BENTO BOXES - My Attempt with a Bento!

                                                    

What Is A Bento Box?
I'm sure by now, you've all heard the term "Bento Box". Maybe you've even been dabbling in the art of creating Bento Boxes behind closed doors. Or perhaps you've already been discovered and have a Bento Box blog of your own! But - and here's the burning question of the day - what exactly is a Bento Box?

Wikipedia's definition is, "Bentō (弁当 or べんとう, Bentō?) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. The Bento is still used by workers as a packed lunch, by families on day trips, for school picnics and sports days etc."

                                                              
So, what's my fascination with these glorified lunch boxes anyway? Am I losing my mind? I live in New England for goodness sake. Most of us "brown-bag" our lunches! Or worse yet, throw it in a Stop & Shop plastic grocery bag! But, I love how organized they look. Very neat and tidy boxes filled with lunches for work, school, picnics or whatever! Is my OCD showing?

I don't know how I became obsessed with gawking at them. Maybe it's the food porn thing. I see them all over the web. Food bloggers - and you'll see that I've included a bunch for your culinary window shopping experience - have gone over the edge with Bento Boxes. There are whole sites devoted just to Bento's. Each one has a different and unique slant on the Bento. What are they? Where do I get the supplies? What foods do I use? Is it traditional Japanese, or can I make it with leftovers? How do I put them together? And on and on and on, ad nauseum!

Caprese Salad Bento Box?
Anyway...Here's my somewhat lame attempt at making a Bento Box! I call it the "RI Heirloom Tomato Seasonal Caprese Salad Bento Box"! Is there such a thing? I figured, what the heck? If someone can do a Star Wars or a Potato Salad Bento, why not an Italian classic? I mean really, does it HAVE to be Japanese?

                                                                           

BENTO LINKS!
Enjoy these links. Some of them you're gonna love, some are gonna make you laugh! There's also some links to very serious and informative sites that will encourage you to make your own Bento Boxes! Tell them Donna from Spatulas & Corkscrews sent you!  

• Super Mario, Hello Kitty, Pac Man, and you know you've seen it all when you come across a Star Wars Bento!
• The Washingtonpost.com has one of the best descriptions of a Bento Box. It includes not just tips & tricks, but  a little Japanese history, a bit about the decorative Edo period, and Buddhist festivals too.
• Lori Henry of Suite101 does a book review for "Bento Box in the Hearland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America" by Linda Furiya.

                                                                          

Photo used with permission by Lunch In A Box                                                                          

• Lunch In A Box by Biggie explains everything you need to know to create the neatest Bento Boxes. Biggie doesn't just give you the definition of a Bento Box, she has a whole page of FAQ's! Answers to questions like "What’s the benefit of packing a bento-style lunch? Is it healthier?" and "Are there packing rules? How do I pack a bento lunch?"
• Alaina Browne from Serious Eats does a quick take on "How to Pack a Bento Box." 
• Alaina's blurb also brought me to a ton of pictures of Bento Boxes on Flickr by wa-nita!
• Emily Matchar from slashfood has been doing a regular feature called Box Lunch. She finds the most beautiful and sometimes outrageous boxed lunches, and more specifically, Bento Boxes. Here's one called Veggie Lobster!  And this one? Way too cute! You just have to see it to believe it!
• And finally, the blog Bento Challenge has some of the best and cutest Bento's I've seen in a long time! Go take a look! You know you want to!

                                                              
Photo used with permission by Lunch In A Box

Comments

[Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer]

That is my type of Bento box - Looks great and I would eat it up in a minute!!

[megan]

Please pass your Bento box! I said please. :)

[Biggie @ Lunch in a Box]

What a beautiful caprese bento lunch! Gorgeous colors; bravo.

[Susan C]

Thanks for the inspiration, education and great links. I'm going to Mitsuwa Japanese Market to pick out a bento box now.

[Cakespy]

You've inspired me with this post--so much deliciousness and cuteness!

[Liliana]

My girls now bring their lunches in tupperware containers so I am sure they would prefer a Bento box instead. I browsed through the Bento Challenge link! Amazing creations!

Great post Donna!

[michelle @ TNS]

this is the funnest looked caprese salad i've ever seen.

i need a bento box.

[Hillary]

Aww that cow and pig at the end is adorable. I say whoeever wants to make a bento box with whatever kind of food they please should go for it. Nice bento box!

[Lo]

Oh. Wow. Bento boxes always seem intimidating to me. Too much to think of for lunch!!

That said, these really do look fabulous. Nice shot at it!

[Lisa]

Great looking lunch!

[Carolyn G]

THat looks so delish. I never thought about a caprese bento!! Good job

[Kate]

I recently got obsessed with bento boxes and although I wanted to purchase many of them, I only allowed myself to buy two cute little simple ones (they're on their way). Here's my first try at a bento box, using what we had on hand. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/gothik_wolf/firstbentosml.jpg