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FeedBento Master
The bento "Pikko" made to celebrate her 300th bento creation.
Photo: Courtesy of Crystal Watanabe
Tired of the same old, same old when it comes to lunch? Check out the work of Honolulu-based bento expert Crystal “Pikko” Watanabe. Her blog, Adventures in Bentomaking, will inspire you with its adorable, painstakingly created bento.
As a kid growing up in Hawaii, Watanabe enjoyed bento “like all the other kids,” she says. “There were 7-11 bentos, okazuya bentos, supermarket bentos, field-trip bentos…” But her obsession with the boxed meals started two years ago, she innocently went online to search for an image of a bento, and “found all this achingly cute stuff. Now a good part of my kitchen is bursting with bento ‘junks,’ as my husband likes to call it.” She whips her foodie fans into a furikake frenzy with elaborate creations, including tributes to the TV series Lost. (You can see a step-by-step on one at http://www.aibento.net/2009/03/a-shirt-for-sawyer-lost-bento-3/.) Her work is also featured in an upcoming book, 501 Bento Box Lunches: 501 Unique Recipes for a Brilliant Bento, which she says will be released in the U.S. in the next few weeks.
So what tips does she have for aspiring bento-makers? “For accessories, I love nori punches and food picks, as I think they add so much to a bento’s presentation.” She recommends shopping at Marukai 99 Cent for supplies, but warns, “Addictive personalities beware! If you thought you go nuts in a scrapbooking or art store, just wait till you’re staring at a set of miniature soy sauce bottles or molds that can make you bunny shaped boiled eggs or little kitty cat musubi.”
If you want to learn how to make bento, Watanabe teaches classes at the Temari Center. She says she hasn’t done catering, but is open to special requests. “Turning this into a job would be a dream come true,” she says.
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 in Food | Permalink
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Reader Comments:
I am a big fan of Pikko's work, a member of her forum, and a bento-er myself. Wouldn't call myself a master though, more an advanced student...
What a great article! It's getting easier to find bento-articles online, but some of them make us bento-ers seem, well, rather fruity, with comments that make it seem like making your food look nice is childish, or having a bunny-shaped boiled egg means you're contagious or something.
But with books coming out, and more and more people sharing their ideas, making a bento that is attractive, healthy and a bit of fun isn't really that hard.
Here in Holland, bento accessoiries are hard to find, but the internet is our friend, though not at 99c prices I guess! I also go to $stores (or euro-stores) and check the cooking department of nearly every shop I see for supplies, so I definately have the bento-bug!
Oh, the picture of the 300-bento by Pikko is the one I use to show people what bento can be! Classic cute rice balls, lots of colour, so a great example.
Liessa, a Dutch bento girl