On a shelf in the International District:

9e3e/1233173083-melamineplate.jpg

Just for marketing purposes, maybe a good strategy would be to rename Melamine Round Plate something 100% non-poison-related. Just a thought.

Update: Um, I’m sorry. I don’t usually do this, but does this post really not make sense to you people? In the public consciousness right now, the word “melamine” is associated almost entirely with dead babies and pets, which makes calling something “Melamine Round Plate” an unfortunate PR move, which is funny to me. The fact that melamine is a substance used to make plates (OBVIOUSLY IT IS, BECAUSE HERE ARE SOME FUCKING MELAMINE PLATES) is not the point. Here is a link to a Google news search for the word “melamine.” None of these news stories are about innocuous melamine plates or any of melamine’s other handy industrial uses. All of them are about poison. That is why this Melamine Round Plate is funny. Jesus Christ.

Lindy West was born an unremarkable female baby in Seattle, Washington. The former Stranger writer covered movies, movie stars, exclamation points, lady stuff, large frightening fish, and much, much more....

59 replies on “Going Fast!”

  3. i saw some food storage containers at rite aid’s “dollar days” and was all set to put them in my basket, then saw the description: “melamine bowl with lid”.

    hmm. no thanks.

  7. I don’t see anywhere in the post or in the comments where anyone explains what is wrong with melamine or even what that is

  9. Is it not totally and completely obvious that Lindy’s post is NOT suggesting that melamine plates are poisonous or that it’s shocking–to her or anyone else–that plates should be made of melamine? The point of the post is that the term “melamine,” though it may refer at once to innocuous *and* poisonous products–has of late acquired a very bad connotation. So it is FUNNY (and yes it is, Lindy!) to see products labeled with the term at all. Isn’t anyone making or selling these plates concerned about the average idiot (aka the American consumer) deciding not to buy melamine plates because, well, melamine killed, as Lindy puts it, a bunch of pets and babies??? And if you don’t think people are that dumb, re-read most of the comments to this post.

Comments are closed.