What Is the Japanese Art of Bento?
Bento is an art form for packing lunches in the Japanese culture. When you think of lunchboxes, you're probably thinking of the old brown paper bag or the cute cartoon character metal or plastic lunchboxes children take to school with them.
The Japanese have taken the act of packing a lunch or meal to a whole different level of sophistication and fun!
What Are Bento Boxes? Boxes with different compartments for you to place various healthy foods into.
What makes them fun is that these boxes come in many creative styles. The compartments can be the same size or different sizes and the Bento Boxes themselves can be made from different materials and they come in many different themes and shapes...from kitty shaped hello kitty
Bento Box Lunches: Aka - "Face Food" for Healthier Kids' Meals!
Face Food:The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes
Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $12.95
"What better way to make children eat than to turn their midday meals into a cartoon? With Face Food, Christopher D Salyers documents the very real phenomenon of crafting food into visually creative and appealing forms, such as Pikachu, Daraemon and Cindarella, bringing health, heart and imagination to the bento box. "
Release Date: 12/31/1969
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Bento Boxes - a Food-Driven Creative Outlet!
You can place foods such as rice, vegetables and meat in the compartments - forget boring PB&Js! Sometimes the placement of the food within the compartments of the Bento Box can be the creative edge people look for. The Japanese have made lunch an art form. Reinvent the lunch hour!By placing the food in certain ways, you can create a work of art by making it look like a colorful flower, animal or just an intricate abstract design.
Many bento accessories are sold for this purpose. They make it possible for you to take a hard boiled egg and turn it into a fish or to use cookie cutters to create characters and unique shaped foods. Or my personal favorite, shape the food into funny faces.
You can make raw bentos, vegan bentos, gluten free bentos, sugar free bentos..you name it...you can make it. And what about Halloween bentos, Valentine's bentos, and Christmas bentos....
The art of Bento can make eating a meal fun and healthy. Try competing with your friends on who can make the most creative Bento box! OR start a blog and showcase your bento creations daily and visit other blogs that do the same.
Bento Lunchbox Video
Different Types of Bento Boxes
Toss away those brown paper bags and check out the art form of Bento Boxes. These boxes are truly works of art!They're big. They're small. They're aesthetically pleasing and you can get one in a myriad of styles to fit your mood (snack-happy or ravenous)!
There are traditional Japanese styles that are made to reflect designs of Japanese culture. The colors are usually black, red and gold, but they're almost always decorated with Japanese art. They can also been seen in wicker, bamboo and wood. You might also like the adorable Japanese character bentos for kids...one favorite is Hello Kitty!
Another style you may see is the American Bento. The American style consists of a colorful plastic design with small plastic compartments inside that are easily removable. The size of the compartment boxes makes packing the right size servings easier. Another American style bento is the new Fit & Fresh series.
The other style seen is the Mr. Bento. Mr. Bento is a large thermos container which holds four smaller containers inside. The thermos part keeps the smaller containers either warm or cold depending on the food that's in them.Make Your Own Bento Boxes! Take a regular plastic or Tupperware storage box and make compartments using silicon cups, paper cupcake holders, or Japanese sushi dividers.
The Best Bento Box Book- Bar None!
Boy, That's a Mouthful, Isn't It?
Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go
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Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/13/2009)
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The Benefits of Being a Bento Enthusiast
The art of Bento is more than just a creative outlet. Leave it to the Japanese to make lunch this much fun! It can be a friendly competition between co-workers on who has the best looking lunchbox or the best packed meal. But it goes even further than that!There are more benefits to Bento than you may have realized.
Because Bento boxes are made out of durable materials, they can be used over and over again...
Their durability makes them last a long time, so you can be helping out the environment by reducing the waste you normally see with paper bags, baggies and plastic containers that people normally use.
It helps you be kind to the planet and pack waste free lunches instead of all the processed, prepackaged lunch fare that you may normally pack. And many bentos come with REAL tableware so there is nothing to dispose of later.
It promotes healthier eating because the boxes are made for items like rice, poultry and vegetables. They keep these items fresher longer, so they're still as tasty as the moment you packed them. It is also easy to pack various leftovers from healthy homecooked dinners.
Most people pack lunch items that are easy and will last longer, like a bags of potato chips and package of Twinkies. Those are what make a diet unhealthy.It helps children get more interested in what they're eating when they get to use a Bento Box. Children love compartmentalizing their healthy foods in a Bento box!
Rainbow PB&J Bento
Recipe for Success - in a Bento Box
Are you looking for a healthy meal to pack in your Bento Box? There are many recipes out there you can find with ideas of what to pack for lunch.- Something almost always in Bento boxes is rice.
Fruits and vegetables are another common food seen in Bento boxes. The vegetables should be fresh, boiled or steamed to retain their nutritional value. Broccoli, bamboo shoots and cauliflower are some of the more common vegetables packed in these boxes. Many bentos have small compartments with lids to accomodate veggie dip.
Fresh fruits are best for the Bento. With the convenient containers, you can cut up some various fruit and pack a mix for your mouth!There should also be a protein item in your Bento box. The most common traditional protein usually packed is seafood. Chicken is another popular choice seen in Bento.
And don't forget leftovers! The nifty compartments make serving up last night's leftovers a sinch. If you made meat loaf and corn on the cob for dinner and have some leftover then just stick in your bento box the next day!
Bento Boxes give you more options for lunch. You won't be tied down to PB&J or turkey rolls day after day - you can pack a more nutritious and delicious meal any day of the week!
Which Bento is the Yummiest?
Pick Your Posion....
Bento Lunchboxes in a Blog!
This is one of my favorites blogs on the Bento lunchbox - you can learn a lot here! The blog includes recipes, organization strategies, and lots of fun Bento tips you wouldn't have considered!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byDo You Own a Bento Lunchbox?
Or Do You Just Envy Other People's Bentos?
Tell me your thoughts about the Bento!
squid wrote
excellent read, keep up the good work and check out my lens
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Posted February 22, 2009
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Posted August 05, 2008
alicesy wrote...
Excellent Lens. I like the quality insight you have provided here about Japanese Art of Bento - Lunch in a Box? Or Art?. Keep up the good work.
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Posted August 01, 2008
Gemstones-guy wrote...
veg food is very nice for our health.
plan to take this food only.
Sai
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Posted July 30, 2008
raghuvarun123
WOW wondurfull . fruites can give good health man.
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Posted July 29, 2008
donaldpant
I will immediately get those Bento Lunch Boxes for my kids..
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