Totoro Bento Lunch

Finally, I have packed my new totoro bento box with a lunch. Yay! There was a minor crisis when I couldn't find my digital camera tonight. I ended up using HB's, which was a challenge because the LCD view screen is totally broken. So, not the most professional of photos, but I figure, something is better than nothing.

Firstly, a shot of the way cute box. (Yes, I am holding it up to the wall)

Cute Totoro (regular size) with a sho totoro over his shoulder. Also soot sprites and leaves.

As you can see, it snaps shut on either side and is completely waterproof (at least as far as my "fill-with-water-and-shake-it-up" testing went.) Inside there is one movable divider thing. What I really like about the box is that the lid is slightly higher than the level of the box, so any decorations or round things won't get squished. My glasslock box kinda presses things down, which can be a bummer if I'm feeling "decoratey."

For lunch, I made some fried rice with vegetables and pinapple. Something a little special (rather than just leftovers, like I usually do.) I put the fried rice out on a plate to cool. I sometimes will set hot food on a plate or a small rack over a freezer pack. Or, if it's small enough, I stick it in the freezer itself to bring it down to room temperature.

fried rice cooling

And now, the final bento box!

Bento contents: Fried rice in larger compartment on left hand side, carrot and pepper flower, sirracha sauce decoration; small plum in smaller side of compartment, piece of oat bar cookie in a pretty mini cupcake liner, with miso soup packet under neath.

At the bottom of the box (packed outside) is the miso paste.

I was almost done and I thought the fried rice needed a little more color. The peace sign was the response when I asked HB what I should put on it. So there you go. Peaceful rice. I also tried to squish the cupcake liner into a star shape, for more flair. It sort of worked...

Here's what it looks all wrapped up:

My furoshiki is a cloth napkin and I tucked the miso paste in the top with the chopsticks, as you can see.

So! I had a little of the fried rice that didn't fit in the box and it was very tasty, so I anticipate it being good tomorrow, too. For now, I leave you with another one of the Totoro goodies my father-in-law brought back, a little plush Totoro playing his ocarina. When you press his tummy, he makes this hooting sound that repeats three times. He's sitting on my desk lamp to inspire me when I do school work (or blog updates....)

"Be productive! Hoo-hooo-hoooooooo!"

Update: Everything was delicious! There was no bleed-through of the rice under the little divider and my peace sign was still intact. Success! I love the sweet taste that pineapple gives fried rice; I had forgotten about that. I think this is also the first fried rice bento I've made, definitely good as a standard.