I long for a simpler time. A happier time, a time when

[HoneyDragon]

They didn't feel the need to shrink wrap cucumbers

Remember those hazy, happy days gone by, where cucumbers frolicked freely in the vegetable aisle and we didn't die from toxic cucumber contamination? I do. I miss them

AIBU?

Am I ?

The plastic on broccoli always makes me feel weirdly as if I'm unwrapping an alien brain. Not nice.

I remember when vine-ripened tomatoes first appeared and they were accompanied by a sign that said 'Grown for flavour'. Well .... why else would you?

When I was little my mum would take her shopping basket, lined with newspaper, to the greengrocers. First she'd ask for the potatoes, which would go, loose, into the basket. Then the carrots and onions, working up to the lighter, more delicate things on top. Not one thing wrapped. Brilliant.

The trouble with all this plastic-covered veg is that it sweats. And rots. And disintegrates into a putrid pool at the bottom of my veg containers. And rots everything else with it.

I miss shrivelled and dried

Anyone else have a soft spot for the cauliflower bag?
Its like carrying a super odd handbag, itll be there on the catwalk next season

when I lived in South Africa some complete moron genius came up with the idea of shrink wrapping loaves of bread, and then they won an award for this. for what? Inventing the most annoying covering for bread in the history of the world? You couldn't take it off without completely wrecking the loaf.

It's been 15 years. I'm still traumatised.

I see your wrapped cucumber and raise you the little indented polystyrene tray thingy that apples come in. Why?

Exactly! Why do apples now have to come nestled in fours, in little trays? They're not champagne truffles or dragonfruit. They're apples, they grow on trees all around my house, and I don't really want to be paying sixty pence for one.

I've only just realised, reading this thread (a) how much I miss milk bottles, and (b) how old it makes me sound that I can remember being sad when the old style milk bottles turned into the newer, squatter style ones. I AM THIRTY NINE, not SEVENTY.

[weeps]

Dh just emptied the recycling bag (for about the fourth time this week) and we commented that for a nation that is supposed to be encouraging recycling we produce one hell of a lot. we never used to have bags especially for it so presumably it all went in the rubbish bag but neither of us recall ever having so much rubbish seems to me that we are producing more and more with all the uneccessary wrapping of our foods

I agree Step

There is definitely more packaging nowadays. Do you think the advent of self service tills and the need to have barcodes on absolutely everything has possibly added to this?