Bentomania!

What is this? IT IS BENTO! This here photo is from ss-biggie, who rocks the Bento like nobody's bidness! I have been reading a lot about the Japanese art of Bento. Huh? What IS it? Here is a good description from the website Cookingcute.com:

"Bento, or o-bento, refers to a packaged, single-portion, portable meal that is usually eaten at lunch, but also comes in larger sizes meant for use at picnics, dinner, and parties. A bento generally consists of rice or noodles and some form of protein (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, tofu) accompanied by side dishes of raw, simmered, or pickled vegetables. There are many different types of bento boxes, ranging from traditional handcrafted wooden lacquerware to disposable containers .... Most bento boxes have compartments or internal dividers for separate dishes.

Bento is an art form in Japan. Japanese women spend a good part of their mornings preparing bento for their families – there is even a sense of competition among mothers to see who can produce the most cute, appetizing, and healthy lunch for their children. Modern Japanese culture virtually revolves around compact cuteness. The variety of designer bento boxes, food liners, wiener and cookie cutters, egg molds, food picks, and other bento-ware used to create these mini-masterpieces is amazing and overwhelming..."

Looky here! ss-biggie has some really amazing bento photos of lunches for toddlers. Wow.

I've been really into the idea of Bento - I enjoy making C6's plates healthy, pretty and colorful, with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. But I haven't gotten around to getting a bento box or any of the other supplies yet. Until now! I just ordered some stuff - a Bento box for C6, some teeny tiny little containers and divider cups, and even a mold to shape hard boiled eggs into little bears and bunnies. Molding a boiled egg, hm. Now that's just plain crazy. It really is. I am remined of a Christmas gift I got my mum back in the '70s - The Egg Cuber!

Maybe a bit crazy, yes...but it's all so dang cute!