Wheat, bamboo and sugar cane. These are some of the plastic straw alternatives Yuhi Nomura of Japan, a self-proclaimed "Straw maesto" has been encouraging people to try.
As the war on plastic escalates around the world, Yuhi feels that plastic straws has been "blamed too often" and "made a villain", when it is in fact "how we humans consume them".
According to Yuhi, straws has been around through out history, since the first known civilization of South Mesopotamia(c. 4500–1900 BC) and is found all throughout the world today. Rather than phasing out straws -which has become part of our everyday life- Yuhi believes that the solution is to "change how we perceive them and consume them"
Like most people, Yuhi was a consumer of plastic straws, never giving a thought to this item that was always available , free of charge. However, her first experience with a bamboo straw changed everything.
"I realized how the touch of straw can change the drinking experience"
From there on, Yuhi became drawn into the fascinating world of straws, collecting and researching over 1000 straws made of various materials from over 20 countries. She even experimented with "hollow" vegetables such as shallots, or made straws out of carrots, white radish, sweet potatoes, just to name a few.
Her favorite so far, has been a sugar cane straw from Taiwan. Sugar Cane which is destined to be thrown away, is used as a straw, before the company re-collects them to be fertilized.
Yuhi has not only collected various types of straws from around the world, she has also tried various vegetables as an alternative to plastic straws Source: Yuhi Nomura
"When you open the packet, there is a sweet aroma, and of course, adds touch of sweetness to the drink"
Yuhi has also crowd founded a project for an original straw. Her first deign was an edible candy straw, made from palatinit, a new sugar substitute.
"It is absorbed by the body slowly, and thought to be resistant to tooth decay" says Yuhi.
Instead of adding sugar to your coffee or tea, you can sip through the candy straw to add touch of sweetness.
Edible candy straw Source: Yuhi Nomura
Yuhi hopes that in the nearest future, people will be "choosing particular straws for a particular drink" .
"Giving a different take on straws and enjoying them, can be a gateway into re-evaluating consumption. By changing the negative image of straws into a positive one, I believe that the value of straw consumption will change dramatically"
Yuhi's straw kit that she carries around everywhere Source: Yuhi Nomura
