A quick view of Treehugger posts eventually led me to the To-Go Ware site, which sells sets of flatware that come in a wrap-case. The set includes a fork, knife, and spoon, along with a set of chopsticks. The utensils themselves are made of bamboo, and the wrap-case are either made of recycled plastic bags and newsprint, or out of cotton. The recycled wrap-cases are made by CONSERVE, and the cotton wrap-cases are made by WEAVE.
While costing about $20 per set, it’s something that could make for an interesting gift. I’ve done my best to use flatware from home when I bring food into work, but there have been some cases where I failed to prepare fully, such as not bringing in knives for cream cheese when I bring bagels in. Since Meghan has always been one to take food with her for lunch, she’s been taking flatware from home with her for much longer. Yes, I will continue to bring flatware from home, and I don’t need to necessarily purchase a $20 set of flatware to do this, I think it comes down more to a principal thing; if I support a company that, from what I can tell, is trying to do something sustainable as well as furthering the use of the two groups listed above, it has to help, right?
I guess something to consider is how long will the utensils last for, and how easy are they to clean. The site claims the utensils are “long lasting”, but so is the flatware I already have. The flatware I already have can be cleaned by throwing it in the dishwasher, but can I do that with the bamboo? The suggested cleaning method, like most bamboo items, is to handwash the utensil, however these can “sustain the dishwasher”. So it appears that they should last for a while and can, when needed, be sterilized by the dishwasher. Since the ingredients we use are low on the spoilage list (very little meat, dairy, and eggs), I would not be too concerned about not having them washed in the dishwasher after each and every use.
So, these might be a nice item to either use for everyday use if you bring food with you to work or school with any regularity, but are there any other uses? I would think they would be compact enough to place in a car for when you are getting any food while on the go. The knife might not be as useful (I’m assuming) as a stainless steel knife, but considering that if you are eating food on the go, you might not be using a container that could take the abuse of a standard knife, regardless of how sharp the edge is. I think in this case, the biggest addition would be to wrap the set, in its wrap-case, with a cotton towel, so that you wouldn’t need to use a disposable napkin or towel. That’s my only fault I’m seeing; perhaps they could make something that involves towel storage as well.
So, this is something I might look into getting, but more for the supporting of something I believe in that the absolute need to have it. As I mentioned before, it might make for an interesting gift, and could be used to possibly help others get started on avoiding the use of disposable flatware; I’m fine with the fact that they might do it only out of guilt, because it’s a start nonetheless.
The next step is find a replacement for the containers we use for food storage and transportation. Glass and ceramic will be too heavy and might break, and typically doesn’t easily form a good seal, yet plastic containers are, well, plastic, and I’m not sure how many uses they’ll get overall before the cooling and microwaving take their toll.
Latest Comments