Bentos make you pay attention

Jan's bento for today has dill pickle potato salad and lettuce-cucumber on the side; a little 'amusement' of chicken andouille sausage, celery, and cottage cheese cup; carrots, snow peas, and babybel cheddar cheese; crackers, M&M's, and a Jolly Jelly.

I found these cheddar babybels in a Wisconsin supermarket after racquetball last night as we limped around famished. The checker was a lovely young woman who asked me what I planned to do with my tofu. She had just 'gone vegan', she said, 2 weeks ago and for example had a tofurkey and veganaise sandwich for lunch. We had a stimulating exchange about the limitless possibilities of tofu.

Then she said, 'I like how it makes me pay attention'. Yes, I like that too and the whole bento fascination is about that, isn't it? Paying attention. This morning making the potato salad I noticed the size of the potato cubes, the onion shreds left in the bowl, the swirl of the spoon through the mixture. My dogs interrupted me dragging my underwear through the kitchen and I was a bit cross with them for interrupting my moment of zen.

Here's my bento for Thursday:

Dill pickle potato salad rolled up in romaine leaves; andouille sausage, hardboiled egg, and cucumber; cheddar babybel cheese and 2 cherry tomatoes; strawberries from last night's supermarket foray into Wisconsin - these strawberries are as sweet as heaven. Where did they come from at this time of year?? I suppose I could look on the carton: the Lovely Land of Florida.