Today’s lunch systems are dominated by bento-style gear, which originated in Japan and involves multiple compartments and containers to hold a variety of foods, like this any-way-you-want-it sushi. Bento makes sense for modern kids, who are as likely to be toting sushi and DIY taco kits as they are the classic PB&J. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File)There was a time when a lunch box was just that, a box into which your parents packed your lunch.
For many years, they were metal and came emblazoned with your favorite cartoon or movie characters, as well as a matching thermos. By the ’80s, metal was passe, making way for plastic. But the basic design was the same. And you liked it. Until you were old enough to not. Then you graduated to paper bags or ditched packed lunches entirely for some atrocious pizza-chicken-cheese-nugget-potato thing from the cafeteria.
Lunch gear has come a long way since those days. Today’s lunch “systems” are dominated by bento-style gear, which originated in Japan and involve multiple compartments and containers to hold a variety of foods. And that makes sense for modern kids, who are as likely to be toting sushi and DIY taco kits as they are the classic PB&J.
The gear also is far more high-tech. Today, everything from the bag to the water bottle is super-insulated and rated so you know how long your darling child’s pasta carbonara will stay warm and how long the organic juice will remain chilled.
Which isn’t to say all modern lunch gear is the same. So here are a few pointers to help you make the best choices as you brace for another year in the lunch-packing trenches.