03 Tuesday Jan 2012
Tags
Rhythm and action games rarely get bento love, but Anne the Red has crafted a lovely tribute to Ouuuuuendaaaan! with this “Monkey Magic”-themed bento.
For reference, here’s the Monkey Magic level from the game:
And here’s an equally awesome Monkey Majik for your viewing pleasure:
19 Monday Dec 2011
Posted in essay
Tags
angelstarr, bento, cosplay, gyakutensaiban, lunch, lunchboxes
La Carmina, author of bento-themed cookbook Cute Yummy Time, once wore her passion for bento-making on her literal sleeve by dressing up—or cosplaying, in geek parlance—as Angel Starr, a tough-as-peanut-brittle ex-detective from the Ace Attorney series.
Retired from the law, Angel Starr sells lunchboxes at the police station while wearing a stylish, onigiri-influenced ensemble. The lunchboxes she hands out throughout the game are at once snarky and baffling.
Those who argue over the importance of foodways are aware that food sends a message. Much like the language of flowers, the presentation and plating of a dish imparts significance to the gourmand.
In Angel Starr’s case, the messages are obvious! See that “murder” lunchbox in the top right, second row? Yeah. Message confirmed.
The gag of Angel Starr’s varietal lunchboxes is actually quite interesting: it’s unusual for food to pass along such literal, discrete information. The food in the Ace Attorney series—especially this case—isn’t incidental. It provides character depth and adds value to the setting of the game.
18 Sunday Dec 2011
Posted in onlinegame
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This online game is more edutainment than entertainment.
Designed to teach children about the carbon footprint of the foods they eat, My Bento! allows players to create bento-style lunchboxes, choosing from a variety of rice, foods, and side dishes.
After the bento is snugly packed, the game tells you how many parking spaces’ worth of trees it would take to offset the carbon emissions created by the harvest and production of your food.
I can’t call this game “fun”—more like guilt-inducing!—but it’s cleverly designed and reflects an important point in the global food market today.
19 Saturday Nov 2011
Posted in photos
Even the fearsome can be tasty.
Anna the Red built this bento up paint-by-numbers style, and the end result is impressive!
13 Sunday Nov 2011
Posted in links
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Bento are Japanese-style lunchboxes. Though the norm in Japan, they’ve had a recent emergence in the West. In a sense, they are an aesthetic, health-minded approach to lunch.
With so many games originating in Japan, it’s not unusual to see Japanese mothers creating bento featuring super-cool video game characters for their kids to show off to their classmates.
Not all bento have to be representative of something. It’s enough to have a mixture of foods tidily arranged.
Here are some bento blogs to give you a peek at this playful approach to food:
1. Just Bento
With a warm, pragmatic voice, Maki, the blogstress of Just Bento, offers up a breadth of knowledge on everything bento. Her companion blog, Just Hungry, is about Japanese food. Both blogs have great recipes!
2. Anna The Red’s Bento Factory
Anna the Red writes about bento and makes plushies. She created the Wind Waker-style Link bento featured in this post. When she’s not bento-ing it up, she works at a game company.
Biggie offers sound advice on bento-making, including protips like freezing sauces in portions in a single Ziploc bag and ways to use leftovers. She’s been blogging for a while, so there’s a great archive of informative posts.
