Book-It 'o9! Book #14
More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a library request.
Title: Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go by by Naomi Kijima (author), Laura Driussi (translator)
Details: Copyright 2001, Japan Publications Trading
Synopsis (By Way of Amazon Dot Com "Product Description"): This book offers an elegant way to enjoy delicious, healthy food on the run. Includes more than 40 main dish recipes and step-by-step illustrations.
Why I Wanted to Read It: Part of my ongoing search for all things bento! Well... maybe not all things. But a book version of eat_my_bento!
How I Liked It: While this came closer to the last book on bento I read, it still wasn't what I was looking for. Oddly enough, however, despite the fact it was translated from the original Japanese, it's a superior tutorial compared to the previous book. Once again, I did not make any of these recipes, so I cannot attest to their quality. However, this book contained some truly... I'm going to say difficult to find ingredients that I'm guessing are commonplace in Japan (edible lily bulbs, edible brown algae, salted cod roe; I love that some of these have to be defined that they're edible) and mayhaps even in some Asian markets. Again, not what I was looking for, but I think a far better presentation overall than the previous bento book and not merely as to what I was looking for (a book version of tutorial comm). This lacked the glazed prose (and I've a feeling it isn't just in the translation) and the overall "coffee table" nature of Simple Menus for the Bento Box. A far more useful book, I would think.
Notable: Given that this book is designed for a Japanese market, it's interesting that focus is placed on tutorials (with pictures) as well as the recipes, in contrast to Simple Menus for the Bento Box (which featured only recipes) which was written for a Western market. Given that most Western bento enthusiasts (such as myself) appear far more interested in the process and construction of a bento box rather than authentic Japanese recipes for the food within, it's interesting that the books were written the way they were. And I stress that this book, while translated, is heavily illustrated which is the main (and possibly only) element to its explanation of bento assembly. Why the "switch"? Since bento wasn't a big draw in 1998 when Simple Menus for the Bento Box appeared, it seems logical that marketing it to Westerners would be somewhat clumsy. Did the author of this book catch the growing trend (or, I suppose, the seeds of what would be a growing trend) and decide to expand the book beyond the Japanese audience? Or is she just a better author with a better lay-out photographer? Sometimes success really is just all in the marketing.
Title: Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go by by Naomi Kijima (author), Laura Driussi (translator)
Details: Copyright 2001, Japan Publications Trading
Synopsis (By Way of Amazon Dot Com "Product Description"): This book offers an elegant way to enjoy delicious, healthy food on the run. Includes more than 40 main dish recipes and step-by-step illustrations.
Why I Wanted to Read It: Part of my ongoing search for all things bento! Well... maybe not all things. But a book version of eat_my_bento!
How I Liked It: While this came closer to the last book on bento I read, it still wasn't what I was looking for. Oddly enough, however, despite the fact it was translated from the original Japanese, it's a superior tutorial compared to the previous book. Once again, I did not make any of these recipes, so I cannot attest to their quality. However, this book contained some truly... I'm going to say difficult to find ingredients that I'm guessing are commonplace in Japan (edible lily bulbs, edible brown algae, salted cod roe; I love that some of these have to be defined that they're edible) and mayhaps even in some Asian markets. Again, not what I was looking for, but I think a far better presentation overall than the previous bento book and not merely as to what I was looking for (a book version of tutorial comm). This lacked the glazed prose (and I've a feeling it isn't just in the translation) and the overall "coffee table" nature of Simple Menus for the Bento Box. A far more useful book, I would think.
Notable: Given that this book is designed for a Japanese market, it's interesting that focus is placed on tutorials (with pictures) as well as the recipes, in contrast to Simple Menus for the Bento Box (which featured only recipes) which was written for a Western market. Given that most Western bento enthusiasts (such as myself) appear far more interested in the process and construction of a bento box rather than authentic Japanese recipes for the food within, it's interesting that the books were written the way they were. And I stress that this book, while translated, is heavily illustrated which is the main (and possibly only) element to its explanation of bento assembly. Why the "switch"? Since bento wasn't a big draw in 1998 when Simple Menus for the Bento Box appeared, it seems logical that marketing it to Westerners would be somewhat clumsy. Did the author of this book catch the growing trend (or, I suppose, the seeds of what would be a growing trend) and decide to expand the book beyond the Japanese audience? Or is she just a better author with a better lay-out photographer? Sometimes success really is just all in the marketing.