Bento Corner

I tried shiubazuke onigiri for day 2 of kindergarten with tamagoyaki and broccoli.

My daughter came home crying because I put too much in her bento and she didn't have time to play with the other kids. I felt badly since she really tried to finish eating everything...but the onigiri was too big. It also doesn't help that she is a slow eater. So she requested a smaller bunny onigiri for next time. :o)

Shippai, shippai! Mata gambarima~su!

So my daughter started kindergarten at an English school this week. She doesn't need a full bento, but does need a snack, so I included peanutbutter and jam sandwiches, store bought pretzels, and some apples.

I wish the school would just require a full lunch like at her Japanese preschool since I feel I can pack more nutritious food rather than just snacky things. Really trying to stay away from too many snack foods since I'd much rather have her eat onigiri or something with more substance...I guess this is something I just need to get used to...at least for a little while...

This bento was from last Friday. It is all left over from the previous day. Nimono, futomaki, and inari -- everything made courtesy of Mitsuwa Market. I was so lazy I didn't even bother putting in any fruit.

My daughter wanted a peek at her bento before I packed it and when she looked at the contents she cried, "Eeeehhhh, kao ga naino???" which translates as "Aaawwwww, there's no face???" This took me by surprise since I thought she would be OK with plain bentos too, but it seems she has gotten used to the idea of something smiley in her bento every time. This is good news, but also kinda bad especially on days when I am feeling tired or lazy.

But something about her disappointment made me realize that I should do something to cheer her up, so this is what I did in 5 minutes time with a little nori and some sliced cheese:

When I showed the girl, she gave me a satisfied nod with a smile and all was right with the world once again...

So I finished the bento this morning and handed it to my husband so he can take a photo of it for me to post on this site. He takes the photo on the deck and comes back to show my daughter this photo:

"Daddy, this is upside down. It should look like this, " and with that my daughter turned it around so it looked like this:

But my husband insisted, "No, no. It was right the first time. They are ducks."

That's when I interjected and informed them both that my daughter was right and they are meant to be elephants. Though my husband still insists that they look better as ducks.

Bento includes left over spring roll, tamagoyaki with kanikama, cauliflower sauteed with hotdogs and ketchup (my daughter requested this again), ambiguous onigiri with umeboshi and sakura denbu/nori, and fruit picks of strawberries, blueberries, and grapes for dessert.

 So what's the verdict? Ducks? Elephants? You decide...