Weapons For The Lunchbox Arms Race

Posted byJonelle PatrickPosted inCute to the nth, FoodTags:, , , , , ,

Aieeee! Is the mom who made this Anpan Man lunch a graduate of the Harvard School Of Lunchmaking? No, but she knows that in the bentō box cuteness wars, you have to stay on top of the latest technology! Today at the Shibuya Loft store I discovered a few of the secret weapons Japanese moms use to turn out these amazing works of cafeteria art…

Punch a sheet of nori seaweed with these tools to make those rice balls say, “Bite me!”
These punches make all styles of animal ears, piggy noses, and those wiggly things on the top of roosters’ heads.
This panda-centric set has a rice ball mold and a punch for the panda’s smiley seaweed face.
These molds make it easy to avoid making your kid eat a boring old round rice ball. There’s even a helpful diagram showing how you ought to position the umeboshi (salty-sour pickled plum) for the panda’s nose.

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Published by Jonelle Patrick

Author of The Last Tea Bowl Thief

7 thoughts on “Weapons For The Lunchbox Arms Race”

  2. This is great, I always imagined a team of Sushi Masters slaving over piles of nori, carefully cutting out little noses & eyes. Nice to know that the everyday person can create works of sushi cuteness.

    Reply

    1. I was amazed at the variety of little faces they had punches for! Of course, they also sell little sets of nail scissors and tweezers especially for making those custom ones. eek.

      Reply
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