Bento Boxes, Part 1

I couldn't bring my sewing machine because the electrical current here is 240 volts, and the motor would have burned up.  I couldn't bring my Kitchen Aid or food processor for the same reasons.  Cooking by recipe here is also very difficult because (1) you can't find unexpected things, (2) to try to find the things you hope you might find, you have to go to 3 or 4 different busy stores in awful traffic and then you get to the stores and none of them are laid out the way you expect so then you look for an hour but don't find what you had hoped to find, AND (3) some things just don't substitute well.  For example, here milk + vinegar or milk + lemon juice JUST DON'T TASTE LIKE BUTTERMILK.  Say that last part with a heavy East Texan accent for full effect.

Cooking and sewing were my main two forms of creative activity at home...therefore, I had to find something else that I could occasionally do for a limited time and budget but that would satisfy this strange need for hands-on activity.

So I'm trying to Bento.

Bento originated in Japan, where everything is cool, expensive, and teeny tiny.  There are web sites like Just Bento and Lunch in a Box that will show you what real artists do.  These people don't hesitate to cut shapes out of food and make lunch box art.

So mine isn't really Bento.  It doesn't follow the proportion rules...but it DOES require that everything is healthy and fresh.  The occasional cookie or granola bar helps for hungry bigger kids, but otherwise, I am making everything from scratch.  The kids eat TWICE at school, once at 9:30 AM and once at noon...so the lunch box contents have to fit this schedule. No candy, chips, or soda is allowed.

Did I mention I have a fulltime job, have to organize and feed and do hygiene quality control for three kids who all do after school activities, and am taking two graduate courses?  Don't be a hater on the not-real-artistic-ness in my Bento.  Just know that I'm trying. I typically spend around an hour each night prepping and fitting for the three hooligans. Then I pack a beer and corn nuts for my own lunch.

Here's a slideshow of some of my-version "Bento" from the first month of school.  Once I collect enough photos, I'll post an update. I'm also making a list of "stuff my kids will eat at school," so if you have any creative ideas (no sandwiches, noodles, crackers, muffins, granola, or chicken/rice...I've got those covered), please post them in the comments!

Since the term "Bento" doesn't exactly fit, I'll be working on a new term for "East Texas harebrain does quasi-Bento in a foreign land full of grocery puzzles."  Click on the play button to make the slide show start.