Out of the frying pan, into a fire

Fifty years ago, Americans wrapped their sandwiches in waxed paper, poured their milk from glass bottles, wore rubberized coats when it rained, drove cars made from steel and reheated dinner in an old pie tin in the oven.

Today our sandwiches come in aluminum-plastic pockets, ready to be popped in the microwave. Pizza boxes and French fry containers keep grease off us with high-tech coatings. When it rains, we wear Gore-Tex, which keeps the water out but lets our skin breathe.