Packin' a Lunch: UR Doin It Wrong

Did you know that bringing lunch to work "used to be for the picky eaters and penny pinchers"? It says so in the Globe; it must be true. With the economic crisis looming large these days, though, "everybody's doing it" (bringing lunch, that is). Sadly, with the new lunch-bringing trend comes the end of the storied PBJ and potato chips duo. Nowadays, everybody's packin' quinoa, mesclun, (braised?) fennel cubes, carrot ribbons, crystallized ginger, quinoa—even rice cake sandwiches. And you certainly cannot haz any cheeseburgers, you food heathen you. Someone could hear the consequences!

With ingredients ranging from "a cinnamon pinch" to cubed everything, the lists of lunch ideas seem tasty, if a bit impractical. It's hard to keep tubs of greens for long lengths of time or use pounds of spinach in a week, and the suggestion to "vary your breads and use whole grains, pita, wraps, and rice and corn cakes for sandwiches" seems like an invitation to widespread staleness. However, the hot tip to "Befriend Trader Joe's. They have tons of unusual dips and condiments." will go on our list of vital city-livin' tips next to "Go to H&M. They have clothes." You don't say!

The Globe actually offers some helpful tips for packing lunch in this article. It is easy to get stuck in a lunch rut, bringing the same stuff all the time, which in turn makes eating out more tempting. However, has our society really degenerated to the point where we can't pack a lunch ourselves? What's next, tips on how to grocery shop? (Oh, wait—Oprah's got that covered.) And even if you do manage to create a healthy, expensive lunch, what then? One Bostonist wonders, "I have all these ingredients—how do I transport them to work? I'm going to need another tutorial, here. Should I buy a lunchbox? A cooler? Paper bags? I AM SO CONFUSED." Help us out, Globe! Can we have chewing lessons, too?

Several Bostonists contributed to this confusion.