This past year I started using cloth napkins instead of paper ones at mealtime. I used to only use cloth napkins for dinner parties, Thanksgiving, etc. Not sure why. At every meal I would use nice plates, nice drinking glasses, nice flatware and…paper napkins? I changed my tune after reading this quote from Erma Bomback, who wrote of things she would have done differently after she found out she was dying from cancer:
“I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.”
That stopped me. What was I saving these silly napkins for? They were meant to be used, not treated like some priceless heirloom. So I started using them. But I am not 100% sure if washing napkins multiple times is actually better for the environment than using paper ones. I hope it is.
That is why I was so happy to find these 100% cotton and linen disposable napkins, available from Suzanne Cummings, a Chicago floral designer. They offer a chic option to paper and cloth. They come on a roll, so they are handy to store. They can be washed. They can be reused, several times. They also come in several colors, like this fabulous orange. I got the dinner napkins, but they come in cocktail size too. So now I alternate between cloth and these fabulous finds. Now if only I could get my meals to look as good…
