banana leaf: your guide to making a biodegradable lunchbox

if you live in a place where tupperware salesmen don't even bother to go, then the banana leaf is a practical, commonly found, safe, and biodegradable alternative to tupperware. here is a handy guide on using the banana leaf as lunchbox.

first, take 1 whole banana leaf. make sure it is clean and that there are no rips or tears on it whatsoever. lay it out on a table and place your rice on the middle of the leaf, like so:




leave enough space on both sides and at the top and bottom of the leaf. then start folding the banana leaf's sides, like so:






make sure that the sides have been folded firmly. then have someone secure the top part of the leaf




then, starting from the bottom part of the leaf, you roll it like so:










once rolled, you can place it in a plastic bag to prevent the banana leaf from unrolling. you can now put your banana leaf lunchbox in a bag and go.




once you reach your picnic spot, you can simply unroll your banana leaf on the ground like so:










you no longer need tables or plates :) just set your other viands (we brought along buwad, corned beef, some hard boiled eggs, and a can of sardines) together with the rice on the banana leaf and... bon appetit!




once you are done with lunch, you can simply fold the banana leaf, maybe put a rock over it so the wind won't blow it away, and just leave it there, since it's biodegradable. that's one less plastic lunchbox that needs to be washed :)

pictures taken on my trip to negros oriental, january 2010.