Bento Box Lunches
When I was a kid, my dad made my lunch most mornings before I headed off to school. My lunch box featured a rotating menu of kid-friendly foods: sliced cheese, crackers, and salami, a thermos full of chicken noodle soup, PB&J sandwiches, apple slices, peeled clementines, a mini bag of chips, cookies, granola bars, and a juice box.
(From Sugar Charms: Shinzi Katoh 2-Tier Black Apple Bento Box, $19.99)
More often than not, my dad topped off my lunch with a napkin note. Sometimes the note had a joke on it. Or he wished me good luck on my spelling test. But usually it said:
I love you. Have a good day. Dad.
Now that I’m all grown up, I like to send Jon off to work with a homemade lunch (complete with napkin note). Usually I pack leftovers into a Pyrex container or a brown paper sack, but I feel guilty every time I tuck some chips into a plastic baggy. I’ve been looking for a more sustainable alternative and I think that a bento box—the classic Japanese lunch box—or a tiffin—a set of stacked containers that are popular in Southeast Asia—may be the answer.
Tiffins Take Lunch Pails to a Whole New Level
(From Pearl River: Square Melamine Tiffin $31.50, Stainless Steel 3-Tier Lunchbox $15.50)
Tiffins and bento boxes are designed to hold lunch for one. They feature different compartments that you can easily fit sandwiches, carrot sticks, or leftover tacos into. They range in style from gratuitously cute to utilitarian and I’m having an awfully hard time deciding which one(s) to order.
I’m leaning towards a boring, but very functional, insulated canister because I can heat up Jon’s food at home on the stove (or microwave it in a glass container) and then he won’t have to deal with that at work. But my friend Nancy who lived for years in Southeast Asia, swears by tiffins. Decisions, decisions…
Frog Themed Bento Boxes Are Adorable and Popular
(From Sugar Charms: Yokom Kids Frog Face $17.99, Frog Style 17.99, Frog Style 2-Tier $22.99, Yokom Kids Frog 17.99)
A Leak-Proof SIGG Container
(From Reusable Bags: SIGG Snack Box $28.95)
Ridiculously Cute Bento Boxes
(From Sugar Charms: Shinzi Katoh Gibbon Bento Box $19.99, Nikyoro Mushroom Mini Bento Box $6.79)
Insulated Bento Containers…Boring but Useful
(From Amazon: Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lined Lunch Jar $47.00)
You found some great alternatives for lunch/Bento boxes. As an adult I have an odd obsession with them… When I grew up I didn’t have a lunch box. My parents didn’t see the need to spend money on anything “cool” when I could use a perfectly good empty bread sack. Let me tell you – that was embarrassing! Whether it was a sandwich, leftovers or fruit – it ALL looked bizarre and ugly through the plastic, cheap-brand, bread sack. I got to a certain point where I would just pull the wrapped food out of the sack and carry all the items individually to the lunch room (hopefully well-balanced enough that I didn’t drop anything). Then, when high school hit, I felt extremely fortunate to be able to buy lunch. No more bread-sack lunches for me! I was like the rest of the “cool” kids eating cafeteria food! ha ha.
Anyway, I have pledged that my daughter will never have to go to school without an awesome lunch box. She’s only 3 so I have a few years yet – but you’ve shown so many great options, I have this almost compulsive urge to go buy them now so I can ensure her “cool-ness” for years to come. Sad, eh? Then again, maybe I should let her pick out her own (when it is time) so she doesn’t have the opposite reaction because her “Mom makes her use some lame lunch box.” =)
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 pmHaving just gone through the “search” to find the perfect Bento boxes.. The cute ones are adorable but have small proportions for a “dude”. We found a stacking box for my husband at a Japanese store in LA. We also use Lock & Lock containers. They have lots of various sizes and they are dishwasher safe. If you haven’t seen it, you might check out http://www.justbento.com. (And you might find some fun boxes at a local Japanese grocery up your way.)
Still loving your blog Willi!! Take care, Amy
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pmAmy–Thanks so much for sharing the Just Bento site. Somehow in my research I missed it. And it’s a gem. And Peppercorn Press, it sounds like you have a lucky little girl who will never be without a cool lunchbox (or two). I always had a super boring lunchbox because I lost them frequently and my parents got sick of replacing them.
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 pmWilli, One more place for you. Another site called Lunch in a Box… There is a very cool search feature for stores for boxes & supplies. http://lunchinabox.net/bento-store-locator/ – amd
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm