Two Tier Action Pack

Everyone wants to avoid waste. And—yes, the pun is the lowest form—everyone wants to avoid waist. An effective way to do both is to eat only one-half the entrée at a restaurant whenever you eat out. Seeing that the American conception of a "portion" is generally equivalent to a meal in other nations, this is not a threat to the health of the standard-issue eater in the U.S.A. However, generating extra landfill waste through requesting carry-out packaging could be construed a threat to the planet. Fear not: no longer will you be able to use Styrofoam avoidance as an excuse to clean your plate. To-Go Ware offers individual stainless steel carryout containers, or mixed-size action packs, to accommodate healthy diet and wallet-conscious dining. 

Action packs allow an entire family—or household, however you choose to define it—to take home parts of their suppers, or an individual to secret away a part of each course. As more people embrace "brown-bagging," To-Go Ware can also serve as a handy luncheon-toting apparatus, perpetuating the more rugged-sounding practice of "metal-boxing." You can purchase accompanying wooden utensils, and the multi-unit carrying packs come in sturdy and attractive fabric carrying cases. Made of recycled cotton, even.

"Choose to Re-use," their website suggests. The organization also supports the women's organization WEAVE on the Thai-Burma border. I recently caught up with my friend Manicella at a very reasonable Thai place on North Ashland—Luc Thang Noodle—and did manage to carry away half my tofu omelet. (It was actually challengingly spicy by my standards—a rare occurrence.) Alas, I used two pieces of disposable packaging to do so: a Styrofoam box with a plastic bag knotted around it. No more! Now, thanks to To-Go Ware, I can carry a lunch, or carry half a lunch away.

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