Along with learning to cook, I’ve also recently begun playing around with bento. I think the first step is to tell you exactly what bento is, but that’s not as easy as it sounds. Personally, I think a bento is different things to different people. You could come tell me that’s not true, but then you’d just be proving my point. (Do you see how nicely I did that? hehe)
Here’s what I understand bento to be: a portion controlled, healthy meal, creatively packed into a small container. Some people think sticking to the original Japanese traditions and foods in the bento is really important. Others think that the creativity part ranks highest on the scale.
For me, bento is about packing a functional lunch to bring from home, and one that is healthier than what I’d purchase from the cafeteria at work.
Currently I have two bento boxes. My first bento box is the Natural Leaf bento set:

It has a matching bag that didn’t make it into the photo. My second bento box is smaller, but very cute:

I packed a few lunches in the Leaf bento, and was still hungry. The last couple of days I packed the frog bento with veggies, and added a sandwich on the side, and felt like it might have been a little too much food. I think I’ll find a balance eventually, something that works for me.
And I may or may not have purchased more bento supplies this week. Don’t tell, but I think I might like purchasing bento supplies more than I like packing my lunch.