Today’s installment of Wednesday Cute was written by editorial intern Perry, who would totally eat her vegetables if they were cut into tiny stars.
If you have ever watched anything inspired by Japanese culture, be it anime, a Miyazaki movie, or even Pokemon, you will at some point have seen something that looks like this:
This is a bento box, otherwise known as the cutest lunch box ever. While every culture has its own version of the packed lunch, the bento box goes above and beyond in the cute department. Many mothers, hoping to make their child smile when they open their lunch, go out of their way to create tiny, edible works of art that are both nutritious and adorable.
Bento boxes can range from the simple…
… to the complex:
Animal-themed bentos are quite popular…
… as are bentos inspired by popular characters:
Some bento boxes are silly….
… some are pretty…
… but they are all definitely cute!
These fabulous lunches are hugely popular and there are all kinds of specialty tools and accessories out there to help make these incredible works of art. There are molds to make hard boiled eggs into different shapes, seaweed punches to help make facial expressions, and tiny cookie cutters to make vegetable flowers and stars. And of course, there are the adorable picks to hold food together and squeeze bottles for soy sauce:
It’s shaped like a little piggy!
And the boxes themselves are pretty cute too! Styles range from traditional lacquered wood boxes to more sleek, modern designs. My favorite, of course, are the brightly colored ones covered in cartoon characters.
Maybe you’re on board with the bento boxes but worry that you don’t have enough lunch ideas to fill one? Fret not, we’ve got an e-book for that! Bring Your Lunch is full of great recipes, helpful tips, and easily bento box-able lunch ideas!
Available from the following e-retailers:
AMAZON KINDLE | APPLE IBOOKS | BARNES & NOBLE | GOOGLE PLAY | KOBO
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