Do Americans actually use red plastic cups at parties or is that just a Hollywood trope?
Naw. Not exclusively. They come in lots of colors now.
Submitted 18 hours ago by Hirohito@fedinsfw.app to [deleted]
Comments
MehBlah@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Etterra@discuss.online 1 hour ago
Use them at home too. They coming all kinds of colors and patterns now, but yeah.
PNW_Doug@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Red cups are like yellow school buses. Both are real.
BillCheddar@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
And largely used by children.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
how else are they supposed to sneak booze?
mechoman444@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Ya. We use them all the time. They’re actually good and relatively inexpensive.
GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
It’s not just America, they’re a go-to for cheap disposable cups - the type you’d buy for a party.
Zeppo@sh.itjust.works 17 hours ago
Yes, if you’re at the sort of party where there is a keg of beer, or at a large family picnic especially. They’re the standard disposable cup for situations where the hosts wouldn’t have enough cups for everyone and don’t want to deal with potential loss and breakage.
milkisklim@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Also the Solo brand is popular for its structural integrity and perceived measurement lines. Now, the company claims that the distinct cup width changes aren’t for helping measure liquids for various alcoholic drinks so one can measure a shot versus a glass of wine or a glass of beer. However, I think that’s a bit of a legal cover.
irish_link@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
And even if it truly isn’t for measuring a perfect shot for making a cocktail, it STILL IS a perfect equal measure if you want to hand out shots to a group of people. May not be a full shot but no one gets less or more than others.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 hours ago
Toby Keith literally made an ode to the Red Solo Cup.
I remember being drunk, with a red solo cup, singing along to this song, at a frat… more than once.
Yes, its safe to say the red solo cup is an actual cultural phenomenon.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
Yes, but not just parties. Parties using red cups are historically going to be drinking parties for younger people like “keggers.” Red cups are fairly ubiquitous for lots of events like picnics, cookouts, birthday events and the like.
I can’t say they’re used at all parties, but they’re pretty common.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
This gets asked so much, I feel like I need to contribute something new to the conversation…
atx_aquarian@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Those recyclable metal ones are awesome.
Manjushri@piefed.social 13 hours ago
Those cups became very popular in the 1970s, particularly amongst younger people living at home or going to college. If you and your buddies from college were having a big party, you could buy a sleeve of cups and a beer keg a have a good time. I remember going to parties like that. The law said people were not allowed to sell alcohol without a license, so to cover the booze costs, the hosts would sell cups at the door that people could drink from.
I sincerely think that Red Solo Cups beat out other disposable cups are because of the lines. They are actually measurements that you can use to measure mixed drinks if you’re not drinking beer or wine.
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
That doesn’t look like any Solo cup I’ve ever seen. The lines and profile are completely different.
This is what I’m used to.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 hours ago
They can.
Easiest one is… add as much ice as you wsnt, thrn fill up to the first line with say, Jack, then up to the second line with say, Coke.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 13 hours ago
so to cover the booze costs, the hosts would sell cups at the door
I … what?!
new_world_odor@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Selling the booze is a crime - selling the cups is not. Loophole!
arrow74@lemmy.zip 9 hours ago
These aren’t parties in the sense of house party thrown by friends. These are essentially large "open’ events hosted by a group.
some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 13 hours ago
I never heard of this. Not at an age where this affects me anymore, but cool if true. Meanwhile, I will poor shots in shot glasses if we have company and just down my liquor without measuring otherwise.
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 hours ago
Solo brand if you want to go posh.
You have a VERY different definition of “posh” than any I’m used to…
And now I’m imagining Victoria Beckham drinking $10000/bottle champagne out of name brand disposable cups 😁
Zeppo@sh.itjust.works 15 hours ago
Reminds me of when my brother and I were 18-20 and asked our upstairs neighbors, Wanda and Lou from Austin, to help with buying us a case of beer for New Years Eve. They asked what kind we wanted and we said Budweiser. Wanda said “oh, splurgin!”. I guess standard was Natural Light or Busch or something and she saw Budweiser as somewhat elite.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 14 hours ago
I drank cliquot veuve (? I think that’s how you spell it) out of a red solo cup one new years.
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
… that’s…the same definition. What do you think that’s referring to?
Denvil@piefed.world 17 hours ago
It’s not like there aren’t other disposable cups used, but yeah, very common
PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@anarchist.nexus 17 hours ago
It’s a real thing we do…is that weird?
9point6@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
I think everywhere else in the world, the go-to plastic disposable cup is transparent, I don’t really see the red ones unless someone has gone out of their way to get them from an American importer for some reason (usually beer pong, funnily enough)
PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@anarchist.nexus 17 hours ago
I mean I don’t really go to that many parties (shocker), but when my parents throw parties, usually they get whatever the cheapest disposable cups are.
BillyClark@piefed.social 15 hours ago
One advantage of red cups is that you can more easily see names written on them with a Sharpie.
Cethin@lemmy.zip 10 hours ago
I think the clear cups are becoming more common in the US. They are far flmisier though. This isn’t a huge deal, but I guess it makes sense why solo cups are preferred for beer pong.
Rothe@piefed.social 17 hours ago
The adherence to one type of cup is the weird thing. Most other places it seems there are many different types of cups, so there wouldn’t really be any trope about a particular cup.
bluGill@fedia.io 15 hours ago
Most people don't care about the color. For whatever reason the factory started making them in red so that is what people bought. Other colors exist if you look for them, but there is rarely reason to look. People just grab something cheap and move on without thinking. If the red was sold out they would grab the blue.
snooggums@piefed.world 16 hours ago
For a long time they were the cheap but reliable type of disposable cup. Also very common, like qtips and Kleenex.
No idea if that is still the case, but they were common for a good reason.
pulsewidth@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Yes. The rest of the world uses glasses because we’re adults and we don’t hide the glassware from our friends.
The only time I ever see disposable cups used is at kids parties, or to play beer pong.
Steve@communick.news 17 hours ago
You all really have enough glasses for 30+ people?
Telodzrum@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Kind of weird to be simultaneously so aggressive and so wrong.
I’ve been served drinks in disposable plastic cups at bars and parties across Europe and Asia.
bluGill@fedia.io 17 hours ago
You never go to parties where there are more people than storage space for cups? Americans often do this. Often at a park. We can get this in a 100 pack for the cost of of 4 real glass cups.
TVA@thebrainbin.org 17 hours ago
So ... in a situation like the OPs picture, you're using glassware? I'm a backyard bbq/party, you're using glassware?
When we sit down to dinner with friends/family, we use normal glasses, but when we're having large get togethers we use the disposable cups. In my house, we've switched to aluminum ones though as they can be reused and when they get too difficult to clean, they can be recycled, but they're basically the same thing as the red solo cups.
PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@anarchist.nexus 17 hours ago
I appreciate the fire AmeriKKKa, but in my parents’ house we invite more people than we have glassware, plus it’s less dishes to wash.
zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 hours ago
Not sure why this keeps getting asked, but yes. Solo cups (the original red cup) were incredibly cheap, held up decently, and were sold in large packs everywhere. They were so cheap that for a long time I don’t think there were even generic options. Now days most places have their own brand and they frequently make them red just because that is what people expect.
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 17 hours ago
howrar@lemmy.ca 17 hours ago
Ah, the dentist cup
Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
It’ll always be the Taco Bell water cup to me.
tophneal@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
The peak of 90s design
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 14 hours ago
I have a car near me painted like this. Can’t say I’m not jelly.
turtlesareneat@piefed.ca 17 hours ago
Scrape that wax
jaaake@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Whiskey will destroy this cup in tens of minutes. I’ve done science on it.
Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 15 hours ago
Why would whiskey be in a cup for tens of minutes?
aim4harmony@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Tis designa cuppa ✨
AA5B@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Well past the age or inclination for a kegger, but last time I wanted plastic cups for something, red Solo cups were the least expensive choice.
It was ok for my use but I tried to give a short stack to my kid for college and apparently they’re banned
jaybone@lemmy.zip 11 hours ago
I’ve seen this asked a few times over the years, here or back on Reddit maybe.
Yes. Yes we do. But it’s mostly like high school or college parties. Kids who don’t have a lot of money and are going to make a mess. Sometimes even adults if it’s like a large outdoor barbecue kind of thing. Or around water or a pool where you don’t want glass.
You usually wouldn’t do this for a more formal or “classy” type of occasion. Though it does happen. Some might see it as tacky in that context.
fireweed@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
I’ve seen them at “classy” parties, such as for Christmas or new years, when there’s a lot of people expected, because you can write your name on them with a sharpie and prevent a million abandoned drinks from accumulating everywhere.
But usually I’d agree, I associate them with college dorm parties and house parties for teens-20-somethings, who don’t want to deal with the mess and/or may not own a sufficient number of glasses for all the guests.
CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
What are other countries doing? Is it just a ‘bring your own cup’ thing? Do y’all just have a hundred cups on hand for parties?
genzboomer@lemmy.zip 9 hours ago
We usually just limit the number of friends we invite to match the number of cups we own.
For example, I don’t own any cups.
Lemminary@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
We pour the soda in our hands and try not to spill as we gesture during conversation 🤌
CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
OMG the horror. ASL is my “drunk accent”.
I grew up around deaf family and we all learned sign language before we learned to talk. The more I drink, the more my hands start to sign along with me.
spittingimage@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
Traditionally, one person sips from the bottle, then shares with the homies via French kiss. More hygienic that way.
CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
I was really hoping for a beer bong.
But I guess Bros before Hose is true across the globe.
Technoworcester@feddit.uk 6 hours ago
We use glasses that we clean afterwards rather than plastic that gets binned.
Duckingold@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
How do you play slapcup then?
Beetschnapps@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
The fuck???
Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
They’re called Solo Cups.
bluGill@fedia.io 17 hours ago
Solo is the brand that makes them. They make other colors too but red is by far most common
Telodzrum@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
100%
Still call them “Solo cups,” though.
HeyJoe@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Yeah, for me we have always got Costco Kirkland brand red cups which seem to be made by Chinet. 240 cups and used to be under $10 bucks was by far the best deal and the cups were just as good.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 14 hours ago
I got a pink one from some family friend for water while I was fixing her mini split. The red is better structurally for some reason cause the pink brook around the rolled top before I even got home.
ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
These 7oz/200ml cups are the worst, the very worst. Holds two mouthfuls of drink and crack in half if you look at them funny, just terrible
Hirohito@fedinsfw.app 14 hours ago
How terrible!
bstix@feddit.dk 11 hours ago
myrmidex@belgae.social 12 hours ago
Can confirm. Every vacation in my younger days, mom brought these along. Horrible crinkly plastic. I’ve never bought disposable cups ever, I do reckon it’s because of these.
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Why would this be hard to believe
snooggums@piefed.world 16 hours ago
“Do Americans rally have McDonald’s everywhere or is that a Hollywood thing?”
“Is Starbucks really that popular or is that a Hollywood thing?”
Do Americans really eat hburgers or is that a Holllywood thing?”
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 15 hours ago
Why does “privelege” have to do with it?
In ts just simple ignorance on your part - you didn’t realize what’s commonplace to you isn’t commonplace to someone outside the US, nothing more.
lamlox@piefed.social 15 hours ago
Family events with a sharpie so everyone knows which drink is theirs
Wataba@sh.itjust.works 5 hours ago
Costco sells them in Australia. So, I have to imagine there’s a modicum of truth?
the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
I see this question all the time. It’s just a disposable cup, why is the rest of the world so obsessed with it?
ohulancutash@feddit.uk 9 hours ago
Because it is very distinctive, and it’s ubiquitous in American media to the point where it seems no other disposable cup exists over there.
Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Yeah. There are a bunch of different brands that make them, and they come in a lot more colors than red, but that type of disposable plastic cup has been pretty ubiquitous since the 1990s. There are also clear plastic disposable cups that are just as common, but you tend to see those at more adult functions because they give off less of a high school kegger/kids birthday party vibe.
I think Hollywood uses the red ones so much because it’s an easy visual shorthand to express to the viewer exactly what kind of party is going on. They’re also are opaque, so they can just hand everyone an empty cup and not have to worry about liquid levels and visual continuity, which probably makes things a lot easier on set.
Malyca@lemmy.zip 12 hours ago
I buy them, probably influenced by said movies
BeUnique@lemmy.zip 12 hours ago
Most commonly kegs when growing up for a large scale. Usually you pay $5 for a cup all you can drink.
On a smaller scale, picnics I guess? Idk I don’t really go to ragers these days and the amount of gusts to parties Ingo to don’t exceed the amount of cups somebody has.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 13 hours ago
Yeah. How else are you supposed to play beer pong?
rumba@lemmy.zip 1 hour ago
I have a few hundred in my bigger pantry