{"id":4231,"date":"2014-07-01T14:42:13","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T05:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/?p=4231"},"modified":"2014-07-01T14:45:38","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T05:45:38","slug":"the-art-of-bento","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/2014\/07\/the-art-of-bento\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Bento<\/b>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A bento requires three things: a box, tasty food, and visual appeal.\u00c2\u00a0 The goal of bento is not just to take some food somewhere for later consumption. The goal is that when lunch time arrives the eater finds something visually appealing as well as edible inside that little box.<\/p>\n

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photo by luckysundae
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Think of the bento box as an artistic medium. You can take that medium and create an intricately detailed masterpiece like\u00c2\u00a0this\u00c2\u00a0kyaraben. Or, more practically, construct a simple arrangement of food that draws the eater into the lunch experience, more like arranging flowers in a vase than painting a picture. The road to even this simpler visual aesthetic may still seem complicated, but all it takes are a few basic tools available in any grocery store:<\/p>\n

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First, the knife.<\/span><\/h5>\n

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\"Camera<\/a>Every cook needs a good knife and the bentoist is no different. Packing a bento requires food in small pieces that fit together in the box. Cutting your food prettily makes packing your box that much easier. My blade of choice is a 15cm ceramic chef\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s knife. This size is big enough for chopping most fruits and vegetables but also small enough for precision work. Ceramic keeps an edge longer than steel and the chef style is versatile.<\/p>\n

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Some cutting methods:
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The Julienne<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Cutting veggies like cucumber and carrots into small, thin sticks adds clean lines to plain salads.<\/p>\n

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The Diagonal<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Good for adding an interesting shape to any long thin foods, like hotdogs.<\/p>\n

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\"Rolling<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Rolling Diagonal<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Same as the diagonal except the food is rolled 90* after each cut. The resulting uneven shape makes slippery food easier to pick up with chopsticks.<\/p>\n

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Another handy cutting tool is the shaped cutter. These mini cookie cutters are used to make cute shapes from carrot slices, cheese, ham and other flat foods. Cutting a few shapes to spread across the top of the bento instantly makes a plain meal adorable.<\/p>\n