My Bento Beginnings

I’m a University Student who packs a lunch. What’s important to a Student? Eating, Drinking and having fun, and maybe studying. Well, for this Student, it’s all those things and well, lunch. Lunch is my world. Nothing makes me happier than a fantastic little lunch on a stress filled day. Hopefully, my Bento Blog will keep me sane from mid-terms to midnights, term-papers to hangovers. I want most of all, Taste, but also nutrition and speed: I want to eat nutritious food, but spending a lot of time on every meal isn’t feasible. I strive to achieve balance between the two — losing this battle would either have me waking up hours before everyone else to cook lunch, or reaching for a Fast-food alternative at the cost to my wallet and taste-buds (the face of the enemy, pictured above).

Spending an hour preparing a weekday lunch is only going to happen if it’s a special occasion like a birthday or holiday — I spend my morning getting myself out the door on time. I am a full-time student and have a part-time job, at one of those horrible fast-food joints and can’t afford to break the bank on horribly made food (trust me, I know) Although, fancy lunches made with expensive specialty foods would be fantastic, I know my limits; both fiscally and artistically. I would be a wreck only a few weeks in, for me it’s got to be sustainable over the long run, which is why I make Canadian-speed Bentos.

How did I even get to this place? I packed a crap-lunch for years, made up of pre-packaged, high-sugar no taste items into a brown bag. It was horrible. I felt awful after eating, so I starting making changes. I began to bring more vegetables, and meats to ease the stomach rumbles that high-sugar foods often leave you with. I even found myself searching online for easy recipes, and like an answered prayer, I found Bento.

With the help of Biggie, the Bento-master of speedy meals, I was saved. Her website http://lunchinabox.net/ helped me find the solutions to may problems. I even named this blog in homage to her site. With the help of Bento makers united online I was able to find the balance between eating right and eating fast. It was called Bento.

Here’s a Quote from her Manifesto for Bento making that sums up my morning ritual.

So now I’m learning to think on my feet when I look at the refrigerator in
the morning. Where I used to see either uninspiring food or time-consuming
meals, I can now see quick lunches taking shape. I have fast lunch items in the
freezer and fridge, and speedy prep techniques at my fingertips.

Well, that's Bento, how I found it. Next Post, Bento, the definitions and traditions.