TupperWariness

Brought to you by WhoSEZ and the lovely Bob, who deserve congratulations on their recent engagement. Rock on, you two!

The happy couple hosted a Tupperware party this past weekend, and I was invited. Contrary to expectations, we did not giggle our way through the afternoon tippling white wine from Tupperware tumblers. Also, none of the ladies attending wore pearls, nor did Bob. Those parts were rather disappointing.

However, we did get to fiddle with several nifty, burpable petroleum products and hear how they could make our lives easier. This is where tradition remained strong; most of the sales talk explained how busy homemakers could gain control of their leftovers or join the sales force and earn extra money to pay private school tuition for the kids. That's cool and all, but busy single professionals use Tupperware, too.

Also in keeping with tradition, we played party games. For instance, our presenter, April, passed around a groovy half-dome leftover onion keeper with some Hershey's Kisses sealed inside. Guess the number, win the container and the candy. The magic number was 42, and I don't think April was making a sly Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference. (I was off by 6.) We also earned tickets for asking or answering Tupperware-related questions. I scored a couple for asking April if she had certain items I could order. Later, she drew tickets from her (Tupperware) bowl for more prizes, and I won both a set of shot glasses Midgets and a vegetable peeler. And we each got a citrus peeler just for showing up (couldn't find a link). So I came home happy.

Tupperware appeals to my anal-retentive side quite a bit, so I went to the party with the intention of buying at least one item. I wanted a cereal storer, which I found. I was also impressed by the Flat Out items, which are fully collapsible bowls with lids. Pop 'em out and fill 'em up; squash 'em down and store 'em flat. Excellent use of technology! They'd be perfect for camping. I ordered a set for Sister-san as a housewarming gift for her new house. And there was this cool little veggie/nut/whatever dicer that I ordered for Mother Media. Don't tell them, though. This is supposed to be a surprise.

My few purchases, plus shipping and handling and sales tax, amounted to a tidy sum. I can see why a person might consider becoming a seller just to finance her own purchases. Warning: some math required!

All in all, it was a fine way to spend part of an autumn afternoon. If you get a chance to go to a Tupperware party, go. It stacks up quite well.

Today around the world: October 24 is Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands. Arrrrrrre ya goin'?