“Bento developed as a way of eating outdoors without compromising the quality of the food at all.”
“The Japanese have a talent for creating entire worlds within very limited spaces. […] And it may be precisely because the space is so limited and clearly defined, that so much effort and creativity has gone into developing the contents of the Bento.”
“These days, Bento have become edible canvases that showcase the skill and imagination of their creators.”
BEGIN Japanology
I’ve recommended Bento boxes before, but Open Culture pointed me to a series of videos on All Things Japanese. And boy, the episode about Bento boxes is … stunningly beautiful and mouth-watering (BEGIN Japanology – Bento): [Note: The video seems unavailable now, but this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8U3AP5gvZI seems to the one on another channel.]
I mean, waow. Just waow. It’s so beautiful I nearly cried. The quotes at the beginning of the posting capture a few highlights of the episode, but really, it’s in the beautiful creativity and attitude towards food you see in the visual, olfactory and gustatory works of art.
Highly, highly recommended.
(And now I’m very, very hungry for very good food … and yep, I need a better box, and more skills in treating the content right. Hmm, and I wonder what happens to the boxes, esp. the high quality bought ones, after the meal … but anyway. Isn’t it just beautiful when different cultures inspire each other?)
BTW, you find my prior postings on Bento Boxes here:
- Bento Boxes
- Bento Box – Antipasto Style
- More Bento Boxes
- Even more Bento boxes
- Bento/Food Box Poster
And of course, you find a wealth of information online.
