Tupperware was the ultimate in kitchen prep and presentation during my childhood years. It was the forerunner in plastic kitchen gadgetry and food preservation. I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to it growing up, as the kitchen was my mother and grandmother’s domain. But I recognized it in friends’ kitchens, and that their moms used it, too. The burp-y lids that ensured your leftovers would be kept fresh; the cake holders that could accommodate several layers of cakes; the tall salt and pepper shakers with the mini burp-y lids; and who could forget the deviled egg plate? I would also throw this into the category of pop-culture collectibles. There was a slight air of exclusivity about it: you could only purchase it at a Tupperware “party” and they were expensive. Fast forward to my high school years. This pretty little lunch holder was rolled out by Tupperware. At my school, I think it was a status symbol. If you had this holder (which included a covered sandwich and salad container, and a mini-cup), you were stylin’. It came in red, and I think brown, too. This was the quintessential lunch bin for the kids (particularly girls) who had grown up with cartoon lunch boxes. Yes, I still have mine, minus the inner-holders. I found it when I was cleaning out my mom’s house in 2012. She kept it in her closet all those years. I imagine in the early 80s it took a lot for a secretary to put aside $30 for this novelty. But she did it because it was an expression of love. And she kept it because it was a little piece of me. Today, I keep it in my closet and think of her every time I look up at it. Thank you, Mama.
