2 months ago, after seeing the amount of disposable plastic containers that have been piling up from the days I've been eating takeaway for lunch and dinner, I'd figure I would do something about it.
I went on a little trip to The Exchange of all places, hoping to find a food container that I can reuse instead of plastic containers.
Sure enough, such grand malls like The Exchange have no place for lowly items you could get at any regular mall, but I came across one in Muji before giving up.
It's a tempered glass container with a plain white cover that clasps on the container's rim, sealing tight with a rubber lining.
It was rather ordinary-looking yet charming that it caught my attention. I bought it for RM30.
The next couple of months I've been using the container, and I observed the peculiar wonders that it has brought to my otherwise pedestrian life.
Safe to say, I might have cracked the code of making the most of takeaways. Allow me to elaborate.
...
The first few days was obvious, I took the container with me in my bag. When I went for lunch at noon, I handed the container to the cafe crew to use instead of a disposable container when I ordered my meal.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but I do notice their eyes slightly lit up, as it shifted their normal routine. Some of them even asked where I got the container from.
Then I saw how much food they put in the container, compared to the disposable containers they used. I paid the same amount as a usual takeaway.
It didn't take long before I brushed off that thought, but it happened again every time I ordered with my container. I simply got more for the same price every time.
The capacity of the food container is around 1 litre. When you compared it side-by-side with the disposable container, it does look bigger, but not big enough for anyone to notice.
I heard somewhere that your brain kind of tricks itself with how much food there is relative to the size of the plate its on, in this case containers. Its probably why people on a diet choose to use smaller plates to make their meal seem larger than it really is.
And its probably why the cafe crew put more food into the container to make it full without realizing.
As I write this, I may have felt a slight guilt on that previous statement, but I didn't really do anything wrong, did I? I just thought its rather interesting to see it unfold.
After all, the amount of disposable containers that I would have otherwise use are no longer ending up in the trash or in landfills, and I'm getting more value out of my luncheon money. It's an absolute win-win scenario.
I really suggest you give it a shot. Bring your own food container with you. I'm very satisfied with how things are turning out in this little corner of my life, and I want to share that with you.

The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Bringing Your Own Food Container