Bento Making

My parents flew in from Singapore last Friday to spend 19 days with us here in Japan. I will be enjoying time with them so writing on this site will be slow. For now, I will just share a picture of a bento that I made for Aiden recently.



Rice balls with pork nuggets (marinated in sea salt, pepper, sesame oil and coated with breadcrumbs before panfrying in olive oil) and a baby spinach salad on the side.

"Bento (弁当, bentō) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. Although bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya?), train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box."
- as defined by wikipedia.

Like I have mentioned in an earlier post, I love aesthetics and am quite a sucker for good looking stuff (that explain how I chose my husband - no, just kidding!). Since moving to Japan, I have been very fascinated with all the cute and pretty looking bentos that I keep seeing on the shelves in supermarkets and convenience stores. When Aiden started going to pre-school last September, I was excited not for the extra personal time that I was going to have, but for the opportunity to finally create my own bentos for him. Aiden's school doesn't provide lunch (as with most schools in Japan) and I often hear some of the mothers (mainly foreigners) at his school complaining about having to spend time in the morning preparing food. Cooking is one of my passions so until today, I am still loving the bento-making process. Fortunately, my little boy shows his appreciation of my efforts by finishing his lunch most days!