Bento 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. Containers range from disposable to hand crafted lacquerware. Although bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops, train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box.
Though I've eaten bento lunches in Japanese restaurants before, I've never prepared one.. I did buy my mother a bento box for Christmas last year, if that counts.
I found some cute books about preparing bento boxes, and plan on making them for lunches for my hubby and I.. and then hopefully making them for my son when he's old enough to go to school.
I'll be adding recipes as I find/try them, and pictures as they're available. For now, since I have no bento box of my own, I'll be making "box-less" bento.
