It's the 1930s, San Francisco.

一九三零年代的舊金山。

Joseph B. Friedman and his young daughter Judith are sitting at the counter in a soda parlor.

約瑟夫·弗里德曼和他的女兒茱蒂絲正坐在飲料店吧台區。

Judith has just ordered the milkshake.

茱蒂絲剛點了一杯奶昔。

Vanilla or strawberry, we may never know.

究竟是香草還是草莓口味，我們不得而知。

When the milkshake arrives, Joseph watches as little Judith struggles.

奶昔端來時，弗里德曼發現小茱蒂絲遇到了點難題。

Seated on the parlor stool, she is unable to reach the mouth of the striped paper straw protruding from her shake.

坐在吧台高凳上，茱蒂絲沒辦法用直筒狀的紙吸管順利喝到飲料。

Joseph, in a moment of vision, modifies Judith's straw.

這時，弗里德曼靈機一動，改良了茱蒂絲的吸管。

He inserts a screw into one end and, using a piece of dental floss, crushes the paper between the threads of the screw, creating a series of tiny equidistant corrugations.

他在吸管一端插入螺絲，並拿出一段牙線沿著紙吸管外壁在螺絲置入的地方纏繞，製造出等距波紋 。

After removing the screw, the straw is able to bend over the side of the glass, and Judith is able to savor her milkshake.

移除螺絲後，吸管就能彎曲，讓一小段吸管能從杯緣折下，以便茱蒂絲大口品嚐奶昔。

Joseph initially markets the new flexible straw to hospitals to help patients drink while reclining,

一開始，弗里德曼是把他發明的可彎吸管賣到醫院，幫助靠在病床上的病人喝東西。

but eventually, with the marketing and business savvy from his sister Betty, the bendy straw becomes a beloved utensil of every child and a regular household item.

但在弗里德曼的姐姐貝蒂，一位厲害的行銷生意大師的經營下，可彎吸管最終成為受所有孩子喜愛的食具及家喻戶曉的家庭日用品。