Bentos (2003-2008)

[Hiroyuki]

While surfing the net for bento inspiration.. I found this site. Its pretty cute with pictures and recipes. and.. i LOVE the bento calendar(gallery)!

http://www.cookingcute.com/index.htm

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Thanks for the link. What amazes me is that she isn't Japanese (Vietnamese) and yet makes cute bento.

[Cheeko]

Oh, that is far too cute, Helen.  Lucky I probably can't buy it here in the US.

Luckily or unluckily for us deprived in the US, Jlist is carrying this particular bento along with these other choices and accessories.

bento 2

bento 3 (metal)

bento 4

small tupperware

fork, spoon & hashi

[helenjp]

Oh yes...today I made my kids "south american" versions of the well known sub, the "saba sando" or mackerel sandwich.

It occurs to me that this is the way to go in Japan, where salad greens just can't hold out till lunchtime in warm temperatures.

[torakris]

Sometimes bentos are almost too pretty to eat...

[Shaya]

Kristin, that is gorgeous. You have me wishing I lived in Japan to enjoy all these amazing creations.

Did you make this?

Edited September 19, 2006 by Shaya (log)

[torakris]

Did you make this?

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Oh god, no. that would have taken quite a bit of time.

I was actually at home recovering from a stomach bug and my friend brought it over for me.

[BarbaraY]

That is just beautiful. What is the pink flowery looking item with the egg?

I think I need friends like your's.

Edited September 21, 2006 by BarbaraY (log)

[Cheeko]

That is just beautiful. What is the pink flowery looking item with the egg?

I think I need friends like your's.

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"Kirei desu ne?"

It looks like a little wagashi cake - rice cake filled with bean jam?

I normally associate bentos (in our case, an old nori box) with travelling in the car during the summer. To this day, my sister and I get so excited when we make long road trips because it means we will be making "car food" which consists of rolled egg omlettes, onigiri and some cold chicken. Neither of our husbands understand the enthusiasm. They're just as happy to stop at a Burger King.

Someone posted this link in the Food/Media section of eGullet - bentoTV; a kind of FoodNetwork show for those who love all things bento. It's linked to her eBay store front if you really get inspired

[SheenaGreena]

are bento boxes strictly for kids or are they for adults as well? I would guess that elaborate bento box posted earlier is for an adult?

btw I went to bentotv.com and I couldn't see the videos but all the stuff on ebay is adorable!!! My favorite is the halloween stencil that I believe is for furikake (sp?)

rice stencil

[sanrensho]

are bento boxes strictly for kids or are they for adults as well?  I would guess that elaborate bento box posted earlier is for an adult?

Bentos are for everyone. It simply refers to a portable lunch/meal, and can range from basic to elaborate.

Edited September 21, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[torakris]

That is just beautiful. What is the pink flowery looking item with the egg?

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It looks like a little wagashi cake - rice cake filled with bean jam?

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Cheeko got it! It was a sweet filled with read bean paste.

[Hiroyuki]

which consists of rolled egg omlettes,

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By rolled egg omlettes, do you mean dashi maki tamago in Kansai or atsuyaki tamago in Kanto?

[Cheeko]

which consists of rolled egg omlettes,

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By rolled egg omlettes, do you mean dashi maki tamago in Kansai or atsuyaki tamago in Kanto?

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Definitely the sweet version - I guess that is the Kansai version? Every now and then I will make scrambled eggs with some soy sauce and a little dash of sugar. I should look for the "Kyou mo tamago yaki" you mentioned in the egg topic and I could also try it without sugar.

[Hiroyuki]

which consists of rolled egg omlettes,

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By rolled egg omlettes, do you mean dashi maki tamago in Kansai or atsuyaki tamago in Kanto?

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Definitely the sweet version - I guess that is the Kansai version? Every now and then I will make scrambled eggs with some soy sauce and a little dash of sugar. I should look for the "Kyou mo tamago yaki" you mentioned in the egg topic and I could also try it without sugar.

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Atsuyaki tamago in Kanto is much sweeter than dashi maki tamago in Kansai, which is often made with a dash of mirin and no sugar (some recipes call for sugar, though). I guess your version is close to dashi maki, judging from the fact your parents come from Kyoto.

My recipe contains no sugar or mirin!

[Marcia]

I'll be visiting Tokyo next week and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a kitchen shop/department store/supermarket in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya area) where I could find bento accessories? I'm looking for some cute egg molds, mini sauce bottles, sausage cutters and nori hole punchers.

Both my husband and me enjoy making funny bento boxes for our hikings and pic-nics. Now he wants to take it to work, so we'll also need to buy him a new box (for some reason, he refuses to take my Snoopy one... ).

Any suggestions? Tokyu Hands maybe?

Onegaishimasu.

TIA

Marcia

[sk_ward]

I'll be visiting Tokyo next week and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a kitchen shop/department store/supermarket in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya area) where I could find bento accessories? I'm looking for some cute egg molds, mini sauce bottles, sausage cutters and nori hole punchers. TIA

Marcia

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Loft would be my first stop. It probably isn't the cheapest option, but I doubt that you'll be disappointed by the selection of cute bento goods!! There is a smaller Loft inside of the Matsuzakaya in Shinjuku and there's a huge Loft in Shibuya. Tokyu Hands will probably have a good selection too. If you run into any 100 yen shops, you might find something cute for cheap! If you're in Harajuku anyway, I would try out the big 100 yen shop on Takeshita dori. Happy hunting!

[sk_ward]

Sometimes bentos are almost too pretty to eat...

Sometimes bentos are almost too pretty to even open...

Sorry for the messy table kind of marring the beauty of the bento!

[Marcia]

Loft would be my first stop.  It probably isn't the cheapest option, but I doubt that you'll be disappointed by the selection of cute bento goods!!  There is a smaller Loft inside of the Matsuzakaya in Shinjuku and there's a huge Loft in Shibuya.  Tokyu Hands will probably have a good selection too.  If you run into any 100 yen shops, you might find something cute for cheap!  If you're in Harajuku anyway, I would try out the big 100 yen shop on Takeshita dori.  Happy hunting! 

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Thanks sk_ward, I'll pay a visit to Loft and 100yen shops! You really helped us because we'll only have 3 days in Tokyo and no time to visit every single department store. Now I know exactly where to go . Domo arigato! And I'll post pictures of the bento goodies later.

BTW, how lucky you and torakris are to get those beautiful bentos as gifts. They are great and I'm sure, delicious too.

Marcia

[sk_ward]

I'll be visiting Tokyo next week and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a kitchen shop/department store/supermarket in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya area) where I could find bento accessories? I'm looking for some cute egg molds, mini sauce bottles, sausage cutters and nori hole punchers. TIA

Marcia

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Loft would be my first stop. It probably isn't the cheapest option, but I doubt that you'll be disappointed by the selection of cute bento goods!! There is a smaller Loft inside of the Matsuzakaya in Shinjuku and there's a huge Loft in Shibuya. Tokyu Hands will probably have a good selection too. If you run into any 100 yen shops, you might find something cute for cheap! If you're in Harajuku anyway, I would try out the big 100 yen shop on Takeshita dori. Happy hunting!

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Sorry, I meant Mitsukoshi in Shinjuku. It's very close to the Isetan on Shinjuku dori.

[torakris]

We had our first undokai (sports day) of the season this past weekend, one bento down and one to go...

Bento lunch for 5

[Hiroyuki]

We had our first undokai (sports day) of the season this past weekend, one bento down and one to go...

Bento lunch for 5

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Looks good! I must say, however, that I prefer bigger onigiri with lots of nori.

Just curious, do you use Japanese short-grain rice to make onigiri??

[torakris]

Looks good!   I must say, however, that I prefer bigger onigiri with lots of nori.

Just curious, do you use Japanese short-grain rice to make onigiri??

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How much bigger can you make them??

I wrap them the salmon ones with nori when we eat them, thus it isn't pictured. I never wrap yukari...

Yes, I use short grain rice.

[Marcia]

Hi!

I'm back from our wonderful holidays in Japan! Oh, how we loved the country... I didn't have much time to go hunting for my bento accessories. Only a quick trip to Loft in Shibuya (thanks again sk_ward) where I bought those:

Little containers for thick sauces such as mayo, tomato sauce, mustard, peanut butter etc.

Cute dressing and sauce containers.

Back in Taiwan I went to this Japanese shop and found some more things I couldn't find in Loft:

Sandwiches cutters

And my beloved Egg Molds I was looking for!

And today my husband took his first bento box to work. In UK he normally makes some pasta or sandwiches for his lunch. But this time I made him a complete meal with a bunny shaped boiled egg.

He's just called me to say that he ate it all and it was very good.

[jschyun]

that bunny egg is so cute, I must get one. what are those two little black things on the rice? they look like little footprints

[Marcia]

that bunny egg is so cute, I must get one.  what are those two little black things on the rice?  they look like little footprints

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Hi jschyun, yes they are footprints made of nori seaweed! I made them using a "foot puncher" I found in a stationery shop. The seawed I used was thin and it melted a bit in the warm rice.

The egg was a tad bit too small so the bunny got small ears. It's fun to use the egg molds, it's quite nice when you see the results, we had a good laugh making them!

today's bento was cuteness-free:

Marcia