Asian influence puts 'box' back in lunch box

I applaud my son's school, Winston Campus in Palatine, for its Waste-free Lunch Wednesdays. The program encourages students (their parents, really) to pack a lunch with no sandwich bags, juice boxes, paper napkins or the like that would end up in the trash at the end of the meal.

It's a challenge I eagerly accepted last year and one that I attempted to put into practice five days a week, although admittedly without complete success.

So over the summer, I've kept my eye out for products that would help this green effort. The product I liked the best was a bento-box-style set from Laptoplunches.com ($20.99, and it comes with utensils and a recipe book).

Bento boxes are a traditional lunch in Japan in which small portions of multiple foods are served, often in small boxes that are divided into compartments.

The Laptop Lunch set is a pencil-case-like box with five small containers, as well as a slot for silverware. Besides lunches, I've used the container for dinners on the go -- those times when I've had to get kids from day care to swimming to baseball. My boys love the idea of eating from the bright boxes and I like knowing that dinner didn't come from a drive-through.

Tupperware came out with a box of its own, and while I use the company's Sandwich Keepers (two for $11) every day in Jerome's lunch, I was less impressed with the Lunch'n Things Container ($11). I like that the container comfortably holds a juice box and sandwich and has twin compartments for fruit, veggies or chips, but I don't like its length. It just doesn't fit well into a backpack without tipping it on its side.

However, it fits just fine into a briefcase, so I've adopted it for my work lunches.

Here's Bruce: Watch North Pond chef Bruce Sherman with his daughters on an upcoming episode of the PBS series "Chefs A'Field: Kids on the Farm."

During the half-hour show that airs at 4 p.m. Saturday on WYCC Channel 20, Bruce and his girls learn how to make goat cheese at Fantome Farm in Ridgeway, Wis. They then travel to Mineral Point, Wis., to Shooting Star Farm where they learn about organic greens and tomatoes.

Summer heats up: Learn all about growing and using peppers -- both hot and sweet -- at the Chicago Botanic Garden's All About Peppers Weekend.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, you can taste peppered popcorn, shop for fresh peppers and pepper products from select vendors, and participate in family activities. Pick up pepper facts and tips from signs posted throughout the garden and visit "Pepper Discovery Carts" to explore the history of peppers and the many types that can be grown in a home garden.

During the capsaicin celebration, chef Freddy Sanchez of Adobo Grill in Chicago will give cooking demonstrations at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday; chef John Bubala of Timo in Chicago takes the cooking stage at the same times Sunday.

Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe, is free; parking costs $15. Details at (847) 835-5440 or www.chicagobotanic.org.

Serving up fun: Food becomes an art medium during the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Office of Tourism's "Play With Your Food" program.

As part of its Art of Play summer celebration, kids and adults can carve vegetables, make potato stamps, create jewelry and other decorative items, shape dough animals and make other food-related crafts from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday in the G.A.R. Hall and Rotunda at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St. Participants also can sign up for a cake decorating competition and an old-fashioned cake walk. Admission is free.

Details at (312) 744-6630 or www.chicagoculturalcenter.org