Bento Boxes

I’ve developed a fascination for Japanese bentos and books with pictures of bentos. I can’t pass up browsing all the related accessories when I shop. One of my favorite household stores named “Tadaima”, literally meaning ‘I’m home, now”, carries a collection of the most fun containers. And, while much is plastic, you can find things easily that are made in Japan, not China. To explain simply, a bento is a boxed lunch. However, Japanese mothers take the concept of a boxed lunch to a whole different level and children learn early on to eat with their eyes as well as their mouth. Once on a picnic with Roo’s class at school I caught a glimpse of an actual bento prepared by a Japanese mother and I learned it’s for real, the lunches are as immaculate as the pictures. It’s sort of embarrassing to unwrap your smashed sandwich and pop open a bag of chips. I’ve started a collection of bento books to feed my obsession and lurk on many websites relating to the topic. To be clear, I don’t actually prepare fancy bento boxes. It’s one down side of having the world’s pickiest eater. My pediatrician back home once suggested, only half jokingly, that I should start a support group for mother’s of picky eaters. So, unfortunately, my bentos are usually homogenous in color, mostly carbohydrates, and contain no embellishments (e.g. no black sesame for the eyes on rice molded in the shape of a teddy bear). Not a lot to work with. Along the way I’ve also discovered Japanese cookbooks that are mostly pictures showing step by step how to chop and plate. The detail in the presentation is half the fun of making and enjoying the food. Last spring I took a class on preparing the bento type foods for the activity of picnicking under the cherry blossoms in the spring. Here's a photo of my "hana mi bento" from class: