(Contd. from Of Bentos and Bunnies)

Thankfully, there was a solution to that too: several Japanese supply stores in SF and environs stock Bento sets, as well as a myriad of their accessories (cutters, molds, dividers, bags, packs, etc.) and the like. These were much more preferable over regular pyrex containers; not only because they came in such vibrant, cheerful colors and designs, but in sizes of proportions that were limited to actual requirement, as opposed to the ‘more stuff, more fun!’ ideology. And more importantly, they came in tiers or deckers where we could organize and separate hot foods from the cold ones.

At first glance, all these cute little boxes look like they are meant for children. But reading the fine print-literally-on the bottom/side, you find their capacity. And going by the current guidelines, (site only in Japanese) a woman of my age and height requires a meal of about 670-685 kcal, and therefore a Bento box of 700ml capacity. And in S.’s case, of about 885kcal and therefore a box of 900ml capacity. So that was taken care of.

However, next, we were faced with wading through the cuteness overload and finding something halfway sane. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the hardest parts. You see, if not shaped like a giggling piglet or a gushing frog, they tend to have ridiculous inscriptions on them; dopey and silly like these:

-’Happy fruits is very delicious! I will eat this and become fortunate altogether!’

-’My heart cannot stop throbbing. My dream that has begun to move.’

-’Wonderful weather let’s eat!’

So eventually, we settled on a nice bright yellow double-tiered one with a white lid (with relatively less silly mush) and 680ml capacity for me,

and a flat chirpy blue one with 875ml for S.

Both Bentos came with little dividers, to compartmentalize. We also got a couple of Thermos jars for soups and such, and a few accessories like matching pouches, and dressing/sauce holders.

Now came the cooking. After a few trial and errors, I settled on cooking and freezing 5 meals’ worth of rice for 2 people, as well as some protein like Tofu Burgers and Tamagoyaki on Sundays.

On each morning, I would spend about 15-20 minutes reheating the frozen items, as well as putting together a quick vegetable dish (more often leftover from the previous night’s dinner)/salad. Then all I’d have left on my hands would be packing all the above into the Bentos, and adding some gap fillers.

Filling the Bento neatly and efficiently is as much an acquired skill as any other. Some tricks I have learned:

-I like to pack the rice onto the smaller of the 2 tiers in my Bento, even though rice is supposed to comprise the bigger bulk. I’m trying to reduce my carb. intake, as well as include more vegetables & protein, so that works better for me at this point. While packing rice, I find it easier to make it compact and neat if I pressed down on the rice with a moist spoon. It’s amazing how much rice will fit in those (seemingly) teeny tiers!

-I then pack the protein and the vegetable in the 2nd tier, dividing them with the plastic divider that came with the set or placing one of them in a little silicone cup/disposable food cup.

-The idea of the Bento is to fill all corners, so none of the food moves while in transit. Cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, berries (although not fragile ones like raspberries), nuts, packed cube cheeses and sliced pickles are all great gap fillers.

-Also, it’s important to drain the foods of as much moisture as possible. Salad dressings, for instance, can be carried in wee containers, in the Bento itself, made for that purpose alone (Cuteness abounds here as well: apple-shaped mayo containers, fish-shaped soy sauce holders, teddy-bear shaped sauce packs, etc., all available at said Japanese supply stores).

-Adding garnishes and some decorative items to the whole thing adds a little bit of aesthetic pleasure as well. But let’s be honest, who has time for that?!

Even with all these guidelines, making Bentos is a great platform to practice economic prudence and creative versatility. Just have an idea of what is most beneficial for you, and work with it!

Once I got the hang of it, I found myself enjoying going through all the trouble, and actually look forward to creating more inventive ways to add variety.

Here’s a chronological list of the Bentos I’ve made in the past couple weeks, along with recipes for their contents. This is a work in progress, so hop on for the ride!