Yes, I'd like a box for this.

I eat out a good bit and since I'm trying to eat better, I sometimes only eat 1/2 my meal at the restaurant. I could probably re-pave my town home community parking lot with the Styrofoam to-go boxes that have graced the inside of my fridge over the last couple of years. I know that Styrofoam and the environment are not on speaking terms, but I really like my food, so what to do?

A few weeks ago, I read a brief article at Earth911.com about ways we can re-use things and reduce the amount of solid waste we create. One of the suggestions was to take your own "to-go" container when you dine out. This struck me as ludicrous at first. It would be embarrassing, carrying some plastic bowl or dish into a nice establishment. People would stare at me. They might even point and snicker.

I spent a day or so mulling over this idea. I concluded that my fears were most likely overrated and even if folks thought I was odd for bringing my own "to-go" container, that would be their problem.

It has taken me about 1 month to actually bring my own doggie bag. This has been like my fun with reusable shopping bags. On 3 separate occasions, I planned on using the old Chinese delivery dishes as my new "doggie bags", only to walk into the restaurant empty handed.

Tonight, I finally did it. We went to TGI Fridays and Laura couldn't finish her meal, so she got to use the plastic container you see above. Now her "second" meal sits comfortably in a washable, reusable "doggie bag."

Oh, and those laughing observers? I didn't see any.

So grab that old cool whip bowl, delivery tin, or tupperware bowl and let's eat out!