Lest you think I'm a little too York County-focused, I should probably mention that one of my main hobbies is reading manga and studying Japanese culture.
You also know that I loooooove food, right?
So imagine how stoked I was last week when Jo sent me some pictures of some amazing Japanese-style bento lunches.
(More photos if you read on!)
I just thought these were the most amazing bentos I'd ever seen, so I started looking around online. I found some even neater ones here, from a mom of a little girl who just finished a Kinder-school program in Japan. She's been making obento for her daughter for three years now, and they're amazing.
Then, take a look at this site, from another woman in Japan, who is not only a bento-maker, but who sells the supplies to make these amazing dishes.
I just have one question: How would you even want to eat it? I'd hate to mess it up. It really does show the difference in lunch styles in our country, though... can you imagine a lunch that contained small portions of 12 or 13 different foods here? That's one of the notable features of bento.
Almost makes me want to pack better lunches for my daughter as third grade approaches this fall. Almost. Any suggestions?
I totally want to get a bento box and start bringing my own lunches to work, but... I don't even know where to start looking for stuff like that around here. *le sigh*