廉价的饮料配件让我通过这个大流行夏天

最后一个秋天，当让人们吃晚餐时，你可以在没有对一个高度传染性的小巧的冠状病毒焦虑的情况下做的事情，我正在挤在我的餐厅桌子周围太多的朋友，为一个我疯狂地完成了两顿饭在我的厨房厨房里炒锅。其中一位客人要求啤酒。我把它们递给了一个冷的modelo，并指出了一套抽屉，为koozie拯救他们的手指从寒冷的罐子里。“等等，”他们说。“你有一个拉丝r just对于koozies？“我说没有。因为实际上，我有两个抽屉只是为了koozies。

Koozies，如果你不熟悉，那么绝缘体最常是用氯丁橡胶和泡沫制成的。他们也通过其他名称，所有同样尴尬：Huggies，可以绝缘子，冷却器，冷却，舒适和啤酒夹克。显然，在澳大利亚they’re called “stubby holders,” which I hate. Regardless, you probably recognize them because once you start looking for koozies, they’re everywhere. The most common, cheapest version folds flat for easy storage, but more robust, non-collapsible koozies made of thicker, pool noodle-like foam are available and optimal for floating in a body of water with a beer bobbing close at hand. You can also buyfancy metal ones, like thesefrom cooler status brand Yeti.

In Alabama, where I grew up,koozies无处不在。大多数厨房都有一个Koozie抽屉，或者在冰箱上方的koozie篮子，或柜台上的随机堆。他们被宣布为婚礼，在银行发出，并用各种各样的设计和广告印刷。我从高中了一个Koozie，一个来自Dolly Parton音乐会的一个，一个来自我的旧牙医。我有一个来自华夫饼房，几个从Mardi Gras Parades抢救，他们在那里扔了少数人群衬里圣查尔斯。我有一个魔术迈克- 专业的单身派对，一个来自猪的歌曲，我长大了，一个来自Coney岛的商店，仍然从1979电影销售MerchThe Warriors，至少来自我从未参加过的餐厅的六次左右。这是收集的规则：一旦人们了解你有一定数量的东西，它可以获得自己的重力。我的koozie抽屉似乎总是把更多的koozies拉到它的轨道上。

I’ve been collecting koozies since my early twenties, and you can tell which ones have gotten more use than others by how frayed the tops are, and how the foam has worn through in spots. I have a few in regular rotation at any given time, so in addition to my drawers full, they’re also scattered through purses, backpacks, and beach bags. I’ve probably lost as many as I have now. Koozies are about abundance, and generosity. They are there to be shared and passed around. Koozies are not disposable, exactly, but they are something you have to accept not really owning. They are free, or very close to free. They pass through your hands and end up at a friend’s lake house, or a picnic table outside a bar, or left somewhere camping. Sometimes you discover one of your koozies in an unfamiliar location, and the reunification is joyful. Sometimes that koozie was never really meant to be yours. It was just passing through.

Besides which, koozies are just an incredibly useful thing to have around, particularly now, in the summer of COVID-19. Here in Brooklyn, my social outings have all been outdoors and distanced. Bars are open for patio and curbside table service, and restaurants too, but like many New Yorkers, I am不是真的准备好了。4月份的常规救护车Sounten Soundtrack已经消退，但对下一个波的恐惧是近在咫尺。这感觉就像我们只是支撑撞击。所以，尽管热情和湿度，在户外繁殖的草丛中仍然是最好的选择。在这些条件下，Koozie真的有机会发光。这是一种简单的装置，可以防止在罐或瓶子上收集冷凝，从而保持饮料冷却器更长。这也是一个很好的绝缘体，适合敲击你的包里。你可以把成熟的桃子放在它中，并在你的行李中带上它，在旅途结束时你不会简单地糊涂。它非常便携，便宜，袖珍。它确实是什么绝缘体所做的：让事情变得更轻松，更温和，并对处理不太困难。

Every time I’ve pulled a koozie out of my bag for a roof beer with a book, or cold lemonade and cake with a friend in the park, it’s a reminder that there will be times once again when the koozie’s spirit of abundance will come in handy. Koozies are souvenirs, in the most literal sense of the word: They spark memories. For me, they are keepers of the most vital reminder these days: That someday these endless, awful days will also be a memory. Someday there will again be messy, ill-thought-out dinner parties, spontaneous lake house visits, raucous weddings, and road trips made without worry of infection. Someday my social interactions will be suffused with less, or at least different, anxiety. Until then, at least the drinks will stay cold.