Hello, my little corner of the internet! It's been a while. I know I've kind of lost track of vlogging because of some growing-up situations, but I'm back on track and will vlog as much as I can to fill in those months and days I missed. Today, we're going to talk about my Japanese class.
For our Nihongo (Japanese language) class, we embarked on a fun and delicious project: creating bento boxes! Our class was divided into seven groups, each tasked with researching and recreating a different type of bento. While many elaborate styles exist, we opted for the homemade bento—it seemed the most manageable for our first attempt.
Our art teacher gave us the flexibility to prepare our food at home or at a classmate's house, requiring only that we bring the cooked components to class. The actual bento box assembly and arrangement, however, had to be done in the classroom under her supervision.
For those unfamiliar, a bento box is more than just a lunchbox; it's a Japanese culinary art form, a way to create visually appealing and delicious meals. We decided to make a homemade bento box, focusing on presentation and flavor.
The next day, my classmates and I gathered our ingredients. Then, we convened at a classmate's house to prepare our bento components: tonkatsu (pork cutlets breaded and deep-fried), octopus sausage, a hard-boiled egg, and slices of tomato.
We also made some classic onigiri (rice balls). The tonkatsu served as a delicious centerpiece, while the other ingredients added pops of color and texture. We also prepared cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce with a light dressing.
Back in the classroom, we carefully arranged the tonkatsu, octopus sausage, egg, tomato, onigiri, and vegetables in our bento boxes, striving for a visually appealing and balanced presentation.
After presenting our carefully crafted bento boxes to our teacher, we discovered we tied for fourth place with another group! The best part? We got to enjoy our hard work with our friends and classmates afterward. It was a delicious and memorable experience!