#bento tricks

Today, for the first time ever, I was present for the unpacking of the bento. Part of the reason was a question I was asked yesterday: 

But How Does It All Stay Together?!

To be absolutely honest, it’s a question I’ve wondered plenty of times myself. While I keep pinning ideas for this blog, I am repeatedly struck by the impossibility of packing and transporting many of those beautiful creations.

Gorgeous! But it’s all sticking out (so how do you put a lid on it?), and there’s lots of fiddly little pieces, and I bet it would be just a rice and meatballs medley by the time my kid was done swinging his lunchbox on the short way into preschool. Not even a hint of Calvin and Hobbes. Nada, zilch.

And then I started seeing it. Cocktail sticks!

And that glorious food cement, mayo.

I wanted to see for myself if my precautions were working, so I made Mr T. a bento box for his nature class. It had to be stuffed in a cooler, carried in a backpack over rough terrain for almost two hours, and unpacked in field conditions. 

My precautions included sticky baba ganoush and cocktail sticks:

These are somewhat DIY (use your own toothpick), so I was able to adjust their height to the depth of the bento box. The slight give in the flowers allows for perfect fit with the lid.

Just to be sure, I put some cling wrap over the sticky part, and clamped the lid over the top.

Two+ hours later.

Toothpicks out, and after Mr T. started digging for carrots.