Barbecue and beer go together like summer and sunburn. But it’s sometimes tough to juggle both food and beverage while mingling . A plate in one hand and a drink in the other doesn’t leave much for greeting guests at social gatherings and trying to balance the cup on top of the plate risks spillage.
The iCup and iPlate hope to slide in a solution to the issue of one-handed consumption The cup attaches into grooves on the bottom of the plate so that it doubles as a handle. The plate also acts as a lid to keep the bugs out of the drink and the cup acts to stabilize the plate. If the food needs utensils, the iFork and iKnife snap into the sides of the plate for easy access. Finally, by helping guests keep their cup close at hand, the system helps address the issue of identifying whose cup belongs to whom. A starter set of four (dispsoable) cups, four plates, and four sets of utensils is only $15, with expected delivery of November 2015. The campaign hopes to raise $10,000 by August 13, 2015,
It would be nice to have a non-disposable option. And, of course, taking full advantage of the plasticware requires getting all the products from one source. Still, the plate and cup combo is an ingenious solution to an age-old problem that looks at the drink-balancing issue from the reverse perspective. It doesn’t make guests look silly even though they’ll probably have to be shown the sliding trick.