresh.
Even the farmers going south of Guadalajara have started piling produce in recyclable plastic totes built to resist hours under the intense heat. With the tenacity of a telenovela protagonist, the container revolution has rocked customs and brought a rainbow of adaptability.
Of course, seated over a cup of o’ joe, having a conversation with an industry expert uncovers some interesting observations. Production of plastic containers has experienced a creative explosion fit for a spectacular display. Think about biodegradable substitutes now under development to help us to solve the mounds of garbage we have already been left wondering about. These goods go beyond mere practicality. They are about accountability, a notion once alien as a gringo in a mariachi band.