Things We All Remember About Old School 4th of July Celebrations

By the 1990s, the 4th of July wasn’t complete without a stack of patriotic paper plates—the kind with faded American flags printed off-center and a waxy finish that pretended to be waterproof. They looked festive. They were not built for chili dogs.

You’d pile on a burger, beans, chips, and pasta salad, only to feel the plate buckle halfway to your lawn chair. By the time you got seconds, it had dissolved. Still, they were everywhere. The mess didn’t matter. The ants didn’t care. And somehow, food tasted better eaten on a plate that might collapse at any second.