All boxed in

MANILA, Philippines - Gone are the days when kids were once baon-shamed for toting around packed lunches of sweaty chicken and less than edible mystery meats, while their friends lined up to buy fresh, hot meals. Gone are the days when lugging around bulky (but insulated!) lunchboxes was out and unnecessary spending was in. The baon fad is officially back from the dead, like your mandals and ‘90s dungarees. Not only is bringing packed lunches good to your budget, it can be good for your health, too. That and you get to add one more item to your arsenal of cute school gear. School’s back and so is the box. Young STAR presents your next lunchtime staples, along with their possible (probable) owners.

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All items are available at the SM Store.

For the healthy hippie

Like it blatantly states on the label, this lunchbox’s aesthetic is “natural style” and “handmade” (so meta), making it perfect for your resident healthy hippie. Its earthy look and affordable price point makes it just the box to carry their lunch of leafy greens, quinoa and little red tomatoes — grown and handpicked in their own backyard, of course.

For the bulking bro

“Gains,” the bro said, as he plopped this rugged, military print lunchbox onto the cafeteria table. He unzipped it to reveal a simple yet filling meal of protein, protein, and — you guessed it — protein. The typical bulking bro meal would consist of chicken breast and hardboiled eggs, with a banana or two thrown in to prevent cramping during leg day.

For the campus tita

It’s a purse! It’s a lunchbox! It’s… both? This stylish yet functional tote will be your campus tita’s lunchbox of choice. The tita will surely have a mix of both healthy and guilty eats in tow, depending on what her hormones are telling her for the day. It is also preferable that the food be photogenic as she is secretly working on improving her Insta-feed. The campus tita will gladly share her food with you — in fact, she’s brought sandwiches for everybody! “Pero wait, Alcogel ka muna,” she’ll say, before whipping out her cookie dough-scented PocketBac from Bath & Body Works.

For the pabebe girl

The only thing as sassy as the pabebe girl is this Hello Kitty lunchbox. Nothing says “wala akong paki” more than this very loud, very pink lunchtime statement piece. The pabebe girl (root word: “bebe”) would surely pack her box to the brim with snacks reminiscent of our carefree days on the playground: cookies, crackers, pudding, chewy candies, you name it. Photos by Erwin Canlas