"Love isn't about competition, it's wanting to make the other person feel loved that makes it competitive." -me

I realized that when you have someone precious to you, you'd want to do everything you can to make that person feel special and loved. It's amazing what people would do for one another and the devotion they share. Being selfless and doing our best to show our love is one of the most charitable thing we can do for someone.

When I first had the idea of making bento two years ago, I did quite a bit of research online. I came across many websites and blogs of moms making bento for their children and women making bento for their lovers. It was incredible knowing that these women came from backgrounds that were as diverse as the food they placed in their bento boxes. The delicacy and love that each and every one of them poured into their bento was like a carefully wrapped gift, waiting to be opened and admired. I'm sure the smile on the faces of their children and lovers is what makes everything worth it and keeps them motivated. Looking at their work inspired me to start creating my own bentos. Someday, I'd like to make tiny bentos for my own preschool children like those wonderful bento moms. But for now, I'm content with practicing my culinary skills and making bentos for the one person that matters now. They're not perfect, but I hope to become better with each new bento that I make.

The bento boxes above are in chronological order from upper left.

On Valentine's Day, Andrew and I were suppose to go on a picnic to the Golden Gate Park in SF for lunch but it's been so rainy and wet this month that we decided to have an indoor picnic at home instead. Usually, I would have made him some chocolate themed dessert for the special occasion like last year's homemade chocolate truffles. But since he's been cutting for his Taekwondo competition that's coming up in the next month, I tried to make this year's V-day as healthy as possible for him. I hope I succeeded!




What's in it?
top tier:
(box 1) chocolate dipped strawberries, tangerines, and mochi
(box 2) heart-shaped baked salmon in orange and lime juice, edamame
(box 3) spicy shrimp, avocado and cucumber slices
(box 4) salad, heart-shaped deviled egg, and balloon cherry tomatoes

bottom tier:
giant onigiri stuffed with salted shimp and decorated with nori and cheese, reverse california rolls, strawberries, mixed salad, and a wasabi container

I was actually lagging this year on preparing the lunchbox, so it took me a lot longer than it should have to make it. I was pretty much chopping up ingredients and designing the bento box as I went along cooking for it! Note to self: always prepare all ingredients and design the bento box the night before! It will save you so much time! Trust me! >.< I bought this bento box on my last trip to Ichiban Kan in J-town, figuring I'd use it on a picnic occasion like this. I love how the bento box stacks nicely together and the snap on belt/handle really came in handy! I didn't have to wrap it up in a furoshiki or a bag to carry it around. It's a pretty good sized bento box too. Andrew and I were pretty full after eating from it. There was actually a larger bento box of the same style with an extra slot for food in the middle, but I don't think I'd have the need to make that much food. I can't wait til the sun comes out and the weather is a bit warmer. I'd definitely be using this bento box again for other picnicking trips!

Later that night, Andrew's dinner plans didn't work out so we made our V-day spontaneous. Instead of the usual dining in a fancy restaurant for a romantic dinner, the two of us went to Safeway and picked up some ingredients to bake chicken alfredo pizzas! It wasn't the healthiest choice but we couldn't resist when we saw the pizza crusts. Pizza is also Andrew's favorite type of food, so I couldn't possibly say 'no' to him. We decorated our pizza with alfredo sauce, chicken strips, mushrooms, red bell peppers, broccoli, onion, and topped with mozzarella cheese. The pictures below were before we covered the pizzas with cheese and baking it.