Thinking inside the box

Forget “You are what you eat,” for school kids, you are what you eat out of.

When we were kids, Back to School Sales were the harbinger of death. Cruelly, they seemed to start in July when the sun was still shining and vacation days were still upon us, and served only to remind us of how little time you had left.

But every cloud had its silver lining, and while another school year loomed on the horizon, at least you could go back to school with a new lunchbox. And that might just make all the difference in the world.

Your lunchbox said so much about you, and knowing that you’d have to use it for the whole year made it a difficult choice. Whereas pens and pencils might be lost and replaced before your first pop quiz, your lunchbox had to continue to represent your interests and personality right up until the final exam (which in September, felt like an eternity away). Comic superhero? TV show character? Pop star pin up? Who would still define you in June?

As adults, we don’t put quite as much thought into it. If we remember to bring our lunch at all, it’s most likely in whatever container was the handiest around. And we’re just as likely to forget it at work if it’s just another boring piece of plastic. But doesn’t a sandwich taste better out of a cool lunchbox?

So linger a little over the lunchboxes in your nearest Back to School sale. And maybe see if there’s something that would not just keep your lunch cold, but that would even keep it “cool.”