What is bento?
Bento (written 弁当), or obento (お弁当) to use the honorific term, is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. Beyond that basic definition though, just about anything goes as to what kind of box or container is used, as well as what is put inside that box.This classic bento combination is as follows (love the easy to follow diagram)
Info and image via
While looking for a bento box for myself, I came across these amazing photos on flickr, by a woman who makes bento lunches daily for herself, her husband and her toddler.
Here are some styles I'm digging:
Pretty and traditional
Awesome
images via