December 2008

All the content on this site by month.

The Get Started Bento Challenge will start on January 12th

slimbentosb.pngThe bento challenge that I talked about previously here and here, will start on January 13th January 12th.

Why the 12th? Well, I think that at the start of the New Year, a lot of us are very busy with work or school, for ourselves or for our family, cranking up into full gear.

Popular onigiri fillings and flavors, single Bento Boys, and more

Some bento and onigiri related news that caught my eye recently. Single guys toting homemade bento to work; cheap bento options getting popular; Spam attacks Japan! and more.

If you don't subscribe to Just Hungry, please click over there for the last Menu For Hope push! All you bento fans out there, the odds of winning the Just Bento prize are still pretty good I think! Sneezily yours...

Onigiri Pon!

One of the questions asked during the Anniversary Giveaway was why Japanese people like cute (kawaii) things so much, as is evident in the cult of kyaraben or charaben. I'm not really sure of the answer to be honest, but it is true that from children to adults, women and even some men, love things that are cute and childlike. It may stem for the appreciation for detail in small objects like netsuke. Or maybe Japanese people are just a bit childish?

Or, maybe it's because from a very young age, Japanese kids are exposed to kawaii culture. This is from a childrens' program that airs on the NHK Education channel (NHK is the state-run TV station, equivalent to the BBC) called いないないばあっ! (inai inai baa), which is also the name of the game you play with babies 'Now you see me...Now you don't!'. It's aimed at 0 to 2 year olds, and is the highest rated kid's show on the NHK. This song is called おにぎりぽん!(onigiri pon!)

Keep reading Onigiri Pon! →

Bento culture

A list of articles about bento culture, especially in Japan.

Keep reading Bento culture →

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Bento contents:

Total calories (approx): 420 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10-15 minutes

Type: Vegan and gluten-free, relying on stock and frozen vegetables

Bento Filler: The Easiest Ever Carrot-Sesame Salad

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This is yet another recipe that is so easy that I didn't even think of posting it, though I make it all the time. But since a lot of you guys liked the soy sauce eggs, and carrot kinpira is one of the most popular recipes on Just Bento (not to mention the most, ahem, copied elsewhere)...I thought, why not?

It is a very simple carrot salad flavored with sesame oil. You can add toasted sesame seeds if you want, or chopped up parsley as I did here, or both. Or leave both out and keep it simple. The good thing about this salad for bentos is that it stays crunchy and fresh-tasting even the next day after making it. It's a nice colorful filler.

Poppy seed encrusted green pea mini-burgers

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Adding to an ever-increasing number of bento-appropriate mini-burgers recipes here on Just Bento, here is one that turns out little green burgers that are as visually striking as they are tasty. What's more, they are vegan, gluten-free and inexpensive. I always try to have a bag of frozen green peas stocked in the freezer, and they really come in handy in the winter months when locally (or even reasonably locally) grown fresh vegetables are rather scarce. Green peas are great just cooked as-is, or mixed into stir-fries, but they're also very nice mashed up. The most famous example of this are that British staple, mushy peas. Green peas are also packed with protein and various vitamins.

[Update:] Menu For Hope has been extended to December 31st!

menuforhope2008sm.jpgYou thought that the Anniversary Giveaway was exciting? Well, here are some more goodies for you, plus you get to donate to a great cause!

Menu For Hope is an annual fundraising event, now it its 5th year, contributed to by food bloggers around the world. Last year, nearly US $100,000.00 was raised for the United Nations World Food Programme, to benefit the school lunch programme in Lesotho, Africa.

Menu For Hope's creator and head organizer is Pim of Chez Pim, and this year's regional Europe host is Sara of Ms. Adventures In Italy.

I'm very happy to announce that Just Bento is once again offering a raffle prize for Menu For Hope V!

UPDATE: Details of the Challenge are now up here! We'll start on January 13th.

I'm quite overwhelmed by the amount of interest in my little idea about some sort of health and weight loss related bento challenge for January! The original post is here if you missed it. Here is my thinking about this at the moment:

Bento boxes: The perfect tools to combat portion distortion (and an idea)

UPDATE: Details of the Challenge are now up here! We'll start on January 13th.

The Washington Post says to use a salad plate for portion control, but I say, what about a bento box? Plus, the germ of an idea.

Bento no. 55: The Almost-Empty Refrigerator Bento

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Bento contents:

  • 1 cup of cooked spaghetti, 225 cal
  • About 1/3 cup homemade meat sauce using ground beef, 150 cal
  • Sautéed vegetables: about 2 cups cooked of cabbage, carrots and celery, cooked in 1 tsp. oil, about 70 cal
  • 2 small clementines, 70 cal

Total calories (approx): 515 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10-15 minutes

Type: Leftovers!

This is the final day of the Just Hungry/Just Bento Anniversary Giveaway. It's been a lot of fun going back to the past and sharing my memories with you, and I hope you've enjoyed reading them!

And here's the last chapter of my trips to the past, coming back to the present.

This, and all the giveaways, are now closed. Thank you for participating! The winners will be announced later this week!

It's Day 4 of Giveaway Week, and I regale you with a tale of teenage puppy love. Well, sort of.

(This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for participating! The winner will be announced next week!)

Sho-yu Tamago (Soy sauce eggs)

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Since many of you asked about the sho-yu tamago (soy sauce eggs) that my mother used to pack for me in my school outings bentos, here's the recipe for them. Well, I hesitate to even call it a recipe - it's so easy.

This is the third day of the week long giveaway party to celebrate the first anniversary of Just Bento, as well as the fifth anniversary of Just Hungry. (The first day of Just Bento's part, and the second day.) Today's bento memory is about school outings, or ensoku.

This is the second day of the week long giveaway party to celebrate the first anniversary of Just Bento, as well as the fifth anniversary of Just Hungry. (The first day of Just Bento's part is here.) While over on Just Hungry I'm looking back at the first five years of the site, here I'd like to go even further back in time, and talk about some memorable bentos from my past. (If you want to skip ahead, today's giveaway is at the bottom.)