Taking the concept but opening it up to all cuisines.
I have an opportunity to sell in the lobbies of two office bldgs in NYC once a week but it has to be ready to eat food with a local component (I'm piggy-backed onto a mini green market). So I have been looking at things like locally grown popcorn, kale chips and potato chips plus summer soups like gazpacho and then a couple of options for a more complete meal. A bento box style presentation could work well.
Bowl of vegetables, even salads, can look messy and mundane but in Japanese styles of presentation they would be deconstructed. Right now I have two lunches targeted -- one is a vegan Penang curry (Lemongrass, coconut, garlic, galangal sauce with tofu, local green beans and carrot or sweet potato. The bento box version would break out the garnishes -- dry roasted peanuts, fresh bean sprouts and a lime wedge -- and have a compartment of jasmine rice with one green leaf of Thai basil on it.
The other meal is a New World quinoa bowl -- red and white quinoa, finely diced tomato, onions and peppers, black beans, Chalula sauce. Not sure that one can Bento because the sides are just sour cream, cheddar and a lime wedge. The SC and cheese are separate so that it can be pre-packed as vegan but have the option to be vegetarian.
Thanks for that site. I need to get some bento boxes to play with and shoot some pics!
= new reply since forum marked as read
