Too tired or hungry to decide what to eat for lunch today? Soup sound boring? Already ate sushi yesterday?
Ponder no longer! Let the Wheel of Lunch make your mind up for you. Simply punch in your ZIP code and give the wheel a spin by clicking your mouse. The mighty wheel will pick a place near you, give you a link to its Yahoo review site, and send you out the door. Don't like the choice? Spin again -- especially if the wheel tells you to skip lunch (who does that?!).
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are embarking upon a Bento Boom. The prettily packaged (often very elaborate) box lunch has been around in Japan since the 1600s, has its share of obsessives stateside, and now boasts an upscale San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneur as its, uh, bentoperson. Meet Peko-Peko (Japanese for "hungry").
How can a simple, typically cheap boxed lunch go upscale? Well, owner Sylvan Brackett's restaurant background is at Alice Waters' famed local eatery Chez Panisse. His tribute to the food of his childhood -- his mother is Japanese -- do not come cheap. When they're so gorgeously presented in beautiful "to go" boxes, or on traditional servingware when catered, we'd be inclined to shell out the $25 minimum. (Full disclosure: We sampled Brackett's incredible potstickers as college acquaintances). Seasonal, organic ingredients might include Marin Sun Pork Kakuni (soy and sake-simmered pork belly) with chrysanthemum greens or a layered box of Dungeness crab, pork cutlet, local pickled ginger and Brackett's house-brined umeboshi (pickles).
Though gourmet bento has not yet charmed all of America, Brackett studied the cuisine in Japan and declares, "Beautifully laid out food is common there." How does Mom feel about him taking the casual food she served him as a tot and bringing it to the Alice Waters crowd? "She thinks it's amusing."
Sometimes, it has to be done. Maybe you're celebrating something. Maybe you're entertaining a client. Maybe your editor just chopped up your interview and you want to kill everyone. What am I talking about? Drinking at lunch.
Drinking at lunch can be dangerous. Some people get bad headaches from it, even from a glass of wine. It's really best to drink at lunch only if you're going to have time for a nap, but since that isn't realistic, make sure you have Advil at your desk - it might not hurt to pop a couple as a preventative measure.
Don't scare your clients, and don't knock yourself out. Avoid hardcore drinks like martinis, and avoid drinking your night drink during the day; it's likely to make you tired because your brain is used to having it before sleep. If you're particularly prone to afternoon headaches, it's a good idea to drink something involving juice or coffee to try and trick your brain a little.
In addition to headaches and naps (and wildly inappropriate crying jags), drinking at lunch can also cause raucous laughter, the closing of deals; the alleviation of unbearable tension, and a more carefree afternoon to follow.
My picks for what to drink at lunch ( In moderation) are after the jump...
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. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.
Today we've got another one of Aylanah's drool-worthy brunch bentos. There's prosciutto-wrapped smoked gouda squares topped with Japanese rice seasoning, a dried guava roll, a cupcake liner full of orzo salad with feta, pinenuts and sundried tomatoes, and handfuls of jewel-like kumquats, grapes and raspberries.
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.
Chotda's adorable orange bento marries artyness with edibility. On the top row we've got spicy pickled shallots, pre-made Hello Kitty fishcakes, and snail-like rolls of sweet omelet. On the bottom we've got some gorgeous panko-breaded fake scallops and two brown and white rice logs with shiso and sesame seed. Everything's kept neat and in its place with colorful plaid cupcake liners.
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.
Today's bento, courtesy of Bhikku, breaks the long-held taboo on panda-eating. The smiley rice panda has nori (seaweed) details and wears what appears to be a carrot flower collar (any Japanese speakers wanna help me out?). He's surrounded by various yummy noshes - mini-sausages, a cutlet of some type, rolled omelet, a maraschino cherry and an unidentified pink object with a nori face.
As food prices rise, so do school lunch costs, reports the New York Times. Meal prices have increased about 25 cents across the country as schools struggle to feeds students with increasingly expensive fruits, vegetables, milk and bread.
While some schools are raising lunch prices, others are reducing food management costs, buying cheaper plates and cups, or replacing individual rolls with slices of French bread. The U.S.D.A. recently issued a report called "Meeting the Challenge of Rising Food Costs," to help school districts learn to stretch their budgets.
Many worry that price increases are hitting schools hard just as administrators are getting hip to the idea of healthier - and more expensive - fare, replacing chicken nuggets with baked chicken breasts, french fries with fruit. Will we go back to the bad old days of "economy loaf" and iceberg lettuce salad?
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.
Today's adorable creation, courtesy of Aylanah, is a seascape where a kumquat fishie swims atop a dried plum-filled rice ball, blowing sesame seed bubbles. Below, a ginger root fish wriggles past a colorful reef of blueberries, raspberries, squash and cucumber.
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.
Today's featured bento is an impressive spa-themed box from Sakurako Kitsa. The mud-masked face of our turbaned spa lady is made from a turkey slice slathered in green-dyed mayonnaise. Her turban and robe are made from white cheese with fruit leather trim, and she wears diamond-shaped squirts of canned cheese for earrings. Wow!
Walking home for lunch today, I mentally reviewed the contents of my fridge. I knew that there was a lot of lettuce in there, as well as radishes, garlic scapes, broccoli and a dozen local eggs. However, I wasn't thrilled by the idea of a salad with an egg (or a salad with half a can of tuna fish). When I walked into the apartment, I was feeling discouraged by the options but still went directly to the kitchen and took a full turn (not a long trip in my tiny galley kitchen), trying to find something that would satisfy and still be quick enough that I could prepare it and eat in my remaining 45 minutes.
Opening the refrigerator, I spotted an avocado I had balanced on top of a jar of jam a day or two ago, when it had started to get too soft. My eyes then noticed the bag of baked tortilla chips tucked on top of the radio and they inspired me to search for a can of black beans. Grabbing half an onion out of the fridge, I diced up a tiny amount and started to sauté it in a small pan with a little olive oil. I added a minced clove of garlic and the rinsed beans, smashing them with the back of a wooden spoon as they started to heat up. I mashed half the avocado with a squirt of lemon juice and some salt.
When I was done, I had a plate that had a pile of half-smashed beans (onion, garlic, salt and pepper), a small mound of fresh guacamole and a big pile of torn romaine lettuce. Grabbing the bag of chips, I settled down at the dining room table with a book and ate this quick, special, delicious lunch. It was particularly satisfying because I had initially felt like I was heading towards an apartment devoid of anything good to eat.
What are some of the treasures you've discovered when you thought your larder was bare?
Last week, I ran home from work to make some lunch and ended up standing in front of the fridge, struggling to creating a meal from the hodgepodge of leftovers and aging veggies. I had some sad radishes, two romaine hearts that were decidedly past their prime, a handful of meatballs, the end chunk of a seedless cucumber and half of a ciabatta roll that was so hard that it could have been used as a weapon.
Hungry and pressed for time, I started to assemble a salad, although without much enthusiasm. I peeled the outer leaves off the romaine and gave it a rough chop. I crumbled the meatballs into bits and sawed the roll into chunks. Tossing all the everything together, I doused the salad with the homemade balsamic vinaigrette I typically have in the fridge and let it sit for a minute while I made some tea.
When I turned back to the salad, the chunks of bread has softened into tasty bits of balsamic flavor. The meatballs had lost their refrigerator chill and the veggies were surprisingly crisp. What had started out as a meal of obligation (must use up food before it goes bad) had turned into a delightful and tasty lunch.
And we're not talking about your mental health because you haven't looked at anything but spreadsheets for four days. We're talking about your physical health.
As you wind down your day in front of your computer sitting at your desk, take a moment and look down at your keyboard. You could be looking at something that is dirtier than the toilet seat in the bathroom down the hall. This means eating lunch in front of your computer might be a health hazard!
According to British microbiologist James Francis four of 33 keyboards he tested were potential health hazards and one had germs at a level five times higher than that found on the toilet seat.
Makes me want to dip my laptop in a bleach solution and never eat at my desk again.
Of course, that's not possible when your boss's demands are forcing you to wolf down a sandwich at your desk through lunch. Just make sure to wash your hands, don't let other co-workers touch your keyboard, and my best advice is to eat lunch with utensils, not your hands.
One of my favorite culinary tricks is to take food from one meal and turn it into something completely different. I've never been one of those people who can eat the same thing meal after meal (both my father and Scott can happily eat from the same batch of chili for an entire week). So refreshing my leftovers becomes a necessity if I don't want to waste food or let things go bad.
When it comes to packing up a sandwich, what do you use to keep that sandwich fresh and unscathed until lunchtime? I imagine that the majority of you use some sort of disposable plastic bag (whether it be zip or fold top). Assuming that you toss those plastic bags at the end of your lunch hour (or that your kid tosses it out when it's time to head out to recess) it begins to amount to quite a few plastic bags. There are reusable plastic container options out there, but what about checking out a reusable sandwich wrap?
If you want to make your own, check out out how this Australian mom made a sandwich wrapper for her daughter out of some fabric, a zip top bag and some old velcro (via Green Daily).
Last year at the Vegan Lunch Box, Jennifer posted instructions from a reader on how to make a reusable sandwich wrapper out of polyurethane laminate coated fabric.
If you're not feeling crafty, you can buy a ready-to-go wrapper at Wrap-n-Mat.
I haven't been posting many recipes lately, mostly because I've been in something of dry spell when it comes to cooking. However, I haven't been staying totally out of the kitchen. Last weekend I made a pot of butternut and carrot soup that ended up being really tasty and the perfect thing to eat for lunch all week long (one of the wonderful things about this new job of mine is that it's only a block and a half from my apartment, so I can run home for lunch).
I admit that when it comes to this soup, I "cheat" a little bit. What I mean by that is that I use a pack of pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash from Trader Joe's (I've also seen it at Whole Foods). Then all I have to do is roughly chop an onion, saute it quickly in a little olive oil, toss in three or four chunks carrots, pile in the prepared squash and cover it with water or stock (I typically use one box of stock and then make up the difference with water). Then it just gently simmers until the veggies are tender. I recently acquired a far more powerful immersion blender, and it has made my blended soup far smoother than they used to be.
You might be wondering about seasoning with this soup. I actually change it up each time I make it. Sometimes I'll grate a little ginger in, or go with a spoonful of curry. This last time I used a bit of fresh thyme and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It might sound a little untraditional, but it was delicious. I also happened to have about a quarter cup of cream in my fridge and I added that in as well for a little extra smoothness. But you should feel free to make this soup your own.
Sometimes, it has to be done. Maybe you're celebrating something. Maybe you're entertaining a client. Maybe your editor just chopped up your interview and you want to kill everyone. What am I talking about? Drinking at lunch.
And we're not talking about your mental health because you haven't looked at anything but spreadsheets for four days. We're talking about your physical health.
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