What's for lunch?

With its origins tracing as far back as the Kamakura Era (1185 – 1333) the bento box continues to remain an important part of Japanese culture. A bento(弁当) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. It consists of rice accompanied by fish or meat and then an array of small side dishes. Defining characteristics of a bento include it being both healthy and aesthetically very pleasing. When asking Koko about the Japanese bento she explained, “A bento is more than just a lunch in Japan. It’s an art form.”
Visiting Koko over the summer allowed me the opportunity to try my hand at making my very own version of the Japanese bento. As she would wake up and prepare for school I would be hard at work in the kitchen making lunch. Here’s how it turned out. . .