Dirty dishes. Gerd Altmann / Pixabay.com / 2008 / CC0 1.0
The 18th of May is No Dirty Dishes Day.
It is particularly a good holiday for those who don’t have a dishwasher. And, it’s a good day to celebrate finger foods.
There are several different ways to observe today:
- eat using disposable plates and cutlery;
- order in something like pizza that can be eaten out of hand;
- eat out at a fast-food restaurant such as a burger joint that doesn’t involve any dishes (some say it doesn’t count if you eat at a more formal restaurant, because then there still are dirty dishes, it’s just that someone else has to wash them);
- eat at a friend’s house and dirty their dishes;
- eat just peel-able fruit.
Some disposable dish companies will offer specials for this day, particularly on a yearly subscription service for their products.
There are more people than you would think who regularly use disposable dishes for everyday eating at home. There’s even a subculture of people on Amazon who subscribe to paper plates so that they are regularly sent replacements without having to place an order. These people argue that they are being environmental by saving water, detergent and electricity in not washing dishes. What do you think of this practice?
Screenshot showing disposable plates available for subscription purchase on Amazon
Many people also swear by disposable dishes for camping.
#NeverDoDishes #NoDirtyDishesDay
History
The first print mention that CooksInfo has found of a “No Dirty Dishes Day” in May dates from 2002 in San Francisco:
“Don’t worry about splattering your kitchen with ingredients, because it’s also National Messes Month (although you’ll have to do a little cleaning up on the 8th, No Dirty Dishes Day — oh, come to think of it, just use paper plates.)” — Morse, Debby. May is a National Month Month. San Francisco, California: The San Francisco Examiner. 1 May 2002. Page C1, col. 1.
Sources
End The Dish Divide With Dixie On No Dirty Dishes Day. Atlanta. PR News Wire. 17 May 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/end-the-dish-divide-with-dixie-on-no-dirty-dishes-day-300459256.html
Handy Dish Washing Tips for National No Dirty Dishes Day . Teljoy. South Africa. Blog entry. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.teljoy.co.za/blog/post/132/handy-dish-washing-tips-for-national-no-dirty-dishes-day
It’s National “No Dirty Dishes Day”. Pekin, Illinois: 1049 Radio. Accessed May 2018 at https://www.1049thewolf.com/its-national-no-dirty-dishes-day/
Maloney, Ann. National No Dirty Dishes Day: Free pizza, new dishes, poll results. New Orleans, Louisiana: The Times-Picayune. 17 May 2017. Accessed June 2018 at https://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2017/05/no_dirty_dishes_day_free_pizza.html