Who cares which came first? – Egg mold to look like a chick (Wordless Wednesday)

chicken, eggs, products, quirky | February 25, 2015 | By

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Egg-a-Matic Chick Egg Mold

Quirky Lunch Boxes–Brownbagging shouldn’t be boring either

bento, lunch, products, school lunches | December 27, 2013 | By

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Even as an adult, taking your lunch to work doesn’t have to be boring. And being quirky, doesn’t mean it should be impractical either.
 
Of the 18 amazing lunch boxes that Emily (hi Emily! I didn’t forget…I’m just slow!) pointed out to me a couple months ago, I think the above might be my favorite. I’m pretty sure it even trumps the NES box below.
 
It’s not because it’s that strange…or even that it’s the most practical. Realistically, it’s only good for sandwiches and I have no idea how it’s supposed to be cleaned regularly. I think it’s cool that I wouldn’t have to try to find the right size ziplock bag to squish my sandwich into and then later, try to wiggle it back out of without losing all my fillings. If it actually holds it in place like it appears to, then it’s perfect for tossing a sandwich in your bag and not wondering if it’ll still look like a sandwich by lunchtime, ha!
 
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This one is also a mix of quirky but practical. I’m a little concerned about using those utensils and how that outside would get cleaned easily after using it as a tray every day, but that’s probably because I’m a messy either and others wouldn’t have to worry about it.
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I’m not nearly as eco-friendly as I probably should be, but I fully support others who take the time, energy, and money to clean up their footprint. I’ve seen these metal cases a few times already now and the reviews are great. You skip the plastic and the pieces stack nicely without being overly inconvenient. I don’t think any kid is going to get teased for taking these to school either, which is a nice bonus for most school-aged kids. And the different sizes makes them easy to work with for bento boxes, too.
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And then of course this one is going to get a few points from me, just because I’m still a bit nostalgic for my old NESes. The only thing it’s missing is the butterknife sticking out of the front to make sure the game (or lunch?) stays in place.

Top 5 reasons why the ‘fast food purse’ won’t work for Americans

Fast food purse cuts down on waste and allows you to carry your fast food purchase with one hand

Like the Red Cloud ketchup/fry duo, this is a type of packaging that I didn’t know we needed “fixed” but apparently we do.

Unfortunately, after watching this gif one too many times, I started to notice a whole lot of reasons why it just wouldn’t work for Americans.

  • The cup holder is way too small! Come on, we’re the home of the ‘super size it’ phenomenon and even if McDonald’s no longer has that option, that doesn’t mean we don’t still have much larger drinks than what would be seen as normal or ‘regular’ in other countries. 
  • There’s only room for one each! So what if a normal combo comes with a small burger and small fry? Unless your burger is small enough and the variety that goes in a wax paper wrapper instead of a box, this isn’t going to work out so hot.
  • Mixing cold and hot is bad! Speaking of hot, we want our fries as hot as possible and the drink as cold as possible. Chances are, we’re not going to get that from a fast food restaurant half the time anyway, so putting them right next to each other, even temporarily, is likely to make us whine even more.
  • Can’t steal fries at the same time! Everybody knows the joys of stealing fries out of the bag while driving or walking to your eating location. I know the goal of this packaging is to make it a one-handed journey, but what good is having the other hand free if you can’t use it to easily steal fries? Or to get a drink from the cup, for that matter?
  • Not enough packaging! Sure, there’s been a trend toward minimalism and a bunch of extra packaging isn’t a GOOD thing, that’s for sure. But as Americans, we tend to come up with some great excuses for those extra layers of trash (like how it helps keep the heat in!). The designer said she reduced the overall volume by 50%, but between our excuses and our need for bigger holders, I just don’t think that’s going to fly in the US.

If that’s not enough, think about how manly American men are going to reject ever carrying something that’s been called a ‘purse’. This is far too dainty for them. And all that fry grease is sure to leak right through that dainty purse and destroy the whole thing anyway, so nope, back to the drawing board!