A few years ago, when I was just starting to write about food, I really loved this Japanese blog. The author would post a daily picture of a bento box and list the contents. I was hooked. Each lunch was completely different, and made with extreme attention to detail.
I started to notice that the author had her own style, in the colors she picked to go together, the shapes she made with the food, and her flavor combinations. And all the while, everything was made in tune with nature and the seasons. A pink flower shape in the rice was colored with ume plum. Orange hearts were cut out from carrots.
Most of the blog was in Japanese, so mysteries remained in my head. Who did she make these lunches for? Herself? A spouse? A child? A customer? Whoever it was, I could not help but picture someone opening the box and smiling from ear to ear about the contents, before digging in heartily.
Everything I cook is dictated by love. When home alone, I rarely put effort into meals. The best food is reserved for loved ones. Amy Sedaris said it best when she titled her first cookbook I like You, because that’s what you’re implying when you set down a plate in front of someone. Read more…
