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Home » Lunch-a-Porter Bento Box Giveaway – Worldwide! (Closed)

Lunch-a-Porter Bento Box Giveaway – Worldwide! (Closed)

The new school year has started and if you are packing your children’s lunch daily, it’s a great time to freshen up the game plan for your child’s lunch by having a brand new lunch box!

I love cute bento boxes and my children loves it when I switch around different bento boxes from time to time.  I am partnering with Lunch-a-Porter to give away this beautiful Lunch Bowl Set to two (2) lucky Just One Cookbook readers!

Each set includes the following:

  • A Natural Brunch bento bowl (green) –two levels with a removable top (microwavable).
  • A Natural Brunch thermal bag (green/white stripes)
  • Natural Brunch chopsticks (green)
  • A matching napkin (green) (total value $50)

Bento Box Giveaway | Just One Cookbook

To enter for your chance to win a Natural Brunch bento bowl set, leave a comment on this post that answers the following question:

What do you find difficult about making a bento?

You can earn up to five bonus entries by leaving a separate comment (with the same email address) for each of the below actions:

Bonus Entry 1: “Like” Just One Cookbook on Facebook.  (Leave a separate comment if you have done this.)

Bonus Entry 2: “Like” Lunch a Porter on Facebook.  (Leave a separate comment if you have done this.)

Bonus Entry 3: Subscribe to Namiko Chen on YouTube.  (Leave a separate comment if you have done this.)

Bonus Entry 4: Follow Just One Cookbook on Google+.  (Leave a separate comment if you have done this.)

Bonus Entry 5: Follow Just One Cookbook on Pinterest.  (Leave a separate comment if you have done this.)

Two (2) winners will be selected via Random.org and announced on Monday, September 21, 2014. This giveaway closes on Sunday, September 20, 2014 at 12 p.m. PST and is open to participants worldwide (everyone!).  The winners will be contacted via email, so please include a valid email address in the email address entry box. (Giveaway end date is extended for another week till 9/20)

Full Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Lunch-a-Porter and yours truly.

*****

Thank you so much to those who participated this giveaway.  Here are the winners!

Winners

Congratulations Kiley (#132) and Melissa Kline (#585)!  I’ll be contacting you shortly via email.

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    • DINA THOMAS

      Absolutely love your blog!!! I have tried numerous recipes that you have posted and I have enjoyed every one of them. My young daughter is the one that found your website and thought I would like it.

      794
      Reply

    • Kay Toniolo

      I love reading and making meals from your recipes everyday.
      The trouble I have is bento boxes vary in size and have lots of compartments,
      This one would be ideal with the 3 .
      My Daughter n Law is Japanese and my 3 little Grandchildren love helping me make them,they choose what they want in them for lunch and picnics in the park and playground when they visit Grandma.
      I have little moulds for shaping food also chop sticks as they use them all the time
      They have a special cupboard at my house of their things as soon as they arrive that’s where they head to see if there’s any surprises.

      37
      Reply

  9. Kathy Grimes

    The hard thing I think about making bentos is in order to get all the colors, you have to make lots of different items and because of that, you often have leftovers that may or may not be good the next day.

    9
    Reply

  11. Liz Y.

    I don’t have much practice making bento, so the difficulties I have are pretty basic. Firstly, making the time to prepare them! For me, the main appeal of bento-style lunch boxes is the presentation. However, cute presentation takes time and patience to create. Secondly, selecting ingredients that keep me full for any appreciable amount of time. I have long class hours with no break, so I’m always looking for foods that are both healthy and have good staying power.

    11
    Reply

  20. marlene

    I find it most difficult to pack something hot. If it is leftovers, do I heat it up in the microwave before I pack it or after I pack it, right before it is eaten? I prefer NOT to use a microwave, so I can’t really pack something hot the night before to take to lunch the next day.

    20
    Reply

  28. My biggest problem is getting up in enough time to put the bento box together as I sometimes get called to work at the last minute and it seems pointless to make a bento lunch if I’m not working that day.

    28
    Reply

  29. Norma

    LOVE this bento box set, but doubt I have much chance to win it, as I don’t do social media (much too invasive!!), so won’t earn any of the bonus entries. That said, I do love your web site and your recipes. As for what I find difficult about making a bento — pretty much everything, as I don’t do it very often, and thus it takes me a long time. However, the enjoyment of putting it together and then consuming it is well worth the effort. Thanks for your sharing, your creativity and your lessons and encouragement!

    29
    Reply

  30. Jane Dawson

    I have trouble getting my rice to not be mushy, I try all different combos of rice and water and it is never good. I am using sweet rice I bought at a local Korean grocery store here in Montreal. Love your blog!!

    30
    Reply

  32. Allyson Boeckman

    I find it difficult to incorporate new food for my picky eater. She’ll at least try it if she helps, or if it is in a fun shape. She’s so young it is hard to think of ways she can help.

    Also, I’m already a subscriber to your YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

    32
    Reply

  34. Christine

    The hard part is making multiple dishes without letting the rest go to waste! It’d be easier with a larger family so we can finish all in a couple days

    34
    Reply

  35. Kimmi

    I find it somewhat difficult to incorporate fruit into a bento! I love having fruit with lunch, but it’s usually more convenient to just keep a banana or orange outside of the bento container. Berries are easy to throw in, but I never know what to do with the larger fruits… =)

    Thanks for opening up this giveaway!

    35
    Reply

  37. Anne

    Hi Nami,

    Thanks for this great giveaway offer! I have to admit that the two hardest parts about making bento for me are time-related: planning in advance, and getting up early enough on the day!

    Thanks as always for your great blog!
    Anne

    38
    Reply

  51. Anne

    I would love the bento bowl set! What I find most difficult besides being creative , is reheating bento boxes. Also what about refrigeration ? My daughter’s preschool has no refrigerator to store lunches .
    Thanks! Love your blog!

    52
    Reply

  59. Elaine

    I find it hard to make the time to prepare my bento, especially so that it can be cute. And if I want to put freshly cooked food in my bento, it is hard to time how long it will take to cool down before I can close the bento box. I usually have to leave and so I end up closing it too soon, and then water builds up inside the box. So I would definitely say timing! (^_^)

    60
    Reply

  71. The most difficult part for me is getting my son to actually eat the vegetables and fruits that I put in there. He’s picky with fruits and vegetables although he eats some varieties. If I put an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable, he will most likely ignore it. And he prefers all his food to be chopped up so it’s easier for him, so I’m limited in terms of design.

    72
    Reply

  72. WS

    The most difficult part about making bento is coming up with more creative ideas and using less processed foods.

    73
    Reply

  75. Angie

    What I find difficult about making bento is making sure I got a balanced nutrition in one box. Also, as I recall from watching Japanese documentaries, in Japanese food, it is also important to have the five flavors an five colors in the meal. I think that’s what makes bento making even more challenging.

    76
    Reply

  83. Rachel Z

    I find it difficult to make a bento because I don’t have the right equipment. Hope I win this bento box!

    84
    Reply

  84. Hexanes

    I find it difficult to make so many small things fit together to make a beautiful result. But like to do it anyway!

    85
    Reply

  87. P killorin

    The toughest part is being creative and keeping a variety. I tend to get stuck using the same ideas over and over again.

    88
    Reply

  91. Julia

    Sometimes it’s not easy to maintain the prepared meal in good condition in terms of texture, temperature, taste and appearance.

    92
    Reply

  95. What I find hard? Is the portion..hehe sometimes it’s too much..sometimes it’s a little bit lacking 😛 I’d also want to be really creative like you! 🙂

    96
    Reply

  97. Thuy Nguyen

    The hardest thing to make a bento was how to make your bento not only nutritious but also appetizing and cute so that everybody would love it.

    98
    Reply

  106. Gloria

    I find it hard to decide how to separate things, especially if I’m making a bento for one of my little brothers! They all have different preferences on what foods can touch, let alone what food is allowed in their bentos.

    107
    Reply

  107. Claudia Beukmann

    I find it difficult to vary the food, as I live in a tropical climate, similar to Japanese summers. Much of the food spoils easily and the food that does not spoil seems to be limited. At least I cannot think of new variations….

    108
    Reply

  112. Eevamaria Mielonen

    My family has moved to the US from Finland, country where school kids enjoy warm, healthy and free (!!) lunch every day. Since I found JOC, packing the kid’s lunches in bento box has become much easier! Additionally, my kids love Japanese food. With Namiko’s JOC I have learnt to cook Japanese meals even though I do not have any direct relation to Japan.
    What I find difficult about making bento? Keeping the food separated and neatly packed. In my current bento boxes I do not have a separate slot for salad and it tends to turn everything else messy. Lunch-a-Porter has a nice carroer bag where the box fits nicely. I would love to have one!

    I have subscribed Namiko Chen on You Tube and follow JOC in Fb.

    113
    Reply

  117. Sharon

    I am limited on bento box knowledge but would like to start learning to make cute little edibles! The hardest part is finding the time!!!

    118
    Reply

  120. julia

    I never win these things, but chance says I’ll win sometime in my life if I participate enough times!

    My trouble with making bento is that I seem unable to add a good amount of food. Sometimes I barely have enough to get me through the day, other times I can share with 3 people nd still be more than full!

    121
    Reply

  122. Wendell

    The hardest thing about making a bento is varying the color. A lot of mine end up looking brown and white!

    123
    Reply

  128. Nadine J.

    What I find difficult on packing bento is to be creative on varying the ingredients, find ingredients that can stay at room temperature for a while and make them still look nice and cute 😀

    129
    Reply

  131. Kiley

    What’s tough about doing the bento is psyching myself up to pack one. I used to cook extra at dinner time and then save a portion for lunch the next day, but with my new schedule I barely have time for a proper dinner (it’s usually a bowl of oatmeal) and I’m too tired to cook something from scratch. I need some encouragement to start again and this cute bento set might just be it! Thanks for hosting the giveaway Nami!

    132
    Reply

  133. Aini Othman

    to make a delicious a beautiful bento at the same time! A feast for our eyes and for the tummy as well 😛

    136
    Reply

  144. Nicola Feltrin

    The most difficult thing for me is “designing” the bento. For now I’m just copying someone eses creations (read: yours) but I’d like to be able to design my owns sometime…

    147
    Reply

  149. Lily Leung

    What I find difficult in making bento for my daughter is her eating the healthy baking and sandwiches I make her.

    153
    Reply

  151. PalaSataJa

    Love your blog! I find it hardest to keep track of what I have in stock and sometimes end with plenty of leftover meat to pack but no side dishes or vica-versa. Veggies are a bit easier – I often have some frozen broccoli or grape tomatoes on hand.

    155
    Reply

  157. Alice

    For me the most difficult thing about making a good bento is the harmony and the aesthetic arrangement of the dishes :O

    161
    Reply

  158. Hannah

    The hardest part on packing a bento-box for me is packing it tightly. I always end up eating everything mushed up 🙁
    but well.. tastes good anyway 😛

    162
    Reply

  163. Maybelle

    Hi Nami! I love these very cute bento boxes! I hope I have a chance to win ^ – ^

    I don’t make obento often, but when I do, the hardest part is making it taste Japanese! It sounds funny, but you just can’t put anything… I try to make sure there is a balance of flavours. This includes vinegared sushi rice, sweet egg roll, something salty or sour, like pickled vegies or umeboshi. Of course, I like furikake with my rice but prefer it to have a crunch, so I have to bring it along and “sprinkle” it when I am about to eat.

    167
    Reply

  169. Kate

    The most difficult thing about making bento is finding different recipes to try. I’m afraid that I’d get bored eating the same thing and I don’t want the experience of bento to be ruined for me. I also don’t have many containers with separate apartments!

    173
    Reply

  176. Q

    For me, the most difficult part of making a bento is making it look cute. I try all those little tricks to make the food fun and pretty, but it just… doesn’t. I keep trying, though. ^^

    180
    Reply

  179. Naseera

    The difficult thing for me about making bento is “how much is enough?”

    For myself, I make sure I have some vegetables like cucumber or carrots (either cooked or raw but nicely cut so that it is easy to eat) or just a plain salad, I have fruit (like strawberries, cut up apples), and some protein (egg, chicken or tofu) and some rice or noodles (carbohydrate).

    But for my brother, he doesn’t eat “carbohydrates” (he is an athlete) – so I have to think of other things to put in .. so he always tells me, that the bento was nice but it wasn’t enough 🙁

    Despite this, I enjoy making bento .. it is like an artwork, as my father says .. It is nice to look forward to your lunch and to compartmentalize everything, bright colours, fresh tastes ^_^

    183
    Reply

  180. I love making bentos for myself and my wife, but I find myself pretty wiped at the end of the day (I usually make them the night before), and I don’t get up early enough to make them in the mornings. I was on a roll for a while, making up two sets of boxes a week, but I’m off the wagon at the moment. I’m also a nut for efficiency in the kitchen, but I find that I’m not as efficient when making bento items from scratch. So far, my longest cooking marathon for bentos was 2 hours!

    184
    Reply

  187. Miriam

    The hardest thing for me planning for bento is planning ahead for it. I need to make more of a meal so I have something left. Or I just need to get myself to make something instead of waiting until the last minute!

    191
    Reply

  192. Cheryl Chan

    What I find most difficult in making a bento is finding time to prepare the mix and packing them for school i.e. storage especially in warmer months. Your ideas have helped a lot, thank you.

    197
    Reply

  193. andoc

    The most difficult for me is to figure out what to cook:) When I have the main dish, the rest will come easily, but meal planning is always difficult for us.

    198
    Reply

  202. Aiko

    The hardest part of bento is most likely thinking what to put in them. I want to keep it interesting everyday, so I try not to always use leftovers.

    207
    Reply

  205. Nigel L.

    I find it hard to have a variety of foods to put in a bento without preparing them specifically for the bento. I would like to better incorporate leftovers while still having a safe and healthy bento.

    210
    Reply

  215. Tam Grosser

    I already follow Just One Cookbook on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube and now I have you in my Google+ circle! Love your recipes and pictures. Thank you for sharing!

    220
    Reply

  228. Alyson Armour

    I feel like the most difficult aspect of making a bento is choosing between all the many choices/recipes there are! I’m just so dang indecisive…

    233
    Reply

  231. Frances Wagner

    The most difficult part of making the obento is making sure you have enough time to let food cool down before you close the box. Otherwise, I am afraid, it may go bad depending on the time of the season. I am not too worried during the winter as long as the box with food stay in a cooler environment. On top of that, know where to locate what. Do you put lettuce to decorate next to the hot rice or what. I usually use dividers such as tin foiled cupcake cups. It is a happy moment when your loved one you made the bento for, comes home and says how they loved their lunch. I often write messages on the paper napkin, which they keep. <3

    236
    Reply

  237. Audrey Marie

    Keeping crisp foods crisp, warm foods warm and things separate – that’s difficult for me. And when I use separate containers to meet those needs I end up needing a really large bag to contain it all. Those bentos look very nice and compact for keeping their lunches tidy and delicious!

    242
    Reply

  243. Jun

    Did everything! 😀 Love the simple yet amazing recipes! I just started UNI and living and cooking on my own for the first time. My roommates and I all love Japanese food (mainly from too much anime and manga) and this page is making our daily meals so enjoyable!
    The problem I’m having with the bento boxes is finding the time to prepare such a large variety of foods but all in such small proportions.

    248
    Reply

  244. I don’t have any practice making bento. I love read your blog because I want to learn about japanese cook but I need found the ingredients and also have japanese cookware. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    249
    Reply

  247. Elise

    i find choosing the right food is difficult in bento making. Need to choose food that will not stale or change in color in the afternoon and food that is easy to prepare during rush hour

    252
    Reply

  250. Kim Lor

    The hardest thing about making a bento is making enough food to just fit. I usually make too much food and have to try and pick what I want to go into the bento!

    255
    Reply

  254. Rainie

    I’ve no much time to prepare bento. Also to think about the dishes to cook everyday yet to make it attractive enough to eat. By referring to Just One Cookbook, give me a lot of inspiration for bento making!

    259
    Reply

  255. Lisa

    A thermal bag that fits perfectly with (the very functional) accompanying bento bowl is perfect for my lunch from home meals. Thanks Nami!

    260
    Reply

  259. Lara

    The most difficult part about preparing a bentobox I find the planning, and not to make everything soggy. (Of course the real real problem is getting your brain to work in the morning…)

    264
    Reply

  260. Dewi Ong

    Having creative mind and sufficient time to prepare individual items then layout inside the lunchbox beautifully.

    265
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  261. Heidi Tan

    The most difficult thing about making bento boxes for me is the variety of choice that has to made in crafting balance in a box to give my loved ones a complete and nutritious meal for the day!

    Good thing there are so many interesting new side dishes and flavours that can be mixed and matched for a wonderful surprise with each box!

    266
    Reply

  262. Catherine K

    To pack and make bentos look appealing can be challenging sometimes. Time is also a factor as I find it hard to get up early to prepare as I sleep very late. I use brown rice as it is healthy but it becomes dry and hard if I keep it overnight in the fridge for the nex day.

    267
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  270. Nicolai P.

    Bento boxes are amazing! The biggest problem is the time taking to make a perfect presentation. Packing the food in neatly and making sure that the food doesn’t mix in the wrong way is annoying at times.

    275
    Reply

  272. Monica Wong

    I would love to win and have my first Bento box.

    I have
    1.“Like” Just One Cookbook on Facebook.
    2.“Like” Lunch a Porter on Facebook.
    3. Subscribe to Namiko Chen on YouTube.
    4.Follow Just One Cookbook on Google+.
    5.Follow Just One Cookbook on Pinterest.

    I have tried many of your recipes with great success. I adore the green tea ice cream.

    277
    Reply

  274. Linda

    The hardest thing for me is controlling my addiction to bento boxes! I love the colors, the shapes, the clever ways they close, the interior compartments, the carrying bags. It is a bonafide, undiagnosed psychosis!

    279
    Reply

  276. Lava Yuki

    Making it look cute with all the animal and character shapes, cutting vegetables, meat etc into cute shapes like flowers…. Generally making the bento look like cute or like an anime character, say a Pokemon bento

    281
    Reply

  277. Madeline Nelson

    The most difficult part of making a bento is deciding what to put in it! There are so many choices! But I always include tamagoyaki, my favorite part.

    282
    Reply

  278. Izzy Roach

    Their are two things I find the hardest about making a bento…. Putting in foods that don’t need to be chilled if I’ll be nowhere near a fridge, or getting too excited and putting conflicting flavours next to each other because I want to fit everything in!

    283
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  281. Carina rauch

    I think some times it’s quite different not to get the flavors mixed. I have tried cupcake liners to stop this. Not always success fully.

    286
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  282. Anna D.

    liked on FB! Already was a liker 😉
    I love to cook japanese food but i got lazy these last months!
    With your recipes on ur justonecookbook.com Page. I feel motivated to cook again!
    Thank you so much!
    Whats difficult on making bento?
    Time and stamina! People don’t take the time to make a wonderful bento! Its sad!
    Let’s spread the love for Bento more 😀

    287
    Reply

  285. Jennifer

    I have and LOVE my bento box, but it’s tiny. This looks great. Lunch a Porter heading to your Facebook page now!

    290
    Reply

  289. Sheri Hunter Carr

    For me, I find it difficult to make them as pretty-cute-attractive as the ones I see posted. Mine more resemble something a 5 year old would put together. 🙂

    294
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  292. Audrey P

    I find the most hardest part about making the bento is probably making it all pretty and cute and pleasing to the eyes and seeing all your work gone in about 30 minutes! As fun as it is making it, sometimes it just goes away way too fast!

    297
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  306. Vincy

    I find keeping the bento interesting everyday difficult. I have two people eating my bentos and one is very picky!

    311
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  308. clara kim

    hello! I just love your simple cooking method.
    I’m already liked on fb, flowing you on youtube, website and google +!
    Sweet giveaway Lunch-a-Porter!!!

    313
    Reply

  310. Jen C

    Time. It’s easier to give in and buy a plate lunch or grab something from the floor snack table sometimes.

    315
    Reply

  318. Ng Ai Nee

    My difficult part of making a bento is deciding the types of food that are compatible in a bento, keeping the food fresh, and making the food looks presentable while minimising handling.

    323
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  323. Helen teo

    What I find difficult in making bento is not enough time.. There are so many little decorations to make the bento pretty..

    328
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  324. Margaret Chang

    The hardest in making bento is the difficulty to find food which still taste good after sometime and not having to much leftovers and getting all the colors of food.

    329
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  326. Stephanie

    The thing I find difficult about making bento is trying to resist the urge to put things that don’t quite keep well in it. It didn’t help that I lived in the desert for so long and my food would get either hot or way too cold from excessive cold packs.

    331
    Reply

  332. Georgie

    It is difficult to make a bento without a bento box that has different little compartments for all the different foods. Would love the bento box.

    337
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  333. Will Chao

    Hardest part is planning a balanced meal, and managing hot vs. cold dishes.

    Like One cookbook on FB and LaP.

    338
    Reply

  334. Ragan

    The hardest thing about making a bento is making it beautiful! I think you need all the right tools and skills, and of course, the right bento box!

    339
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  345. Jennifer Wong

    Bento set is superb with all the variations of food which provides for a balance meal. However, always struggling with the time needed due to the variations!

    P/s. Like one cookbook, lunch a porter, subscribed in you tube and Google+

    351
    Reply

  350. Cecilia Toh

    The difficulty in making a nice bento is the art of cutting the ingredients & arranging them to make it both appealing & taste good.

    356
    Reply

  351. Tiphanie Wong

    Hmmm, I guess the difficult thing about making bento, for me, is being creative and finding variety. My children get bored with the same thing all the time.

    357
    Reply

  360. Silviana Salim

    The most hard thing for bento-ing is find the perfect menu for bento. The dishes must taste good in cold temp. I always want my children and hubby to eat the lunch bento like in the dining room which are taste good and look good.

    366
    Reply

  366. Claire

    It’s difficult for me to get different items ready in a short amount of time. My brain gets over heated!

    372
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  374. Malissa W

    I would say the most difficult part is fitting my fruit in the box – I try to use lemon juice but cut up fruit seems to always get a bit brown before I get to eat it. Thanks for the giveaway!

    380
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  375. Gd day to all..
    Making obento for my husband everyday and lately I started preparing also to my daughter. For me i find it hard to think everyday what to prepare, like what viand have to cook, it should be a healthy or a balance diet, less than an hour to prepare but tasty and delicious.

    381
    Reply

  376. Ronald Zimmerman JR

    The fact that I am probably making more than 2 parts of meal. It can sometimes reach 5 different meal preparations.

    382
    Reply

  377. Carrie C.

    Wow! this is great! Most bento boxes I found are not microwavable, but this one can. Sooo want to get one of this!

    383
    Reply

  381. Chantelle Zhuo

    Simply loves to read what’s on JOC for recipe ideas.
    Getting the right size for different variety of dishes to fit in. Especially when I had cooked new dishes from JOC, can’t wait to taste all the recipes I had tried in 1 bento box! And also getting the food hot, if it can keep for several hrs or if it’s microwave safe.

    387
    Reply

  382. Kathryn Virrey

    To wake up early to prep everything making sure the food is delicious and artfully put together. Making sure the meal you set up is balance meal.

    388
    Reply

  384. Shunan

    definitely trying to make it pretty and to fill in the empty spaces… because bento making requires you to also create something aesthetically appealing.

    390
    Reply

  385. Larry Van Dyke

    I don’t find anything difficult about making a bento. I have a lot of fun making them and a lot of fun eating them!

    391
    Reply

  410. Syarifah Syazrah

    I find it difficult to stop myself from eating those small cute foods! Most of the foods would end up in my mouth rather than in the bento box

    416
    Reply

  414. Liz Cruz

    I find food selection to be the most difficult part of creating a bento box. Making sure I select items that have flavors that work well together and portions that aren’t to large or too small.

    420
    Reply

  415. yenny widjaja

    The difficult part is how to make it cute for my daughter bento everyday because there so little time to make it

    421
    Reply

  421. Alice

    I’m still in high school, so I find it tough to carve out enough time to make bento for myself and my sister every day while balancing schoolwork and extracurriculars– I always end up falling back on simple bentos with rice, sweet tamagoyaki, and some kind of vegetable.

    427
    Reply

  425. Analiz Solivan

    The hardest part is deciding exactly what to put in it, because I always plan things out the night before but at morning I start overthinking it and changing plans last minute.

    431
    Reply

  429. Yan

    The most difficult thing I found to pack Bento is that I need to find different materials to make the food more nutritional and more delicious with each other every day.

    435
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  442. Meilani

    I think the difficult part was holding tightly the same shape of rice and dishes when I put it in and my kids took it out. I made some shapes of rice and put it separately with main dish (chicken karaage or stir fry veggies) on the lunch box. My kids went to school, holding the lunch bag and they would swing the lunch bag happily walked to classroom (they are 6 and 7 years old). They ate the bento at lunch time, and all the dishes would not be nice looking anymore 🙁
    (Liked Just One Cookbook on Facebook)

    448
    Reply

  443. Meilani

    I think the difficult part was holding tightly the same shape of rice and dishes when I put it in and my kids took it out. I made some shapes of rice and put it separately with main dish (chicken karaage or stir fry veggies) on the lunch box. My kids went to school, holding the lunch bag and they would swing the lunch bag happily walked to classroom (they are 6 and 7 years old). They ate the bento at lunch time, and all the dishes would not be nice looking anymore 🙁
    (Liked Lunch a Porter on Facebook)

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  446. Kyle D.

    Time! As a college student, it is often hard for me to find adequate enough time in the morning to get everything ready and make myself a bento.

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  453. Joan

    What I find difficult about making a bento is making sure that the food all fits neatly and correctly. Right now I use a stacked bento and I sit there moving food around trying to make it both pretty and fit in a way so that the box closes correctly.

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  457. Hi,
    I’m a mother of three wonderful kids and I love preparing bento for them.
    Mostly simple and healthy and also speak as encouragements for them to survive school hours

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  466. Janey Labes

    My hardest part of making bento is cooking rice in advance and knowing that when my daughter eats it at lunchtime that it hasnt picked up any bacteria along the way. Other than that its loads of fun!

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  474. Yumi

    The most difficult thing about making bento for me is being super lazy! Haha, it’s so much easier to eat an easy snack or go out to lunch, but less healthy and wasteful. I’m working on it though 🙂

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  477. Defter

    The most difficult thing for me is to find a nutritional balance and variety in the composition of my bentos. It is hard, because I also try to find food that will be OK to eat at room temperature, since we don’t have a microwave at my workplace.

    Thanks for the giveaway. This bento looks beautiful.

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  483. Hi. In my country is really hard to find appropriate boxes and “accessories” for bentos, so it if you’re not have the money to order it from abroad, then you have to have a big imagination to put everything together 🙂 And of course lack of time it makes it even harder 😀

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  487. Chanelle Zhuo

    Getting food warm after several hrs of packing or at least microwave safe. Finding a suitable sized bento box that is not too bulk to carry, yet can pack enough amount of food for a meal.

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  494. Lorna Hanson

    I struggle to get the nutritional balance right and to keep the veggie/fruit sections varied and interesting – need to do some more bento research 🙂

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  502. Lina

    Basically, bento is a meal of love that requires patience and creativity. And since I lack both of it, I think this is why bento seems difficult to me. But, since I always had this bento concept as a hearty, love, warm meal prepared by loved ones, I think a simple bento would also be translate as happiness which makes it worth spending the time and thought in making it. =)

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  503. Sarah P.

    The most difficult part of making a bento for me is presentation and preparation. It usually doesn’t end up looking like a bento at all but just a box full of leftovers. 🙁

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  506. Emily

    The trouble I have with bento lunches is that the ingredients are more varied and fresh than a “typical” lunch, and I often don’t have all ingredients at the same time. I may have one ingredient or dish for the varied lunch, but often not all of them. For example, I may have leftover tonkatsu, but not tamagoyaki and sunomono at the same time to go with it. Because bento lunches use a variety of dishes and fresh ingredients, they take much more planning, preparing, and cooking than a “standard” lunch like a sandwich or salad. They are not as easy to throw together at a moment’s notice!

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  512. Calista Choy

    Difficulties i faced:
    1. Creativity – ideas might not come at the right time
    2. Mix & match food to balance the colour – always end up with ‘dull’ bento
    3. not sure how to keep pre-prepared side dishes fresh
    But thanks for giving out ideas and pretty photo …. appreciate a lot

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  513. Petra

    Dear Nami,

    I’m from Belgium and most people here never heard of a ‘bento’. I love the Japanese culture but always found it hard to make Japanese meals, until I discovered your website. Your recipes are so easy to follow so that even someone like me can make Japanese meals and can serve it at home. You should sometimes see te looks on my parents’ faces! So funny!

    About the question: the hardest thing about making a bento is probably time. Soon I will go to work everyday and it would be so nice I could pack my lunch in a nice bento-box. There aren’t a lot of bento-boxes in Belgium… 🙂

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  519. benedikta mia amanda

    liked Just One Cookbook n’ Lunch a Porter on Fb also followed on G+ 😀
    i forgot my email so i leave comment again :3 ahahaha

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  520. Benedikta Mia Amanda

    i made some mistake again, so i leave a comment again 😀
    the difficult one is about time coz always in hurry and also about the bento box, it would be good if it can covering what we bring specially some soup.. liked Just One Cookbook n’ Lunch a Porter on Fb also followed on G+ 😀
    i forgot my email so i leave comment again :3 ahahaha

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  526. Dorien

    What I find difficult about making a Bento is that I don’t have a bento box to put it in. I have been inspired by the recipies on Just One Cookbook and am itching to have a go at making my own bento lunch!

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  544. Jennifer

    I find it difficult to have enough easy and quick to make side dish ready to put in the bento in the morning. The bento always end up looking very manly instead. What more, for big eater, one bento is never enough and making cute design in a bento is too time consuming. So, to have a colorful and nice-for-on-eyes bento, i rely heavily on side dish.

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  550. Pamz Hirata

    Making bento is difficult when you have liquids/gravy/sauce that you want to be kept apart. Foil can only go so far…

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  556. Lotte

    I love your cooking, made sushi tonight, with the rice according to the yust bento book, can never go wrong anymore. Also making a kicking omurice now, without ketsup, thank you for the inspiration

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  558. Lotte

    The most diffecult thing in making a bento, koming up with recepies without meat, and maby with fish, that can be outside of the frige for a long time, and can be scaled up to dinner proportions.

    No kids of jet so the hubby is stil the only victum 🙂

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  560. Anna

    It’s difficult to make the bento look asthetically pleasing. And once I’m satisfied with how it looks, it’s difficult for me to eat the hard work 😡

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  561. Phang Hock Lee

    Difficult part would be finding the right item at reasonable price to create bento . Click “Like” Just One Cookbook on Facebook.

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  568. Melissa Kline

    I find it difficult to keep food warm without the need to microwave. Some food is not as good warming up in the microwave.

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  576. Julie Simmonds

    The thing I find difficult about making a bento is that I feel like it looks so small, that I stuff it full & then I feel stuffed after eating because I don’t want to waste good food! The sections/space sizes are sooo deceiving. When my kids were little, they would tell me, “mom, you gave me too much food”. I had to learn to cut back. I just didn’t want them to not have enough for lunch & spend the afternoon hungry. Bad in a good way?

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  577. Mercedes

    I think the hardest part about packing a bento is just deciding what to pack, the decisions kill me every time.

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  590. Vicki

    I love making bento! I’d say the most challenging part for me is finding the energy to make it every night after work. After coming home and cooking dinner, I’m ready for bed ^_-.

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  600. Georgina Koen

    I love bento but have never made one at home as I don’t have a bento box! I have eaten these many times out and look forward to trying with some new recipes from your one cookbook I just bought if I win 🙂 thank you Gigi

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  607. LIn Lam

    What do you find difficult about making a bento?

    Putting in the effort to make it appealing and then not wanting to destroy it by eating it.

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  617. Hello Nami, I love your recipes!

    My difficulties on preparing a Bento is probably:
    – How to make a cute, nutritious, and mouth-watering Bento at the same time
    – Choosing ingredients that keeps me and my man full for some amount of time, without any waste of foods.
    – Find ingredients that can stay at room temperature for a while
    – Varieties, what should I make on the next day?
    – Enough space for every foods.

    Thank you!

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  620. Yuval

    The hardest part about bento box making is choosing interesting food that will still taste good in room temperature (which is one of the reasons I love nigiri)

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  623. perrier

    What do I find difficult about making a bento ?
    To me, it is to make it good looking… I manage the variety of food, the healthyness, sometimes the colors… But my bento are not really good to look at 🙂 I guess I just have to practice more and keep on reading JOC !

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  624. Jesie Pong

    Your recipes have pleased so many people. Yet create happiness while preparing the meal for their love ones. Your wonderful and simple ideas change the perception of bento preparation. Well done and please continue to create more menus/recipes for us.. thanks for bringing joys in our simple life. Tqvm.

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  625. Laurie Emanuele

    The most difficult part of making a bento is getting the top on and transporting – without ruining the contents. Cheese sticks to the top, tomatoes get squished, lettuces crush, leakage, designs shuffle, the list goes on…

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  626. Lim Anne Yee

    The difficult part of making bento is to make the food still look good and still fresh to eat at the time of eating it, for example, the vegetables with sauce may not suitable as it makes rice wet and soft (some people may not like wet rice).

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  635. Georgina Lewis

    I think the most difficult thing about bento for me is placement. I have a hard time when I pack a lunch since I’m on the run as a college student, but I’m getting better thanks to your youtube videos and website 🙂

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  640. Andrea

    Hello!
    For me, the difficult thing when I make a bento is to make it “beautifull”… I never have a lot of time, so think carefully about the ingredients but afterwards it’s always in a hurry that I assemble the bento… But it’s ususlly delicious!
    Thanks a lot for your receipes!
    Andrea from Switzerland

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  644. Susan

    I really like the bento containers but sometimes I think they’re just too small for the amount of food I want to bring for lunch.

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  646. Sharon C.

    Most difficult for me is finding a balance between on the one hand creating a bento that looks beautiful and on the other hand not spending to much time on it.
    I either quickly put leftovers together with some extra ingredients, which most of the time does not look nice.
    Or, I spend hours in the kitchen and then I cannot eat (i.e. destroy) it because I am so proud of it 😉

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  652. Lyn

    The most difficult thing about making Bento is deciding what to make:everything looks so cute and delicious!

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  654. Ana

    Finding good vegetable options to go in each day – that and never having the right size box, no matter what I do!

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  660. Sandy Lee

    I love bento boxes! They are so cute but the challenge is coming up with the different ideas so I’m not repeating the same food everyday.

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  667. Susan

    One thing i have to remember about putting bento together is figuring out which foods will be ok to eat at room temp or even cold since they can’t be heated.

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  668. Beatriz Esqueda Contreras

    I really like your bento products and your ideas to prepare meals for lunch and other recipes. My children are old and don’t like to carry a big lunch bag with an ice pack, buy they are ok carrying a container with dividers to put inside there main “course meal”, fruits and vegetables. What I find difficult making a bento lunch is that the are not too many products with gel lids, big enough to put all this food.

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  669. Betty Esqueda

    I really like your bento products and your ideas to prepare meals for lunch and other recipes. My children are old and don’t like to carry a big lunch bag with an ice pack, buy they are ok carrying a container with dividers to put inside the main “course meal”, fruits and vegetables. What I find difficult about making a bento lunch is that the are not too many products with gel lids, big enough to put all this food and stay fresh.

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  676. Jessica Andrus

    I find it difficult to balance the different flavors and textures so enjoyful in a bento. I have a hard time planning for the time,different between when the food is made and then,when it is eaten.

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  681. Gayle

    What I find most difficult about making a bento is:

    having a variety each day so it doesn’t get boring

    follow you on Google and Facebook

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  682. Randy Webb

    I find portion sizes the most difficult thing about making a bento. Odd, I don’t have that problem with other meals, but start portioning them out on a “manditory” basis…

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  686. Jinah Nakaji

    I go to work early in the morning so waking up early enough to make a nice bento for my kids can be a challenge sometimes.

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  693. Marcia

    I find it most difficult to make the time to prepare the bento. So I am always looking for the quick alternatives.

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  710. Stephanie

    The hardest part of making bento is time management in the morning! and making sure all the bento is yummy and pretty at the same time.

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  712. Erika de Vos

    Definitely getting a good combination of textures. Also, I love edemame cooled with salt and boiling them for the right amount of time so they still hold the right amount of bite is a tricky one.

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  715. denise

    The most difficult part about making bento boxes for me as a full-time working mom is balancing time and energy as well as considering the very warm weather here in southern California when choosing food options that will stay fresh until my daughter’s school lunch time. It’s been over 100 degrees in the past few days here!

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  716. Sören Kalmarczyk

    The most difficult thing I always face is to make it look cute AND being stable enough to still look delicious after being carried around. I just hate it so much, when we arrive somewhere, I open the box and it’s all a mashy mess.

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  717. Heather Keith

    Trying to get a good bento combination for my son who will be returning to visit from Japan in December

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  719. Maya

    What do you find difficult about making a bento?
    I do not have any difficulty making a bento. My only concern is I pack too much so it goes for lunch and for dinner. Hope I have not missed deadline as we are ahead in Australia. Adore your webpage Nami.

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  724. Moon Yuan

    The most difficult part of making a bento is making one that will fit but won’t deteriorate by lunchtime.

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  727. The hardest for me when packing bento is when i need to reheat the food the next day, i need to separate the cold food and hot food, or even those that heat at different time. Sometimes I put all the food in 1 container and just microwave it, and end up with overcooked veges.

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  751. Malgos

    Before I became a mom the most difficult for me was to control amount of food. I used to prepare to much of everything(^_^) So I was eating the same for few days.
    Second difficulty are ingridients which are expensive and hard to get in Poland.
    But since I have a wonderful daughter the most difficult is to find time to prepare food.(^_-)

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  752. Hi Nami and Lunch a Porter! Thank you for sponsoring this giveaway!
    I find it difficult to make so many different dishes to make a bento varied. At home with my family there are five of us and my mom makes 4-5 dishes for a meal with rice, but if it’s just me and my fiancé, I usually cook western style meals with just one course, but I don’t like seeing that in a bento! To me bento should have flavours and textures, so the more difficult thing is to just get enough random pieces to make bento interesting and delicious.
    Catt xx

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  759. Linda

    Bonus Entry 1: “Like” Just One Cookbook on Facebook. Done
    Bonus Entry 2: “Like” Lunch a Porter on Facebook. Done
    Bonus Entry 3: Subscribe to Namiko Chen on YouTube. Done

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  766. Josyanne R.

    I found really difficult to be original and to add vegetables each day. I never know how to cook them to make them tasty.

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  770. Karen Teo

    Hard to fit in enough food for a hungry adult (me) in one of those small bento boxes I bought from Japan. Liked on Lunch A Porter

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  778. Vicky Chia

    (Liked Facebook)

    It is challenging to prepare bento with so many different components in the lunch box

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  781. Vicky Chia

    (Subscribed on Namiko on Youtube)

    It is difficult to prepare bento because lacking of appropriate bento box can make me uninterested to prepare a proper bento!

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  785. Cristina

    What do you find difficult about making a bento? Well, to match a healthy and colorfoul combination of food and ingredients in a not so big and not so small bento box.

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  791. Rowena Chin

    beautiful bento box just right on for bento pack-up to go…i love this bento box, it’s hard t find a suitable one.

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  795. Karla Polichuk

    I have always seen you on youtube via facebook, I had always been confident I would be able to see the new vídeos that way. But now I have a subscription as well.

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  796. Karla Polichuk

    I already had a google + account, but I had never searched for anyone through it. You have been the very first I look for and I have already added you.

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  797. Karla Polichuk

    I didn’t have a Pinterest account, so I don’t really know how it works. I opened an account, I looked for just one cook book and I pined it. I am now following you on Pinterest.

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  800. Katherine Rowe

    I think the difficult thing about making bento would be to make it look nice and pack it so that it stays nice for traveling!

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  808. Kurnia

    I find it hard to choose the appropriate ingredients to put into my girls’ bento boxes. It is also not easy to learn how to cook Japanese dishes cos of the language barrier-until I chance upon Just One Cookbook

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  809. Lisa Ka

    I’ve liked Just One Cookbook on facebook! I’ve been reading your page for some time now, thank you for sharing the recipes and all the hard work you put into this page! ^^

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  814. Lisa Ka

    What I find difficult about making a bento is that I don’t want a bland one with only two dishes. I want variety which is often time consuming. But you’ve given me some great ideas, thank you!

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  820. Ika Arianti

    Hi Nami…greetings from Indonesia 🙂 , firstly i love japanese food and i love cooking, then suddenly i just found this awesome site , thanks for sharing a lot of great recipes, I’ve tried some recipes and all is tasted great 😀 …Keep sharing your great recipes especially for the beginners like me 🙂

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  821. Ika Arianti

    the most difficult thing in making bento is making cute shapes and arranging the bento 😀
    I’ve liked your FB page

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  823. David Chun

    The most difficult part of making a bento box is not having the bento box and matching the hot and cold items that can be heated separately.

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  830. e h

    It’s difficult to find more than 10 staples that are nutritious and that I know my kids will love. If I could make a completely different bento each day, that would be nice, but I tend to rotate the main component and have the same fruit/yogurt/veggie combo otherwise.

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  848. Lauren

    I’ve subscribed to Namiko Chen on youtube!! What i find most difficult about making a bento is how long they can take, if you make things from scratch without using leftovers, make a deco-bento, and make multiple servings!!

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  854. Lauren

    I’ve followed Just One Cookbook on pinterest!! I think another one of the hardest things about making a bento is if you’re trying to make a deco-bento, is finding the materials needed for some recipes for bento boxes, if you’re following a recipe.

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  855. Sri Rejeki Pudjaprasetya

    It’s difficult to make bento everyday because our family always leave early in the morning at 05:30 😀

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  856. Lauren

    I think one of the hardest things about making a bento box is trying to eat your hard work!! they can be so beautiful sometimes, it’s a shame to bite into a pretty onigiri or the like.

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  861. Maureen Miller

    I enjoy all the recipes I have tried! Looking forward to the eggs with garlic, chives & rice next. Oh and do stalk you so on Pinterest

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  862. Hillary

    I was actually just making bento 5 min ago for tomorrow. Thought it might be a good idea if I enter this….Thanks!

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  868. Selina A.

    The part I find most difficult when making a bento is designing and colour coordinating it to look pretty, then insuring that once the lid is placed over the bento box it won’t be squished or damaged!
    I tend to make the bento the night before the date, with a lot of the work mainly into making the foods look like either animals or shapes. (However I still worry whether it would be more efficient to make it the night before or in the morning.) So with the bento bustling about in my bag ready to eat for lunch, I only hope it still looks as presentable and neat as the night when I made it…!

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  873. Emily Harris

    Difficult about making Bento? Saving enough leftovers for the next day’s bento after making Nami’s delicious recipes for dinner. And here’s something that’s difficult about EATING bento here in Italy – defending it from my colleagues in the staff room. Bringing a lunch is hardly ever done; eating something “exotic” (unknown) and stranger still, with chopsticks, results in having to explain numerous times what it is and how I made it, where I bought the ingredients, how to use chopsticks, and where I bought my bento box. Several colleagues also expect to be offered something from my box. Tempting to sneeze on it all when I see the vultures coming, ha ha!

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  874. Joanne Schubert

    I love making obento. I used to make two for my husband every day–one for breakfast and one for lunch. As soon as we move into our house and I’m organized, I will do so again. I’ll be depending on you to keep me covered with ideas–especially since we’re missing Japan (we just moved to the states) and obento will give us a taste of home. I’ve liked you on FB and Pinterest.

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  875. Finding the time to do it! As much as I like having great variety of food for lunch, it’s really hard to cook so many the night before. So I always end up with just 1 dish and rice 🙁

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  888. Tju Risan

    The difficult about making a bento only i’m dont have a creative idea so when i make a bento, i always looking at bento’blog. And the result is my bento not look as sample hahaha..

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  894. Rocklyn

    If my kids were little I’d make them bento for lunch each day! Need to justify doing it for myself, when I like to prepare food for others. 🙂

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  895. kara demeio

    What to put into the bento for a fantastic combination of flavours..that’s not the only difficulty, but presentation of the dish I suppose. If I were a bento owner I would be creative . Do something whether by a book or otherwise it would be an inspirational delight. But preparation I guess is key for any bento . That is very true indeed.I like lunch a porter since it works in sync with the food it places for each ad or presentation. That is what I enjoy to see and know . There is also a like on my facebook page! I hope this turns into a great inspirational competition . For imaginative cooks that are out there , I wish you the best of luck.

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  897. Rebecca Null

    Packing tightly.
    My daughter is a very picky eater, and she is a stinker about eating room temperature rice, so I don’t get to use rice as a “canvas” for her bentos.
    The ham flowers were a big hit, however. All her friends are jealous. I have to send a post-it in her lunch with your website on Monday.

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  898. Pamela Dipzinski

    The fruit jelly is very good. I look forward to making the orange jelly as soon as I get some gelatin sheets.

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