Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go

“I have to make her food look like something she recognizes,” said Ms. Chen, 42, a stay-at-home mother in San Leandro, Calif. “If her boiled egg is shaped like a bunny and it is holding a baby carrot, she’ll eat it.” – NY Times article..

As a fan of Japanese food, I came across this book the other day after reading an article in the New York Times about the recent upswing in bento boxes used in lieu of the traditional “lunch boxes”. Its basically a creative way to make your lunch look using every day food items. This book in particular was helpful in illustrating the different items and masses of pictures of the different arrangements for these lunch bento boxes. some pokemon bento boxes

A bento box meal (single portions of different foods packed in one reusable container) is a Japanese tradition that lends itself well to today’s busy lifestyle. Although bento boxes are available to take out from restaurants and food stands, they are most frequently prepared at home, very often by parents wishing to provide their children with delicious, healthy, fun–and environmentally responsible–lunch and snack-time alternatives.

Kawaii Bento Boxes offers dozens of recipes and menus. For each box, the authors include detailed instructions for cooking, seasoning, decorating and assembling the components as well as an icon indicating how long it will take to prepare. The meals are not just easy to make, they are tasty, nutritious and economical, with each portion carefully calculated so that there are no leftovers. There are also suggestions for the right container for each meal. Most of the ingredients used are familiar and available to American cooks. Here are whimsical creations like soccer balls and animal faces made from shaped rice, tulips cut from dyed hardboiled eggs, hearts and stars carved out of vegetables, and much more. Perfect for parents looking to liven up their children’s school lunches or park snacks, or for busy people who want to fix a quick and cheerful meal to take to work, Kawaii Bento Boxes highlights the Japanese passion for making food a treat for the eyes as well as for the mouth.

http://www.amazon.com/Kawaii-Bento-Boxes-Convenient-Japanese/dp/4889962603