Have Fun With New Bento Loot: #31Newness No. 11

This little interest I have in bento lunch boxes that started some time last month has now become a real obsession.

And, just like that, this small experiment in making bento lunch boxes for my kids has become bigger than I've anticipated. I started researching and reading more about it. Started subscribing to bento blogs. Even read a bento book* to learn more.

And, like any obsession that involves gadgets, I started collecting stuff.

Most of my bento accessories I just buy from different eBay sellers locally, as well as in Japan, Korea, and China. And, not so long ago, I've found Bento Mommas from Manila. Yes, this latest lot of bento accessories came from the Philippines. It looks like bento making is getting quite big back there.

If you're wondering what's in this bento loot, here is a list:

• (2) Two-tiered lunch boxes with band - This set is an addition to my ever-growing lunchbox collection. I reckon I'll be dedicating a full blog post on lunch boxes soon enough. 🙂
• A pack of small reusable plastic utensils (4 pieces) - They're tiny and cute. Great for small lunch box items that need spoons/forks.
• Long coloured plastic food picks - These are great to use for mini skewers. Recently used it for a mini hotdog + marshmallow skewer.
• Vehicle sandwich cutter - Cuts a full sandwich into 4 small pieces, in vehicle shapes (cars, train, boat).
• U-shaped and V-shaped cutters - Only just realised the usefulness of this one, especially for carving food. So much easier.
• Multi-size heart-shaped and flower-shaped food cutters - Should be good for both hard and soft food, as they're metal.
• 1 bento 'starter pack' (with heart-shaped food cutter, silicon food cups, food picks, sauce bottle) - Can never have enough food cups and food picks. 😉

Apart from this lot from Bento Mommas, I must confess that I also received two small bento-related packages about the same time as I received this package.

One package contained two sets of Lunch Punch sandwich cutters (a 'sweets' set + a 'critters' set). Got them from CatchOfTheDay:

And the other package contained a pack of training chopsticks for kids (from a local eBay seller). Since my kids have shown a lot of interest in learning how to use chopsticks, I've been wanting to get them these contraptions. I figured they'll be good for bento and just regular dining:

Yes, I did say I am obsessed, right? 😉

*Bento book I read: Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches  by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa

This is my eleventh entry to the #31Days of New blogging project, where I’m exploring the concept of #31Newness. If you have any suggestions on future “new” topics that you’d like to read, please let me know. I’d love to find out what you think.