"bento box" news and stories

Originally, I was going to call this post "Kitty Porn," but in the wrong context, it just wouldn't be right.

Kitty Porn or not, this is quite possibly the most elaborate, intricate bento box I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of bento boxes. Not only is it Hello Kitty (you all know how much I love the little white, mouthless kitty, right?), but it's Hello Kitty in a lettuce (maybe it's cabbage?) leaf Totoro costume, surrounded by all the flowers, bugs and creatures of the forest. I have no idea if someone actually got to eat this masterpiece. All I know is that the most elaborate bento lunch I'd ever get is Mr. Bento.

[via: Fashionably Cute]

We here at Slashfood love the idea of bento, whether it is marvelling at the amazing home creations of Japanese mothers for their family, pointing to sites that are fanatical about bento, or finding cool gadgets to take bento yourself. Last year Nick showed us Mr. Bento, a handy canister made by Zojirushi for carrying your lunch, but it seems that Mr. Bento has landed himself a girlfriend, Ms. Bento!

Now I'm not quite sure what makes this bento box a "Ms." but it makes me wonder if Zojirushi believes that Ms. Bento is supposed to be carried by women and Mr Bento by men. Ms. Bento differs from the "Mr." in that it's a lovely pastel blue or violet rather than sleek silver and comes with a handy matching handbag, as opposed to the somewhat boring black drawstring tote. It also only has two containers for food rather than four. If I were carrying bento to the office or school, I think I'd still want to carry the Mr.

Why give your child boring toy food along the lines of plastic bacon and hamburgers when they can have their very own bento box to play with. How cool is that? I only wish that there was such a thing as plush sushi toys when I was but a wee gourmand.

Spoon Sisters makes the play set, which comes with several pieces of sushi, a California roll, chopsticks, and wasabi. Each piece of sushi is also velcroed so that little hands can disassemble and reassemble the toy treats. No mention as to whether it contains any fugu.

[via The Food Section]

We certainly love bento boxes here at Slashfood. I think I am utterly fascinated by this utter fascination with such incredible artistry in a lunchbox. It is something that is so foreign to me as an American. When I was in elementary school, I think the most creative thing I took to school for lunch was gim-bahp, and when that happened I was totally embarrassed that I didn't have something normal like a sandwich. 

If you're as amazed as I am by these miniature masterpieces, take a peek at yet another site dedicated to bento boxes. The site is in Japanese, but the creativity and detail in the photos need no translation.

I recently found a site that deserves a mention if only for its name: My Lunch Can Beat Up Your Lunch! A self-described "ode to bento lunches," the site has photos, descriptions and recipes for roughly 100 different compartmentalized, on-the-go meals. The recipes are very straightforward and many, but not all, have Asian influences. There's yakitori and gyoza, but also chicken salad sandwiches and fried plantains. All in all, good for inspiration if you're looking to mix up what you pack for lunch every day.