Table Of Content

Copyright © 2010 Quirk Books All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2009943046 eISBN: 978-1-59474-650-5 Designed by Jenny Kraemer Production management by John J. McGurk Photography by Maki Ogawa Author photograph by Maki's son Kai Ogawa, who wants to be a cameraman when he grows up. Quirk Books 215 Church Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 www.quirkbooks.com Visit www.yumyumbento.com! Table of Contents Hello, Obento! An Introduction to Japanese Lunches Packing a Bento Box Bento Boxes, Tools, and Accessories Ingredients for Happy Faces Cuties & Critters Baby Bear Caterpillar Chickens Eek! A Mouse! Fluffy Lamb Frogs Guardian Angel Hawaii Sun Hungry Fishy Kitty Cat & Goldfish Miss Octopus Piggy Burgers Polar Bear Retro Girls Sandwich Cuties Sunbathing Crabs Teddy Bear Grilled Cheese Tiger Cubs Walruses Fairy-Tale Friends Enchanted Forest Friends Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail Goldilocks and the Three Bears I'm Bringin' Home a Baby Bumblebee! The Ladybug Picnic Little Elves Little Red Hen Little Red Riding Hood Magical Spring Flowers Mushroom Friends Musubi Man Peter Pan Redheaded Princess Secret Garden Teeny Tiny Polar Bear Three Little Pigs Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Special Day Treats Autumn Leaves Beach Party Hot Dog Best Friend Bears Birthday Present Boy's Day Car Trip Christmas Penguins Early-Bird Omelet Easter Baskets Girl's Day I You Pancake Mouse Pizza Party! Rainy Day Umbrellas Sailboat Snow Day Sports Summertime Sammies Sunny-Side Up Additional Recipes for Mini Snacks and Save-It-for-Later Lunches How to Make a Hatching Chick Shopping Guide Glossary Metric Conversion Chart Acknowledgments Hello, Obento! An Introduction to Japanese Lunches Japanese boxed lunches are called bento (or, reverently, obento). These yummy, healthy meals are all the rage in Japan, where mothers think of them as an expression of love for their children. Bento boxes can be made from scratch, but they are also a great way to enjoy leftovers. Children and adults alike love to eat and make character-driven bento boxes, called charaben (or kyaraben). We hope you'll mix and match the recipes in this book to create your own tasty, portable meals. Yum-Yum Bento Box is a collection of some of our favorite lunches for our children and ourselves. They are almost too cute to eat! According to a popular Japanese saying, it is important to "Eat with your eyes." This means more than just taking time to savor lovely, appetizing foods. Small, thoughtfully arranged dishes encourage portion control. And a rainbow of fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, rice, tofu, and cheeses central to the Japanese diet have given that country's population the highest longevity and lowest obesity rate in the world. When my son started kindergarten, he cried and cried. I hoped that my bento would make him happy! —Maki The bento tradition dates back centuries. As early as the 1500s Japanese farmers packed lunches to eat in the fields. In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants moved to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane fields, and they brought the bento box tradition with them. These portable lunches have become a part of the island culture and are made at home and sold in takeout restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Just ask President Barack Obama, who grew up in Honolulu—he'll know exactly what a bento is. Today, online communities are an increasingly popular forum for sharing bento-making tips and techniques. It's a fun way to show our creations and learn new tricks. Like many mothers, we enjoy preparing simple, cute character bento boxes, called charaben or "deco ben" (because they are decorated bento). In this book, you'll find three types of character bentos: Cuties & Critters, modeled after pets and pals; Fairy-Tale Friends, inspired by magical stories; and Special Day Treats, perfect for celebrating big days or brightening up tough ones. Traditional bento Charaben: character bento

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Oh, boy—obento! These yummy, healthy lunches are all the rage in Japan, where mothers create them as expressions of love for their children. With Yum-Yum Bento Box, Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa devote an entire cookbook to these delicious and adorable meals for all ages! Learn how to craft your