When I mashed down on the lid, it didn’t snap, it cracked.

So I tried again. This time, no sound.

“How do you break a Tupperware lid?” I thought.

But I had. I didn’t mash any harder to seal it than I had for the last 50-something years, but this time, the lid gave up the ghost.

Now what? I had to find something else in which to place the rest of this pot roast, and its not like I could call the Tupperware lady and ask for another square, blue, ribbed lid.

For a couple of reasons. One, I’m sure they stopped making this lid years ago. Two, my Tupperware lady (actually my mom and grandmother’s Tupperware lady) was likely singing hymns behind the Pearly Gates.

So, how do I find the nearest Tupperware party? Do they even still have them?

I really couldn’t be upset. This dish and lid had likely been around since the Johnson Administration.

So, I went on eBay. Sure enough, someone had one, so I bought it.

When I was a kid, most moms stayed home. But as a side hustle, some moms held Tupperware parties or sold Avon door-to-door.

And both must’ve been lucrative, because I remember a lot of Tupperware parties going on and doorbells ringing.

One of my favorite Tupperware items was the set of what I called homemade Popsicle makers. Moms would poor Kool-Aid into the molds and then stick the handles inside them and place them in the freezer.

But Tupperware truly was and still is handy. Way before Zip-Loc Bags, Tupperware allowed families to keep leftovers fresh and tasty.

So what happened to Tupperware? It’s still around. And from what I’ve read, Tupperware parties still take place.

But Tupperware is struggling. Cheap, sealable alternatives that are made overseas and sold in dollar stores are often what people buy instead of Tupperware.

I’m guilty. That leftover pot roast went into one of those when the Tupperware lid cracked.

But it got me to thinking. How many cheap, overseas, dollar store alternatives had been in my family for five decades.

The answer is none.

I’m not interested in going to a Tupperware party, but that’s OK. I don’t have to. Tupperware is still around and you can buy it on the Internet.

It costs more than the dollar store alternatives, but so what?

I’ll take quality over quantity every time.

And I think it would be a great thing to bring back Tupperware parties and other face-to-face activities that would bring us back to conversation and away from staring at our phones.

I’m headed back to the kitchen. There are some leftovers that I want to reheat. But first I need to see who’s ringing the doorbell.

I think Avon is calling.

 

©2019 John Moore

John’s book, Write of Passage: A Southerner’s View of Then and Now, and his new book, Write of Passage Volume II, are available on Amazon and on John’s website at www.TheCountryWriter.com.