Top 5 Food Products Whose Containers Are Better Than Their Contents
When I was a tween, I had a weird fixation with Snapple bottles. I thought the label design was cool, and I liked the way a whole row of empty bottles of different varieties (including the abandoned line of sodas) looked lined up on my bedroom window pane. Exciting times, let me tell you. I've since given up hoarding Snapple bottles, but I still on occasion find myself purchasing food products simply because I want the package...even if what's inside is far less attractive. Here are my five favorite food products with better containers than contents. 
Photo by Joanna O'Leary. Who doesn't want a honey pot shaped like a bear?
5. Belly Washers. This unfortunately named line of kids' beverages has one redeeming quality: the cute, collectible cartoon character tops. There are more than 70 different varieties inspired by various series such as Phineas and Ferb, Hello Kitty and (my favorite) Strawberry Shortcake, which means you'll get bored of the juice long before you do the package.
4. McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Remember the days when dry goods came in colorful tins and sacks? I don't, but thanks to McCann's, I can wallow in misplaced nostalgia every time I purchase a tin of their steel-cut oats. Also, the empty containers make lovely planters and pencil holders. 
Photo by Joanna O'Leary. Alstertor Mustard in a Teeny, Tiny Beer Stein.
3. Stroope Wildflower Honey. The honey is good and all, but the cute bear dispenser is my real motivation for buying Stroope's. And while I realize that bees, not bears, make honey, it seems far more fun (and less painful) to squeeze the latter's butt.
2. Alstertor Mustard. Düsseldorf-style mustards are generally sharp, peppery, and perfect for pretzels and bratwursts, and Alstertor is no exception. I choose this brand over all others, however, because the mustard comes in a reusable miniature beer stein. A few more jars, and I'll have enough to assemble my own little beer flight kits.
1. Highland Sugarworks Maple Syrup. If people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, what do we say to people who live in glass log cabins filled with maple syrup? Yeah, think on that one. These adorable glass containers make me want to plan a second wedding in Vermont just so I can give them out as favors. 
Photo by Joanna O'Leary. Pour that maple syrup directly out of a cabin.
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