# Drinking straw or no - what kind of person are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451 "2014-07-18T13:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/41 "2014-07-18T23:41:39Z")
Straws are for children or invalids, I always thought. I’ve never in my life requested or bought a straw, or wanted one to drink through. But they’re handy for drinking something iced or juicy while driving, I guess. A bit less messy, but without is fine too. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/42 "2014-07-18T23:42:01Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I even drink my coffee from a straw…it makes for a fairly efficient cooling tower. Physics! Physicists are wusses. Ask somebody’s dad. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/43 "2014-07-18T23:58:32Z")
Do milkshakes count as “cold beverages” for these purposes? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/44 "2014-07-19T00:10:33Z")
straws are good for children who might not have tge strength, coordination and coodination to hold on to a big beverage without risk of spillage. they should be used by adults and children to drink milkshakes. this is good lung exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/45 "2014-07-19T00:21:17Z")
I love straws when one’s handed to me, but I don’t take the initiative to get one. And I have a probably irrational fear that if I use one in a hot drink, the plastic will melt. So sometimes with a cold beverage, but pretty rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/46 "2014-07-19T00:29:07Z")
Only at fast food restaurants, because they’re _there_. (Like climbing a mountain.) At home, if somebody needed a straw I could probably find one in the pantry but it’d be covered in dust. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/47 "2014-07-19T00:35:32Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > It’s peach season so I voted for pie. It’s not peach season her. Now you’ve gone and made me crave a peach. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/48 "2014-07-19T00:48:45Z")
Chocolate malt - TWO straws, always. The goodness is spread evenly into my mouth by directing the flow to each side. Everything else - NO straw. However, reading this thread has given me a sudden hankering to suck a peach pie through a straw. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/49 "2014-07-19T00:56:13Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > However, reading this thread has given me a sudden hankering to suck a peach pie through a straw. 😃 the crust will plug the straw. how about a peach smoothie instead? ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/50 "2014-07-19T01:17:00Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > the crust will plug the straw. Not if it’s as flaky as it’s supposed to be! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/51 "2014-07-19T13:41:08Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > \ > I am firmly in the “Never - any” (AKA the only correct way) camp. My dad referred to staws as “sissy sticks” and that has stuck with me ever since. **John Wayne** never used a straw so I don’t either. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/52 "2014-07-19T21:23:53Z")
When I was younger I had to wear headgear at night. Then only way to drink then was to use a straw. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/53 "2014-07-20T02:11:54Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > So if you use the drive through at a fast food restaurant and your order includes a drink, when you receive the drink you immediately remove the lid and straw and drive around with it sloshing out all over the place? Aha, an assumption not based in fact! 1. I rarely eat fast food, and almost never while driving 2. If I will need to eat and drive I will get a bottled drink and not order a cup contained beverage. > [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > That’s _weird_. You ain’t from here, are ya? > [@Trinopus](#): > > Do milkshakes count as “cold beverages” for these purposes? Yep, and it’s consumed with a spoon if thick enough. If not spoon thick then normal, strawless drinking will suffice. It’s fun to lick milkshake remnants from one’s moustache. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/54 "2014-07-20T02:28:22Z")
I only said “sometimes” because I don’t always have the opportunity to use them. For example, I’d never use them in a proper restaurant. But left to my own devices, hells yeah, a straw. Cold beverages only, though; I’ve never considered having a hot beverage with a straw–wouldn’t it melt? Anyway, for me, straws are more fun. I don’t care if it’s childish, it gets me to drink more. Also, no lipstick to wash off the glass. (Speaking of vanity: I try not to purse my lips too much–don’t wanna get wrinkles.) And they’re _great_ when you have a toothache, let me tell you! You can bypass most of your teeth entirely if you put the straw lightly farther back on your tongue. I think this might actually be beneficial for one’s tooth enamel, at least slightly. Another benefit is mentioned earlier as a joke, but when drinking out of cans or bottles, I definitely will opt for a straw if at all possible. I don’t know where these things have been stored before I got them, or how clean they are. Straws give the illusion (if nothing else) of saving me from the wee little beasties lurking on the unknown can. (I say “illusion” because if they’re lurking on the outside of the can lid, they can probably creep inside once it’s open anyway, so… still, at least I’m not putting my mouth directly on 'em.) The trick with ice and avoiding the “drinking the warmest part of the drink,” **RealityChuck** , is lifting the straw a bit and sipping so the end is in the ice section. Easy. Finally, with milkshakes, ideally it’s thick enough to enjoy with a spoon. If not, definitely a straw for me. It feels like it lasts longer that way, too. P.S. All the better if it’s a _bendy_ straw! Loooove bendy straws. Just the little plasticky noise they make when bending them back and forth makes me nostalgic and happy. Silly I know. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/55 "2014-07-20T02:40:20Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > My dad referred to staws as “sissy sticks” and that has stuck with me ever since. Maybe his memory predated plastic straws, when they were paper and often would end up flattened and useless in the mouth, especially with thick milkshakes\*. \*Milkshakes, not fast-food joints’ chemical “shakes.” ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/56 "2014-07-20T05:13:40Z")
I use a straw when I’m given one at a restaurant. Outside of a restaurant, there’s only one situation where I use a straw: while I’m driving. We have a pack of straws in our glove compartment for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/57 "2014-07-20T05:17:55Z")
I only ever use [this straw,](http://images1.vat19.com/covers/large/strawz-drinking-straws-green.jpg) carrying it with me at all times to all functions. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/58 "2014-07-20T13:58:17Z")
No straws. Drinks taste better without them, as the straws limit distribution of the beverage across the taste buds. Someone said use a straw because the glass at the restaurant might be dirty- what about the forks, spoons, and plates? ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/59 "2014-07-20T17:02:51Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Someone said use a straw because the glass at the restaurant might be dirty- what about the forks, spoons, and plates? That’s why every restaurant, no matter how rarefied, should serve its fare wrapped in paper or in hinged cardboard boxes. Wine should be served from a cardboard-box spigot. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451/60 "2014-07-20T20:12:18Z")
I didn’t use straws most of my adult life. I’ve recently started using them at some restaurants for sanitary reasons. I’m not always sure how clean the glasses are. Especially water glasses. I hate straws in hot drinks. Too easy to burn my mouth. I have to use a straw and the lid drinking soda in a car. I take the straw out if I bring my fast food lunch home or eat it at my desk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-straw-or-no-what-kind-of-person-are-you/693451.md?page=4)