Portable Dining Set
Components:
While each individual will surely tailor a portable dining set to their own needs, ours is composed of the following items (detailed descriptions follow):
• Familyna metal food carrier
• Klean Kanteen metal water bottle
• Nat-ur brand cornstarch based utensils
• Bamboo chopsticks
• Unbleached cotton napkin
• Glacier Gear insulated pack
Familyna food carrier description:
Designed for today’s “on-the-go” lifestyle, this stacking basket-style portable food set is the foundation of an environmentally sound portable dining set. Featuring a classic, simple design with a modern, urban look in durable stainless steel, the Familyna is affordable, easily obtainable, guaranteed for life, crushproof and, ultimately, recyclable. Capable of maintaining food items at extreme temperatures (especially when stored in the accompanying insulated carrying pack), this three-compartment system is an ideal way to take a healthy, balanced, multi-course meal with you, wherever you go.
Dimensions:
4¾ inches in diameter x 8½ inches tall, including handle (larger versions avl.)
Weight: Empty – 1 lb; Full – approx. 3 lbs (will vary, depending upon contents.)
Capacity: Each compartment will hold one-half liter or 1 pint 9 ounces.
How it works: Three individual containers stack one-on-top-of-another with a lid fitting on top of the upper-most container. The three-tiered stack then fits inside a frame with a latching, retractable stabilizer.
Process:
Clement Street, in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond District, has numerous shops like Kamei Household Wares and Restaurant Supply that carry an abundance of international products, especially those inspired and utilized by people from various Asian cultures. As a result, this was a natural starting point for the research of our project. Similar neighborhoods in other communities were also explored, but did not offer the same variety of options. San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery is also a great resource for reducing your impact on the planet.
Initially excited by the discovery of a modern-looking, lightweight, colorful plastic stacking food container system (complete with nesting bowls, plates and utensils, including collapsible chopsticks), we soon discovered the limitations imposed by this pervasive material. While highly durable and marketed as appropriate for freezer and microwave, the set was not made of recyclable or non-leaching plastic. The latter was of particular concern if food was to be placed into the set while hot or heated up in the plastic containers, causing the toxins within the plastic to leach into the food. This product would be more appropriate for the transport and storage of cold foods.
A similar challenge arose in regards to an insulated beverage container, a.k.a. thermos. While small, lightweight, inexpensive metal styles abound, all have lids with non-recycled, low density, leachable plastic on the inside.
Professor Pinderhuges introduced us to a wonderful product called TO GO WARE. Consisting of a spoon, fork, knife/spreader, and chopsticks made of organic, renewable bamboo, this “utensil toolkit” is contained in a lovely cloth roll case made by WEAVE and produced by women living on the Thai-Burma border. Our only hesitation in using this product was the price, requiring an investment of $14-$18 per set, depending upon where purchased. Those interested can check out the product at San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery, www.handicrafts@weave-women.org.