Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

Today, the Japanese term “bento” is widely used in the U.S. Referring to a Japanese lunch box, bento has several unique features.  Since bento contains a variety of small portion dishes, it is well balanced in nutrition. Often using leftovers from the day before, it reduces waste and ultimately is economical. The boxes are also environment-friendly, as they can be reused over and over again. Healthy, economical, and environment-friendly, bento fits the modern day of life. To help you start a bento life, here we will introduce some basic tips for success:

Very first step
Carefully choose a box that fits your lifestyle.  If you are a big eater, the box should be big and a box with separate containers is more convenient.  If you always carry a small bag, the box also has to be slim, too.  There are many kinds of boxes available.  (Shops are listed below)

Tips for Food Preparataion
Strong flavors/seasonings are better
So as to not change the flavor even with passing time, use a little stronger seasoning than usual.

Use seasonings and spices to prevent bento from spoiling
Seasonings and spices like ume boshi (pickled plum), wasabi, ginger, lemon and vinegar, make it less likely for the bento to spoil. Mixing the rice with pickled plum, also prevents spoiling.

Use dishes with less juices and oils
When packing boiled and simmered dishes, remove the liquids and juices as much as possible.  Fried dishes made with batter like tempura can become soggy, so more crunchier batter like in karaage (fried chicken) is better for bento.

Tips for Packing the Bento
Pack side dishes when cooled
After cooling down dishes, leave the lid off to remove any residual heat and once all heat has properly dissipated, close bento tightly with the lid.  If you close the lid of your bento with dishes and rice still hot, it will cause moisture to build up inside as they cool down and ruin the food.

Properly divide dishes, making sure to leave no gaps.
As the bento is something that you carry around and transport, you may be surprised when opening up the lid. What you packed in the morning can look completely different, but this can be prevented.  Try to tightly pack dishes without leaving any gaps.  When packing different types of dishes, to not lose or mix the flavors, partition them using an aluminum cup. To prevent the flow of scents and liquids with things like fruit, or dishes with strong scents, wrap them separately with plastic wrap.

Pack additional seasonings separately
Putting sauces and mayonnaise on top of dishes will only make a mess, and probably get on the lid.  Also, because some time passes before eating the bento, the sauce on the dishes will cause them to get soggy. Putting sauces and mayonnaise in small, separate containers or an aluminum cup is best.

Places you can find bento boxes
Family Market (29-15 Broadway, Astoria, NY / 718-956-7925)
Japanese Culinary Center (711 3rd Ave., NYC / 212-661-3333)
Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Avenue of the Americas, NYC / 212-869-1700)
Kiteya SoHo (464 Broome St., NYC / 212-219-7505)
Korin (57 Warren St., NYC / 1-800-626-2172)
Mars New York (595 River Rd., Edgewater, NJ / 201-945-1134)
Midoriya (167 N. 9th St., Brooklyn, NY / 718-599-4690)
MIKI HOUSE (Bloomingdale’s 59th St. Store, NYC / 212-922-9090)
Mitsuwa Marketplace (595 River Rd., Edgewater, NJ / 201-941-9113)
Sunrise Mart East Village (29 3rd Ave., NYC / 212-598-3040)
Sunrise Mart SoHo (494 Broome St., NYC / 212-219-0033)

Online shops
Lunch-a-Porter (www.lunchaporter.com)
JShoppers.com (www.jshoppsers.com)
J-life International (www.jlifeinternational.com)