
For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. The boxes can range from austere lacquered trays to multi-tiered Hello Kitty confections of neon pink plastic. The meals themselves are anything from rice and leftovers to elaborate themed affairs of Pikachu-shaped dumplings with sesame seed eyes and carved radish trees. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.
This shellfish illusion from Sakurako Kitsa is actually perfectly kosher. Our "lobster" is fashioned entirely of Roma tomatoes with gel food coloring accents and strips of cayenne pepper for antennae. Cloves make perfect beedy little eyes. The "butter sauce" is mashed egg yolk with mustard and mayo, and the rose is carved from yellow tomatoes.














