Electrolicious

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of the same questions on my Mr. Bento lunch pictures. As longtime readers and friends know, there’s nothing I hate more than answer the same questions over and over again, so here’s a FAQ all about my dang silly lunches.

What do you pack your lunch in?
I have a Zojirushi Mr. Bento thermal lunch jar. I got it from Amazon. You can get similar lunch jars at Asian markets like Seattle’s Uwajimaya and sometimes even places like Sears. Here’s a look into the guts of a Mr. Bento.

How long does it take you to pack your lunch?
Usually about 10 - 15 minutes, and honestly most of that is decorating and arranging the food. I don’t like cooking, so most of the food is either raw, or premade stuff poured out of bags or boxes.

When do you pack your lunch?
Usually in the morning, right before I run out the door. Every now and then I’ll get my shit together and pack my lunch the night before and then stick it in the fridge overnight, but that’s sort of a rarity.

Do you pack your lunch hot or cold?
Usually cold, and then I microwave it at work.

Is it ok to microwave the Mr. Bento bowls?
I’ve microwaved mine hundreds of times and they’re fine. That said, I don’t recommend microwaving the lids as they can warp.

Do you put your Mr. Bento bowls in the dishwasher?
Yup. Supposedly they’re not dishwasher-safe, but I’ve never had a problem with it.

Do your bowls get stained by certain foods?
Yup. I’m over it. So they’re stained! Who cares?

Where do you get the stuff you pack?
I do most of my lunch shopping at Trader Joe’s (which has a lot of healthy, pre-packaged and frozen foods perfect for lunches), but I also shop at PCC, one of Seattle’s local co-ops.

What’s that garlic sauce you always use?
That’s Karam’s Garlic Sauce.

What’s soycutash?
It’s a frozen vegetable blend from Trader Joe’s that includes soybeans, corn kernels, and bell pepper.

Where did you get your cute condiment containers?
Most of mine were sent to me in the Mr. Bento fun swap, but there’s an eBay store that specializes in such trinkets.

Is Mr. Bento and the food in your lunches expensive?
At $50, Mr. Bento is a bit of an investment, but compared to how much I was spending on eating lunches out, I actually earned back the cost of the lunch jar within a couple weeks. And as for the food I pack my lunches with, I find that because I buy in bulk as opposed to individual servings (ie, a tub of yogurt instead of little containers) I end up saving money. Plus, I get that warm feeling of not making more garbage than I need to.

Are you vegan?
No, but my husband is. I’m not even a very good vegetarian, as I eat fish. This makes me either a pescatarian or a vegaquarian.

Will you make my lunch?
HA! Sadly, even my husband only gets me to pack him lunch half the time, so clearly I’m not very reliable.