Those of you who know me well, are aware that before I buy things I tend to research them to death. Which is how I found Mr. Bento. It's sooooooo cute and has fab reviews. I wanted one!!!
The problem is that Zojirushi do not sell these in the UK. I looked and hunted and searched and the best I could come up with was to buy one on ebay and have it shipped from Japan. NOT CHEAP! :(
I procrastinated. But every so often I'd sneak a peek at Mr. Bento again and the longing would begin again.
In the meantime, Christmas had arrived and I mentioned to my boyfriend that I really wanted a bento box for a present and pointed him in the direction of the ebay seller who shipped from Japan. What I got instead was a BEAUTIFUL, 2 tier bento box. Not a Mr. Bento, but unexpectedly gorgeous all the same!
I was dead excited to start using it but since it's not a thermal box, the goal was to come up with recipes that I'd be willing to eat cold. I really dislike a lot of salad-y type foods, but I figured I'd give it a go. In my hunt for nifty bento ideas I stumbled across http://justbento.com/.
What I found out there, among other things, was that bento boxes should be the right size for you and that a Mr. Bento was WAY too big for me. In fact, even my new beautiful box was too large for me unless I only use the top tier up to the divider. Who knew! In fact, bento box lunches can be way more than just a cool container. It's almost a religion to some folk! I am not sure I will ever reach this level, but it's fun to look at!
Maki, the site owner of Just Bento was starting a "Bento Challenge" in mid January and so I decided to take the plunge. Although I am late to getting this documented, this blog will be my account of my progess.
