Kawaii Cooking ^..^

"Kawaii" means "cute" in Japanese.

One thing that is interesting when I am sick is that I sometimes make purchases in a NyQuil-induced haze. This past week I've had the most horrific cold (thanks to my boss John, who kindly passed it on!), and one night when I was hopped up on NyQuil I purchased the following items:

• 1 bento lunchbox in the shape of a geisha
• 1 copy of The Just Bento Cookbook
• 1 set of bento hard boiled egg molds
• 1 set of  bento vegetable cutters
• 1 set of bento onigiri molds

When I lived in Japan back in the early 1980s I noticed their adoration of whimsical characters (such as Hello Kitty!). They found a way to make even the most mundane things whimsical, including the common lunchbox.

The "bento" (or sometimes "obento") is a traditional Japanese lunchbox, usually with compartments and tiers, in which one packs a variety of edibles, most notably some form of rice. I've had a really cool bento box (Mr. Bento by Zojirushi) for years and use it nearly every day. The new geisha bento box (not yet received) is going to be a fun addition.

Here are some attempts at making cool items for my new bento box. At left are two hard boiled eggs in the shapes of a bunny and a panda. In the middle are some cool onigiri shapes (simply seasoned rice pressed into a mold -- one is wrapped with seaweed, and the topping is black sesame seeds). Top right are little slices of celery. (Sadly my husband used all of the carrots in a batch of chicken soup he made for me, otherwise my meal would be more colorful!) Not shown are tiny plastic bottles that contain soy sauce. (Forgot to add them to the photo!)

I absolutely love the idea of having something so cute and whimsical to brighten up a stressful workday. Can't wait to do some more kawaii cooking next week so I can take fun lunches to work!

'thann