to bento box or not?

Hi all! I'm Masami, a friend of KP's and similarly bento-obsessed! I'm originally from Japan so I grew up with bento. My mom would pack us bento lunches for picnics and she made one for me almost every single day during high school. I now make them to bring to work.

When I first started bringing bento to work, I got some strange looks. My colleagues were curious about my lunch boxes. Some people might be embarrassed about bringing a bento box. Others might not want to spend money to buy a bunch of cute bento boxes. Hey, to each their own. A traditional bento box isn't a necessity.

I recently found a cute Hello Kitty plastic container in the $1 section of my local Target, which I use for bento.




I've also used plain old tupperware.




During my last trip to Japan, I bought stackable nesting plastic containers in cute colors. I love these, though they don't pack up as compactly as a traditional bento box.




But yes, I do own more traditional bento boxes. What do you all use?