Bento

Kon'nichiwa!

I've been familliar with Bento for a while but very recently I was given a Bento Box of my very own and it is SUPER! If you google Bento you will see an array of very artistic food which doesnt always look appetising but you can appreciate the efforts gone into the creations!

For those of you not familliar with Bento, heres a little background blurb for you!

Bento is common Japanese cuisine, it comes in a Bento box, which is like a lunch box but a posh one compared to the ones you might buy in your local supermarket. I think you can get it as take out in Japan and probably in big cities here in the UK and across the world, some other countries also have their own versions.

Bento's traditionally hold Rice, Meat or Fish. Elaborately arranged in styles such as "Kyara-ben" which means character bento or "Oekakiben" which means picture bento. The Japanese even have Bento contests! - Amazing!

 

"Bento" is a derivitive of a slang term "Pinyin" which means convenient.

I haven't been so elaborate yet with mine however with the help of my new book "The Just Bento Cookbook" I am going to try out some new and fun creations and no doubt I will share some with you!

Aswell as being very decorative and cute to look at, they are economical and pretty healthy on the whole.

Some popular Japanese recipes include, Chicken and Three-colour pepper Stirfry Bento, Fried Shrimp Bento and Ginger Pork Bento. You can get lots of recipes and ideas from websites such as www.justbento.com www.cookingcute.com www.lunchinabox.net

You can buy boxes from a number of websites, www.amazon.co.uk or www.monbento.com You can also get lots of accessories such as chopsticks, cutlery, egg moulds, sauce bottles, dividers, belts, bags, cups and cutters to name a few!

 

They are Microwave and dishwasher safe and they do not leak!! Perfect!

 

I will keep you posted with my creations if any are worth of sharing, so far i've made barbeque crispy tofu noodles with beansprouts, brocolli, edemame beans and water chestnuts and Lasagne! (haha im aware that isnt very japannese!)

 

Sayonara!

Inspiration

First of all, I cant believe its been almost a month since I last blogged, its been a really good month aswell! I stepped out of 27 and into 28 and celebrated with a nice lunch joined by a select bunch who really made my day a special one (Thank you loves) I also really enjoyed the small tea party my housemates and I had in the evening when we all had cake mmm. I love the way birthdays make you feel, I felt so loved and appreciated I wish I could feel like that more often!

The last couple of weeks I have been super busy studying and working towards becoming TEFL qualified, I decided I needed a new challenge and I've wanted to live abroad again for a number of years now so teaching was a good option. Its tough going but I can't wait for the adventures that await me. Im so surprised and thankful for all the support i've received from friends and family, maybe they think it'll be a good way of getting a cheap holiday somewhere!! It's always been quite important to me to feel as though i'm living and going somewhere and not just exsisting!

Although I plan to run away at some point this year, I still want to feel comfortable where I am whilst Im here so Ive decided to spruce up my bedroom, ive been promised a new carpet and I've started collecting paintings/frames/pictures to put up on my feature wall. So far I have a pencil drawing, a photograph of Doris Day sitting in a car from the film "By the light of the silvery moon" which was given to me by one of my housemates and my favourite J H Lynch painting which is called "Nymph" They are all very different styles but I think that my favourite artistic subject is "people" so there is a constant theme, It might feel as though im being watched when its finished!

 

 

I think for alot of people the beginning of a New Year allows them to start a fresh, i've never really seen it that way for me before however this year, I feel as though it's time to grow more and make changes to my every day life. I feel inspired by the people around me and by other people stories and I want to inspire other people too!

My motto this year is Live Well, Laugh Often and Love Much

 

Just picked a few photos of this year so far to brighten up the place!