Customer Rating:  
Summary: Great photos, but short on practicality.
Comment: I was somewhat disappointed when I received this book. I was hoping for a more practical how-to guide for making bentos. There is absolutely no info in this book besides the recipes. I was also disappointed that the recipes were few in number and, overall, not very exciting. The recipes require ingredients that are not particularly easy to find. However, if you are just looking for some bento eye candy or you live near a Japanese grocery, this book might be for you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great ideas for lunch meals
Comment: If you like to take your own lunch and if you have an affinity for Japanese food, try it! It takes a bit of time to prepare Bento boxes, but it's fun and brings something else and healthier into your lunch boxes. Make some more to be prepared to have you co-workers try something! And it gives you lots of ideas to experiment with food.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money
Comment: If you are wanting to learn more about the art of bento boxes this is not the book for you. The book consists of only recipes. Why is it called Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go? I have no idea. It was a waste of money.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Comment: For people looking to have a more balanced lunch, this book can be an inspiration. Why not make the lunch box colorful in content AND nutrition? A lot of the pictures feature boxes with fruits that are not only eye-catching but also appetizing. Typical American lunchbox is so boring, making people think that American mothers do not have nutrition knowledge and practice.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Review from an American Bento-Newbie
Comment: I stumbled across bento-making late one night when the Cooking Cute website was featured on Yahoo's "The Nine." I made my husband a bento that night, and have been hooked ever since. I found this book and was so excited to find a guide to bento in English. I don't think I've cracked the book more than three times or so. It's just not practical for the Western palate - there are a lot of "strange" foods I haven't dug up the gumption to try. I am a bit more food-adventurous than my husband, who actually has to eat my creations. For the ones I have tried, thank goodness I live in a city with a large Asian community and many ethnic grocery stores to peruse. Some of the ingredients have been a little harder to track down than others. The directions also seem to skip a few steps sometimes, I don't know if this is because it's supposed to be "common sense" or lost in translation, but nothing you can't stumble through. All in all - a beautiful display of food. Eye-appealing if not so to my stomach. :D
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