this food means business...

bento in its simplest form is a pretty easy concept for westerners i'd guess--basically a to-go meal. kyaraben on the other hand is a rather foreign idea.

the united states has an industrious and radical history. of late it may have become burdened with apathetic and stagnant behavior, but our disposition as a nation originated from a wonderful desire to streamline and improve...to eliminate the unnecessary and consolidate the requisite in our day to day lives. to chose what our lives would hold in the very most fundamental sense. to make our own destinies.

spending a lot of time making a pretty lunch just isn't the american way. maybe it should be, but the way we scarf down the typical workday lunch just doesn't seem worthy of the effort put into making kyaraben. i'm fascinated with the dichotomy between a bento and a busy, modern western world. food presentation in entertaining, dining out, and for special events makes an unconscious sense--but sometimes microwaveable junk and mushy leftovers really do seem good enough.

i take pleasure in a number of small things, and i like to think i'm rather considered and deliberate. but i had to think a bit on this to find what i will ultimately take away from this entire thought exercise. it is simple. pursue happiness.



a few days ago, i came across this flickr page...filled with images of inventive and well executed bento. i was pretty taken with them, so i followed some links, and found out they are made for made for him by his lady. she keeps a blog that is a bit story time and a bit how to. it's worth the visit.