Like most kids, I hated vegetables. Oh, I’d eat a select few—broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers—but a lot of others, I skipped. Yes, that included Ginisang Bitsuelas, Chop Seuy and Pinakbet. Fast forward to today. Now, I actually like, love, even CRAVE for vegetables.
Which is a perfect situation for packing bento. If you go by Japanese-government recommended bento proportions, you should have 1 part meat to 2 parts vegetables to 3 parts rice. Not the easiest feat to accomplish for an avowed meat eater, but in this particular lunch, I’m sort of getting there.
Featured here is a serving of buta shogayaki—pork strips simmered in a soy-ginger marinade, steamed kabocha, and green beans lightly sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Generous portions of green and yellow vegetables, cooked healthily, happily eaten. After years of prodding, with not much success, to eat my veggies, I now do it voluntarily. My Lola would be proud, if she could only see me now.
Reminder: The L’Incontro giveaway is still running. You guys have until September 13 to post your answers and make it to the drawing. Good luck!
Yay! A vegetable post! I am totally changing my diet now. Although I don’t eat pork, I’m removing beef too. It’s only now that I found out about the 1 part meat, 2 parts veggie ek. Thanks for this post!
I still can’t easily like veggies up to now. But if prepared in a nice way (like the one above), then probably I’ll try craving for it.
We would like to invite you to ”Eat, Write, Love”: a food writing workshop on October 16, 2010 at Adarna Food and Culture.
“WHO: Eat, Write, Love: a food writing workshop
WHAT: A food writing workshop for foodies and those who are interested in earning money from food writing
WHERE: Adarna Food and Culture Restaurant
WHEN: October 16, 2010 –> 11am to 4pm
Contact info: WBP contact number 0927.850.8280″
@Bea & Bryan Karl
Veggies are good for you!
I never knew the Japanese government had recommendations on the portions you should eat in a bento! I’ve never had a bento, but I would like to. They remind me of little lunch boxes. That food you packed looks very good, by the way!
Yeah, I was so surprised to read about that too! I saw a scan but I couldn’t really understand it since it was Japanese. Someone translated bits of it though and there were picture diagrams