Today I bought some tableware in Kappabashi Dougu Street in Tokyo. Afterwards I heard that plastic stuff might be unsafe. I don’t even know if the stuff I bought is plastic or safe to eat with.
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Here is a picture: [https://imgur.com/a/yNVZr3f](https://imgur.com/a/yNVZr3f)
Anyone know if this healthy to use long term?
If not, what do I have to replace?
7 comments
People in Japan have been using these for years and they’re still kicking.
Who told you that it might be unsafe?
If plastic tableware is unsafe then what about the convenience stores utensils?
If you can’t tell if it is wood or plastic by touching it and tapping it, how do you expect us to be able to tell from a picture on the internet?
Plastic is fine to eat with. An insane number of people all over the world eat with plastic every day, and all baby dishes are made from plastic. Just don’t microwave it.
Ok so what do you mean by you heard it was unsafe?
Like is it unsafe to eat out of plastic stuff or like certain plastics shouldn’t be used in the microwave kinda unsafe
If the latter don’t put wood bowls in the microwave either
It’s the real lacquerware you have to worry about, not plastic.
Urushi can be toxic.
So you think someone making a tableware out of unsafe material that is not safe to eat with and selling it at道具街 where professional chefs and restaurant owners buy their stuff.
Quick zoom in on the outer surfaces of the bowls made me think generic mass-produced cafeteria-level melamine-ware. Not sure about your chopsticks but they could be melamine or wood, and your ladle looks like it’s made of wood (a generic household item and they generally are).
Are you worried about BPA or are you asking if these are microwave/dishwasher-safe? For the former, these aren’t going to be any different than IKEA plastic plates and cutlery (melamine is a resin btw), and for the latter, no none of these things are microwave-safe, maybe dishwasher-safe if specified. I’d be surprised if you were able to find non-food-grade material in Kappabashi of all places, but if this is something you are regularly concerned about when purchasing tableware, look into labels and ask a store clerk about material when you are buying. I’d say you are at extremely low risk for any sort of plastic toxicity if used correctly (I doubt you could eat out in this country if generic tableware was a health concern for you).