There’s something stylish about a homemade lunch: It’s healthy, it makes good use of groceries and reduces the dining-out budget (not to mention the number of takeout cartons). But carrying lunch in vintage Tupperware or a ratty shopping bag isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing. Remember how much fun it was to carry your Dukes of Hazzard lunch box to school? These grownup food carriers make brown-bagging a tasty prospect all over again.
![](http://www.mountainx.com/images/2008/051408td1.jpg)
• Make every day a picnic. Ten Thousand Villages (10 College St., Asheville, 254-8374) offers a two-layer lidded basket, made of smoked rattan from Vietnam. $48.
![](http://www.mountainx.com/images/2008/051408td2.jpg)
• The kid-friendly (but good for adults, too) Crocodile Creek insulated lunch box comes in a variety of plant and animal motifs. It’s 100-percent PVC-free. Find it at Enviro Depot (58 College St., Asheville, 252-9007). $15.99.
![](http://www.mountainx.com/images/2008/051408td3.jpg)
• Similar to the stacked tiffin boxes used throughout India, To-Go Ware’s sleek stainless-steel food carrier has two tiers and can be heated on the stovetop. Nest Organics (51 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 258-1901) sells the lunch boxes ($21.95) along with bamboo utensil sets and cotton sling bags to hold everything ($61.95 for the set). The shop also stocks bamboo picnic items.
![](http://www.mountainx.com/images/2008/051408td4.jpg)
• Retro-inspired designs abound at Mast General Store (15 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, 232-1883). The Tin Box Company makes upright metal lunch boxes like this Holly Hobby version. $4.99.
Try this on
It’s witchcraft … make that Which?Craft, a creative independent craft fair cosponsored by Harvest Records (415 Haywood Road, West Asheville) and local craft entity Mystery Hand. The Saturday, May 17, event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be held rain or shine, indoors and outside the Harvest Records store. Harvest also plans to open its bargain basement with thousands of CDs and records for $1 or less, and The Admiral will crank up the grill. Info: 258-2999 or whichcraftasheville@gmail.com.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.