From wikipedia:

“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 as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. Although bento are easily 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 considerable time and energy producing an appealing boxed lunch.

Bento can be very elaborately arranged. Contests are often held where homemakers can compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements. The food is often decorated to look like people, animals, or characters and items such as flowers and plants. This style of elaborate bento is called kyaraben.”

Bento is an interesting take on lunch, definitely a step up from the typical sandwich and chips I eat, lol! The thing that intrigues me the most about bento is the endless amounts of possibilities, the colors, and creativity that can be had.

I stumbled upon a bento community website a while back that specifically shows off member’s bento creations, very cool. From the traditional to the not-so-traditional…they’re all “fun” regardless!

To check out the bento community website for more neat pictures, check it out here!

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