"I'm sure you're a very good cook. But if you want to feel bad about yourself, spend five minutes cruising the Internet for photos of bento boxes. They won't be hard to find. Originally just a convenient boxed lunch for Japanese field workers, bentos today can be high art, with flower-petal carrots, hard-boiled eggs shaped into bunnies, broccoli sculpted into trees. The moms who make them — because they're mostly moms, and not necessarily Japanese — are eager to share their edible masterpieces. The five main elements of a bento are color, texture, seasonality, presentation and nutrition (and let's not forget portion control — how much can you cram into those little compartments?). Confession: I have a problem with food that is cute. I even pick the buttons off gingerbread men. I'm also against expending that much effort just to coax my kid to eat. (Yes, my daughter thinks I'm "mean.") That said, I truly believe that we eat first with our eyes. And because of that, there is much to learn from the art of the bento." - holly #ravingfangirl from Bookmarklet

These are fascinating. - Ha3rvey (on hiatus)

i need to use mine more. - holly #ravingfangirl

I have so many bentos it's ridiculous. But I use them all every day. <3 I stopped shaping my food years ago though. LOL Though I admit I do love shaped hardboiled eggs every now and again... :) - Hookuh Tinypants

I need to use mine again. It's been a while. - Betsy #TeamMonique