“Somewhere the saving and putting away had to begin again and someone had to do the saving and the keeping, one way or another, in books, in records, in people’s heads, any way at all so long as it was safe, free from moths, silverfish, rust and dry-rot, and men with matches.”     Fahrenheit 451

Sold at parties, mostly for and by women. Designed to save time and to extend the shelf life of food, but also a historically important opportunity for women to get out of the home, share time with each other, and achieve financial independence. At the heart of the project are the little plastic gems. Plastic and mass-produced, yes, but carefully designed with precious specificity. This one will save your carrot sticks, this one your watermelon. Lunchboxes, picnic and camping sets, popsicle molds, butter dishes–all with a boob-shaped button to be firmly pressed, no, burped. Like a baby.

Considering what we now know about BPA, there is a sad likelihood that, unbeknownst to their gleeful proponents, these pretty little things slowly, quietly detonated contaminants that may have contributed to reproductive disorders and increased possibilities of cancer and diabetes.  The line between keeping and rot, evidently, is impossibly fine.