New York Times Incites Riot by Suggesting a Better Way to Wash Your Dishes
Hell hath no fury like a person emotionally attached to pre-rinsing their dishes.
Ask the ExpertsEtiquette

On Sunday, the New York Times social editor woke up and, as the saying goes, chose violence. An article that was published over a year ago but tweeted again yesterday morning received replies like, “Insane take,” “No.,” “I refuse to believe this,” and “You go to hell, The New York Times.” Was it a questionable political take? No. Perhaps Ross Douhat’s latest column? Again, no. The article that prompted such emphatic anger was from Wirecutter, the Times’ product review vertical, making the claim that one does not have to rinse off their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Hell hath no fury like a person emotionally attached to pre-rinsing their dishes.
The article, “How to Use Your Dishwasher Better,” was originally published in July 2021 and didn’t initially instigate a lot of online buzz. It received a few retweets but was left mostly untouched by the Twitter mob. Probably because July is a paper plate month. Who has time to be outraged about washing dishes when you’re eating to-go hot dogs on the boardwalk off of a small cardboard dish. But that Times social editor knew exactly what sort of chaos they were choosing to upend by pushing out the story again in peak soup season, right before peak casserole season. We’re in prime pan-soaking season entering the holidays, and the Times is playing with fire.