From Old to New: Dish Towel to Lunch Sack
Japan has been on my mind for the last month. The tragic earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster had me worried about my own family who live there and the millions who were affected, but there are happier Japanese inspirations right now too.
dish towel to lunch sack
The cherry trees are blossoming here in Seattle, which always brings to mind one of my favorite Japanese traditions – Hanami – the cherry blossom viewing parties. As soon as the cherry blossoms bloom in parks all over Japan, friends and co-workers gather for picnics under the trees where fantastic food and drink are served.
In Japan, people often carry their lunches or food for picnics wrapped up in beautiful scarves called furoshiki. The scarves are wrapped around lunches, bundles of clothes, gifts or anything else that will be easier to carry with a handle. I don’t have a scarf that I am willing to send to school with my kids, but I do have a lot of dish towels that can do the job. I found the biggest, thinnest towel in my drawer, placed a food container, apple, and water bottle on top, and folded the opposite corners together. The kids enjoyed the change from their lunch boxes, and it was a fun way to introduce them to a little tradition from my family heritage.
Here is an adorable video of a 5th-grade boy showing his class how to do the same thing to make a zero-waste lunch. There are also a myriad of different ways – most far beyond my skills – to do the folding. You can find examples here. This could also be a beautiful and waste-free way to wrap a gift.
