User:Foodhistorybuff/sandbox/Alternate Tableware Movement

Alternate Tableware Movement With an idea first suggested in the 1979 Steve Martin film, "The Jerk," students at Hope College in Holland, Michigan in 1984 originated the Alternate Tableware Movement (ATM). The movement aims to reconsider traditional tableware roles, repurposing conventional and non-conventional items in ways to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, or aesthetics of the dining experience The movement has evolved from little more than a joke to serious effort attempting to redefine tableware for modern times.

Origins Most people agree that the 'Cup O' Pizza' scene in 1979 Steve Martin film "The Jerk" launched the modern Alternate Tableware Movement. In the scene, Navin R. Johnson and Marie Kimble enjoy pizzas in cups while in a trailer decorated with artifacts from the Cup O' Pizza business that had recently, and unfortunately, been torn down. Johnson and Kimble rave over the quality of Pizza in a Cup's products (exclusively including pizzas in cups). The first published reference to the ATM was in a 1982 article in the Holland, Michigan high school newspaper, the Herald, where an editorial asked why tableware originally designed in the 1500s had changed little in use, despite major advances in society and food technology. Hope College is located in Holland, with heavy crossover in students from Holland High, so it's likely the editorial influenced the students to use tableware differently in the college's Phelps Dining Hall. Students found efficiencies in adapting tableware to non-intended uses; for example, hot dogs and cereal eaten from cups was found to be more effective than traditional methods (using a combination of china and silverware). Another use included soap in a mug, where coffee mugs were used as a replacement for other soap handling vessels, such as soap dishes or Soap-on-a-Rope and its derivatives.

Practical Applications The versatility of cups/mugs, sporks, and alternate plates are exploited in the ATM.


 * Sixteen-ounce plastic cups are a central application and can be used much more widely than to carry cold liquids. These cups are quickly adaptable for cold cereal consumption.  Pretzels, chips, or other dry snacks are ideally suited for these cups.  While these cups are usually better suited for cold and dry food items, they work amazingly well for plain hot dogs, which were among the first uses at Hope College in 1984.
 * Mugs are probably the most versatile item in the ATM. In addition to all the uses of the sixteen-ounce plastic cup (with diminished capacity), they can be used for pizza, pasta, and pancakes (if rolled).  Non-food uses for mugs abound, including Soap-in-a-Mug and dispensing detergent.
 * Parfait Cups dress up an otherwise boring or unsavory food item. Proteins are especially well-suited to these tableware items more normally used for confections and desserts.  Examples include the Meat Cup and Egg Cup while non-protein examples include vegetables as in the Broccoli Cup.
 * The Spork is likely the most famous practical application of the ATM, actually predating the movement by perhaps a century.
 * Non-traditional tableware examples abound with thoughtful repurposing of everyday items that are cleaned to food-quality standards. Throwing discs (Frisbees) can be excellent serving platters, plates, or even bowls while baseball caps can be effective for serving and passing chips.

Food as Tableware Tableware is still, for the most part, used in the traditional sense; however, food is not uncommonly used as tableware throughout the world. Edible tableware eliminates the need for resources such as earthenware, stoneware, wood, plastic, glass, porcelain, styrofoam, silver, and gold that typically constitute cutlery and serving dishes. In effect, tableware that is safe to eat holds the potential to eliminate the need for disposing of harmful waste products (more specifically, plastic and styrofoam) and washing dishes. Therefore, the edible tableware component of the Alternate Tableware Movement is very beneficial to sustainability efforts and whiny Western children. For example, ice cream cones take the place of bowls by providing a digestible method of serving the cold, creamy confection that grew out of Ancient Greece. Additionally, tortillas (and, later, tortilla chips) originating from Central America provide simple and consumable forms of scooping salsas, meats, and vegetables into the oral cavity.

ATM as a TLA As the Alternate Tableware Movement is inherently tied to efficiency, it quickly found efficiency in name by adopting the Three Letter Acronym (TLA) "ATM." While this TLA at first appears identical to one used for Automated Teller Machines, in practical use it distinguishes itself by never being used with redundancy. For example, many people use the vernacular term "ATM Machine" but nobody would say "ATM Movement." ATM adherents understand thoroughly that TLAs are as key to efficiency in modern communication as the ATM is to efficiency in modern dining. As such, an ATM adherent would never say "ATM Machine, " "PIN Number," "NFL League," or of course "TLA Acronym."

In Popular Culture "The Jerk" remains the predominant referencer to the ATM in film, other movies and television shows have taken part in furthering concepts of the Alternate Tableware Movement as well. In the 2004 film "Napoleon Dynamite," Napoleon is shown storing tater tots in his pant pocket and consuming them during class. In addition, Season 3, Episode 11 of the television show "Parks and Recreation" features characters April and Andy Dwyer eating turkey chili off of Frisbees (used as plates/bowls) with a shared plastic fork. While the ATM is not directly referenced in these media, its concepts are clearly displayed.