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My First Bento

Bento.  Not Barbie.

We are in our ninth year of school-starting preparations here.  School clothes and supply shopping, setting alarm clocks, resetting normal schedules...you know, all that jazz.

But, here's what different.  The kiddos aren't the only ones heading back to school.  Their mama's going too...back to college!  And she's had to do her own fair bit of school supply shopping herself.

And that includes a new lunchbox.  While I am quite partial to the classic metal lunch box, I decided to go with something a bit cuter and more...well, portioned.

Enter Bento Box.  (mine purchased at www.laptoplunches.com)  Bento is traditionally Japanese, and is usually a single-portion home-made meal carefully allocated into neat little serving sizes.  This pic, courtesy of Wikipedia, shows a typical bento. 

Depending on who you ask, obesity is either a.) out of hand,  b.) all the school's fault, c.) all the parents' fault, d.) b and c, e.) irrelevant, considering what's happening between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

What does obesity have to do with my new lunchbox?  Not much, except Americans are combatting the obesity problem by developing lunchboxes that will effectively portion their lunchtime foods for them.  Because we simply can't be trusted to eat an appropriate amount of food, I guess.

Well.  Call me untrustworthy and ignorant, then.  But, I'm a sucker for anything black and pink...and I also like lunchboxes...and, I really did need a new one.  And heaven knows, I probably need all the help I can get portioning out my food.

  

One of the large containers holds cherry tomatoes (because vegetables are our friends, people), and the other holds sea salt crackers and Brie cheese (protein, carbs, and French culture, people).  About eight grapes were crammed into the top left box, and I actually did not use the lower right two boxes (the smaller one would hold what? one-two Hershey's kisses or fifty mini chocolate chips?).

I'm pretty excited.  It's neat and compartmentalized and definitely appeals to my sense of order and aesthetics.  A sweet insulated sleeve also accompanies the bento box, as well as some sterling silver flatware (definitely Oneida quality, at the very least).

I assume that this lunchbox will make me pretty popular on campus, and I wouldn't be surprised if I am nominated Homecoming Queen this fall.

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