Saturday, 14 June 2014

Tokyo Bound!


For me, the holiday of a lifetime is about to begin!

I'm visiting Tokyo and travelling to Kagoshima over a three week period.

Top of my souvenir shopping list - bento boxes!  100% authentic Japanese-made bento boxes.

Chibi Girls

I'm hoping to find at least two - although I'm sure the real difficulty will be trying to narrow it down to two!  Ideally a set of two boxes with a carry bag and maybe some accessories, like rice molds for making little rice balls.

I can't wait to try out real rice balls - called onigiri.  I've been wanting to make some for a while but I've been holding off until I can see for myself what the real ones are like.

I shall certainly be taking lots of photographs of the food and my purchases to share with you upon my return.

So it's sayounara for now!

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

What's in a Box?


The bento box itself can be just as big a part as the food it contains.

With so much variety, it can be hard to know where to start!

Honestly - if you're new to this, don't fret about rushing to buy an authentic Japanese designed bento box.  Whilst they're certainly nice to have, it's not a necessity, especially if you're just starting out.

Ordinary food storage boxes are fine!

Let's call it a starter bento box!

Main thing is to have a box with a secure lid - you don't want your lunch spilling out before you even get to work!

Unless you want to make one for sharing, the boxes don't need to be very big.  A set of two is perfect; that way you can separate wet and dry foodstuff.  A matching pair that stack is a bonus.

On a trip to San Francisco, I picked up a cheap little bento box for a dollar.  It's cute, but for me it's just not big enough to pack a lunch in.  I tend to keep little snacks like sunflower seeds in this.  Note the little strap to keep them together - another useful feature.

Mini-bento with strap

Bento boxes don't even have to be box-shaped - they can come in all shapes and sizes!

A round ended oblong, with 2 compartments -
a much better size compared to my current box!

A perfectly round bento
Free Food Photos

Some come with their own carry bags.  Personally, I really want one like this!

Yume Oval Royal Bento Box with Bag
Casa Bento
There's a variety of capacity available too - some are one big cavity, others have set compartments, others come with removable compartments so you can adjust how many and how big.

This one is unusual for its shape and split compartments.

Free Food Photos

With so much to chose from I've got a feeling I could end up purchasing all manner of bento boxes!  I can see it now - post after post of 'my latest purchase to fuel my obsessive need for pretty boxes'.

Seriously, this could resemble my kitchen if I'm not careful.

kawaiidairy


Thursday, 29 May 2014

What is Bento?


In a nutshell - it is a meal in a box.

Hailing from the realm of Japanese cuisine, the bento is traditionally a box-shaped container with a meal of rice, vegetables and meat or fish.

They can be purchased at convenience stores all over Japan as 'ready to eat' lunch boxes.  They can be served at restaurants.  They can be made at home.  The containers can be disposable, beautiful lacquer-ware, plastic, simple, artfully decorated or plain.  The food itself can be just as varied.

Bento can be as simple or elaborate as you please!

I'm sure when people initially start to research what bento is all about, it can be quite intimidating to see the stunning art work and design that goes into some of them.

Trust me.  They don't have to be that way.  I'm not terribly artistic and I won't be creating masterpieces any time soon!  There's nothing wrong with a simple, functional bento!

A perfectly simple bento - as demonstrated by Little Japan Mama
Doesn't that look tasty?

It's elegant in its simplicity.

With so many examples of the artistic side of bento, it's so hard to pick just one ...

Behold the cuteness! An adorable panda theme.
Some bento look far too beautiful to eat!  You can imagine someone spending hours, painstakingly crafting cute scenes and favourite characters ... there are even competitions focused on bento art.

Of course, there are ornate presentations such as these in fine Japanese restaurants.

Restaurant style bento - Wikipedia
Even for a very brief overview, it's pretty apparent that bento is very versatile - not only in appearance but in content.

Truly, bento can be whatever you want it be.


Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Welcome to Bento Chef!

Welcome to the blog of the Bento Chef!

Join me on my journey of discovering the wonderful world of bento - from the delicious food, to the amazing works of art, and the boxes themselves.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog as it develops.

Itadakimasu!

~ Bento Chef ~

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