Funny You Should Flask

Behold an autumn micro-trend! A couple of my male colleagues have taken to sporting what has got to be this season's hottest accessory: the Thermos flask. Usually containing milky tea, sometimes coffee but almost always accompanied by a spoonful of middle-aged pride. Maybe it's the prospect of hard-times ahead - think of the money you can save by carrying your very own bespoke hot drink around - or perhaps it's a control thing, having a cup of what you like, when you like (believe me, in an office without a kitchen, there's nothing wrong with that). Time to investigate.

'There's something very satisfying about using a flask, ' says Mr Glenn Waldron, 'It feels both nostalgic and comforting. I think it harks back to my school days, I was cross-country champion - hot chocolate definitely tastes best served from a Thermos in the middle of a field.'

'Pure economics,' adds Mr Paul Tierney, 'I'm not tight but the price of a cup of coffee these days is criminal.'

Another colleague, Mr Ben Wilmott, is on the cusp of flask ownership but has to 'deal with the demons of a traumatic childhood incident first.' Opening a dropped flask to find it full of smashed glass leaves a deep mental scar. I know. My first flask looked like the one above but instead of a map of the world it had a picture of some pretty flowers on the side. Sadly, I too was involved in a traumatic childhood incident, and even though it made a good noise, I was devastated by my shattered flask. Fortunately, they're more robust these days, Thermos sells one that's guaranteed for 10 years and is virtually unbreakable. No need to worry about finding shards of glass in your cuppa, then.

So, That's Not My Age has been contemplating the return of the flask. There's an old Stanley languishing under the kitchen sink, that hasn't seen the light of day for ooh at least a decade, but if memory serves, it looks just like this...



According to the website, Stanley vacuum flasks have 'been keeping coffee warm since 1913.' Which brings me onto the subject of suitable beverages. I have fond memories of hot chocolate and sweet tea but when it comes to soup, a stale smelling flask is hard to avoid. My advice is to invest in a 'flask wardrobe.' One container for sweet drinks and one for savoury. According to the Thermos website, 'vacuum technology provides superior thermal insulation,' keeping cold things cold and hot things hot. People, I give you the perfect trans-seasonal accessory: the flask... it's not just for autumn.




Photo
Old flask: V&A
Green flask: Stanley