I just started getting into Bento. As in, I haven't even received the lunchboxes yet that I ordered. ;) I got interested in it because my oldest, Kierra, will be entering kindergarten in the fall. I wouldn't say she's a picky eater (she gladly scarfs down broccoli after all!) but she does get her moments of not wanting to eat. I thought Bento would be a great option for her to have at least mostly healthy food presented in a way that might promote her actually eating it. Because, let's face it, a sandwich every day just gets boring after awhile.
So, what is Bento? From Wikipedia: "Bento (弁当 bentō)[1] 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." Many American moms have latched onto this idea. In particular, the more "cute" form of Bento has become popular. In these lunches, parents often cut the food into designs and appearance is just as important (if not more sometimes!) than taste.
While I admire the parents that have the time, energy, and ambition to make their childs' everyday lunch into a work of art, sadly I lack that. But I would still love being able to present a lunch to my children that entices them to eat; and I'm not opposed to occasionally making it really cute. ;) So I'm hoping to use some of the ideas of Bento that I can find to help me do that.
If you're interested in Bento, here are two blogs that I was led to that are great places to start:
Another Lunch
What's For Lunch at Our House (Bento Lunch)
Just Bento (great if you're looking for more everyday kind of lunches without the frills - for adults too!)
Next post...my current Bento stash! :)
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