The Butterfly Effect- something very many people are aware of. In essence, it is the idea that any small thing that happens can have immense effects in the future. The ripples in time can be caused by something like the murder of a butterfly, or the drop of a phone, or even… the wrong placement of ketchup in regards to the fries. Yes, you read that right! Where you put your ketchup might make immense changes to the future. And here’s how.
Have you ever noticed that after you eat french fries, or anything for that matter, that have ketchup draped over them, then the aftermath will closely resemble that of a crime scene? And while no human is being murdered, a living thing is. And that living thing would be the Earth. You are killing the Earth. Because of the chaos created by the ketchup, one would need an ungodly amount of tissues in order to right the wrongs of what just happened. But when someone takes so many tissues, the restaurant needs to replace them muuuccchhhh sooner than normal. According to Dr. Greene, to make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees are cut down and 20,000 gallons of water is consumed. While both resources are renewable, they can take an extremely long time to replace. And for the time that they are gone, the Earth can experience shortages of both in times of need. Not to mention the fact that napkins are made in factories, which releases harmful carbon monoxide into the atmosphere.
But if you don’t care too much about the Earth, then how about your fellow humans? When we allow ketchup to rest on our fries, we are actually letting the fluid absorb into the fries. But this makes them all soggy! Would you eat a sandwich that’s been dipped into a glass of water? No? Then why would you eat fries that feel like they’ve been! More likely than not, those fries are just going to get thrown in the trash. According to the Food Aid Foundation, “Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That's about one in nine people on earth.” And to top it all off, nearly a third of all food is wasted! It has always been pretty obvious that we take our food for granted, but now we have gone as far as to flaunt it in the faces of the starving children in Africa! Is this really who we want to be?
Now after rereading what I just wrote, I concede that it was a bit of a stretch. While people might like to think it, the knowledge that there are people less fortunate than ourselves does not really alter our behavior. If that were the case, then barely any food would be wasted worldwide. But will your behavior change when it comes to yourself? Probably not… but it’s worth a shot anyways! Dunellen High School junior Erin Barnett, when asked where she goes to get her fix of fries, states, “Mostly fast food places, like McDonald's and stuff.” It is common knowledge that fast food establishments have never been that clean. In fact, it is common practice for trays to simply be dipped in hot water, wiped off with a rag that has never caught a whiff of soap, and then given back to the consumers. So think about how they clean off something as small as a napkin caddy. That caddy has probably never even felt the gentle caress of a duster, much less the roughness of a damp cloth. But my point here is that those containers are teeming with bacteria. Think about it; it sits there day in and day out for any bug to squirm about it, and sick patrons who touch one napkin have successfully contaminated the rest. Now, you are wiping the diseased tissues all around your face! Disgusting. Maybe you should cut back on the tissues before you manage to grab hold of one already covered in snot…
But let's not think about that right now. Instead, let's think about some possible remedies to Poor Ketchup Placement, or PKP. There are a plethora of ways to end PKP. For example, there are convenient little cups that tend to be placed near the soft drinks. These can hold adequate amounts of ketchup and will ensure that considerably less paper is wasted as compared to the amount of paper that tissues waste. Barnett suggests that fast food establishments advertise where they want the ketchup to go in regards to the fries. Or you can grab a few ketchup packets and then tear off the top corners of each. By doing this, there will be enough space to slide a french fry into said packet, ensuring proper coverage of the fry while still allowing for the minimal amount of mess and waste in the end. Even moving your hand a little to the right and putting the ketchup in the corner of the plate would reduce PKP significantly! So why not just do it? This is by no means a life-altering decision. In fact, there will probably be zero impact on one’s own life. But as the Butterfly Effect says, even the smallest act can cause the greatest change.