Blinking, she tried to focus on the butter chicken recipe Ajay had written out for her. He’d scribbled notes in the margins, but it was still mostly a foreign language to her. Like what did “dice” mean, exactly? At least when she had cut the chicken breast into one-inch pieces, she’d known exactly how big that was. The pieces of chicken were now marinating in olive oil, lemon juice, and curry powder. Ajay roasted and ground his own individual spices, but he’d simplified the recipe for her. She hadn’t even known that curry was a blend of spices.

Concentrating on cooking took Bridget’s mind off wondering where her dad was. He’d promised to be home by the time she got back from school, which never happened. But when she’d unlocked the door an hour ago, the house had been as empty as ever.

He was probably caught at the airport. The day before Thanksgiving was always a zoo. Tomorrow they would go out to eat and then go to the multiplex and watch movie after movie, which had been the tradition ever since her mom died. Her dad would be home for four whole days.

Thanks to his job, Bridget knew there was no single substance called “plastic.” Her cutting board was made from high-density polyethylene plastic (HDPE or number 2) as was the jug in the fridge holding skim milk. The bottles of Diet Coke and salad dressing that sat next to the milk were made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET or number 1), as were the plastic clamshells holding tomatoes on the counter. PET could stand up to acidic foods like pickles, but you could never wash away the smell once it stored food with strong odors.

The containers she’d put the leftovers in after dinner were polypropylene (PP or number 5), which could go from cupboard to fridge to microwave to dishwasher and back to cupboard without breaking, melting, or degrading. And polycarbonate (PC or number 7) was used to make reusable water bottles and baby bottles. At least it had been until people started worrying about one ingredient: bisphenol A (BPA).

Her dad sold low-density polyethylene (LDPE, or number 4). Pliable, it was perfect for squeeze bottles and plastic film that wrapped everything from frozen food to bread to meat.

Unfortunately, the chemicals that made plastic stable and flexible could leach into food. Her dad tried to reassure customers the FDA had strict regulations about how much. But people didn’t always trust the government to look out for their best interests. And many, like Ajay, saw plastic as a not-very-necessary evil.