Bento Boxes

My new Bento Box ready to go!

2 containers & utensils are inside

My sister Carol recently went to Japan and brought me back something that I've wanted for quite sometime, a Bento Box (the portable type).  I think these are a great invention; handy, portable, easy to prepare and to clean. Great thing for people going to work, or kids to school. They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and materials. These days a lot of them are dishwasher and microwave safe too. Perhaps a little more stylish than your average Tupperware!

What you put in them is up to you, the possibilities are endless.

 

Some have many compartments for all kinds of foods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty ones for the working girl!

Maybe a picnic lunch for two?

 
Here's a little Wiki-history on the Bento Box:
 
Bento (弁当 bentō^?)^[1] is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. Bento boxes are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋 bentō-ya^?), railway stations, and department stores. However, Japanese homemakers often spend time and energy on a carefully prepared lunch box for their spouse, child, or themselves.

The origin of bento can be traced back to the late Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333), when cooked and dried rice called hoshi-ii (糒 or 干し飯, literally "dried meal") was developed. Hoshi-ii can be eaten as is or boiled with water to make cooked rice, and is stored in a small bag. In the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568 to 1600), wooden lacquered boxes like today's were produced and bento would be eaten during a hanami or a tea party.

Bentos regained popularity in the 1980s, with the help of the microwave oven and the proliferation of convenience stores. In addition, the expensive wood and metal boxes have been replaced at most bento shops with inexpensive, disposable polystyrene boxes. However, even handmade bentos have made a comeback, and they are once again a common, although not universal, sight at Japanese schools. Bentos are still used by workers as a packed lunch, by families on day trips, for school picnics and sports days etc. The bento, made at home, is wrapped in a furoshiki cloth, which acts as both bag and table mat.


Info from Wikipedia, bottom 3 photos from EBay