Monday, July 09, 2007

Fast Food Trays


As I struggle to understand Thomas Aquinas - I'm convinced he would be a shark of a criminal defense attorney today. How can you read this guy and NOT have 'reasonable doubt'???? I swear he made up words just to be confusing. Anyway, I wanted to ramble on something even less profound than whether or not the soul is 'subsistent'. That subject of even less profundity than usual is: the fast food tray.

Question: What do you do with your fast food tray and garbage when you're done eating in a restaurant?

Well, I hear you - how silly! But I will contend there's a major cultural difference here. Now, I'm not always sure if it's a difference between American and Canadian cultures and/or between East and West coast culture, but here it is: Most people around here get up and leave all their garbage and trays on the table, bypassing the garbage can. I remember when living in the Philadelphia area that it was expected - via 'unwritten rule' - that if the garbage cans said 'Thank You' that meant you were expected to throw out the garbage and stack your tray. Doesn't that make sense - shouldn't you throw it away?

There's is where (as I contemplate writing a paper about free will in philosophy) I just can't control myself. I can't give in: I throw my stuff away - it's just too ingrained in me. Hmmm....maybe I should go back to Aquinas and see what he thinks about trash.