In contsant search...

for the perfect lunch box.

Have been at it for the past thirty months. And still havent achieved any satisfaction. At the end of each working day, between mom and two kids we fill the sink with 50 pieces of these items to be cleaned. This is excluding the lunch bag itself and the water bottles (which are a constant battle issue).

I had started with plastic ones. Simple two-tier stuff, with clasps at the side, in bright colours. Winnie-the-Pooh and Bob-the-Builder smiling sweetly from the lid. The colour pleased the kids and the simplicity thrilled me. My then two-year old could open and shut without much mess. Cool. But, the fancy wore out, the clasps didnt hold for more than a month and one tier kept falling off, even as I was about to place it in the lunch bag.

Then came the rainy wintry days of Bangalore. Ought to give them warm food. So, I bought those insulated ones, with microwaveable containers inside. Super duper find, I commended myself. Once again the colours pleased the kids and the ease of use gave me warm comfort. The 2.3 year old could still unlock the containers because it had grooves on the lid and neat arrow marks to guide her on the right way to open.

The joy was shortlived. Those grooves began to accumulate the following in multiple strata: mud stains,ghee from rasam mammum,VIM and atoms of steel scrubber. The yuckiness freaked me out at the end of week one.

Ah! When i am on this slippery a slope how can Tupperware not catch my attention. Found an ardent salesperson who said stuff like spill-proof ya, very good quality plastic ya, lifetime replacement guarantee ya. Okay, done. Three combinations purchased. It was okay for a while, but then the smell of the last days food always seems to linger in all plastics. Especially when stuff has ghee and/or turmeric in them. And my maid who is totally ignorant on how to wipe utensils dry, just adds to my head ache.

With a vengeance, this week I have returned to good old STAINLESS STEEL. They may look less natty but they remain stubbornly smell free, with minimal intervention. Have got those Milton ones inside a soft insulation. The only thing of concern now is the fact that they have plastic lids on the steel containers. In the meantime, I am sending my maid to a refresher course on wiping vessels.