Your typical bendable straw has a special flexible
section.
That is *not* this Idea. These straws are made pre-
bent.
We want them to be made out of really tough plastic,
like
polycarbonate, but we want the chosen plastic to be
glass-
like in its appearance (same index of refraction
as
glass).
Thus they will "fit" with a fine dining experience, without
being dangerously breakable, and can be re-used and last
a
long time.
The bent-over part of the straw only needs to be a
centimeter or so in length, minimizing any obtrusiveness
of appearance. Since it is bent over, the person holding
the glass need not tip either the glass or the head, when
drinking while looking at something. About the only
time the glass need be tipped is when almost empty, and
the straw didn't quite reach the bottom.
Because different glasses have different depths, we
need a
set of different-length straws, all pre-bent. Obviously,
the
more different-length straws we can include in a set, the
better! People
would need to buy a set of straw-sets --one straw-set for
each potential diner. In practice, though, most of the
time only one straw from each straw-set would be placed
in a glass at the dining table (perhaps two or three, if
each diner has some different-sized glasses).
Finally, right near the place where the bent-over part of
the
straw rests on the lip of the glass, the straw features a
little nubbin of solid material on the underside of the
bent-
over part of the straw. This creates a kind of notch for
the lip of the glass, so that the straw sets on the edge
and
does not move when pushed (such as when mouth-lips
first
grip the end of the straw).
Bonus notion: Depending on the surface characteristics
of the chosen plastic for the straws, it may be possible
to make a telescoping version. We want its
extensibility to be somewhat stiff, so that its length
doesn't change while being used. And of course the
different telescoping segments need tight sealing, to
ensure it can still work as a straw. Its appearance,
however, might take a bit of getting-used-to, and
possibly would clash with a fine dining experience. On
the other hand, if it works acceptably, then the set of
bent straws could be reduced significantly in number.