Bespectacled Bento

Food by bespectacledbibliophile

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for October 28, 2016

I was trying to figure out what to make for the last lunch of the week, and I happened to glance at my A Swinging Wake teas. @whatwouldwaltdo‘s gorgeous illustration of Madame Leota immediately became my reference image for this lunch.

Madame Leota is made with rice paper and edible marker. The image was then placed on swiss cheese that was lightly colored with food coloring. The rest of the lunch is pretty simple: orange slices, sliced cucumber, salted plain rice, and chicken in yellow curry.

You can find the rest of my Halloween lunches and treats here.

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Lunch for October 27, 2016

I’ll admit it: Wednesday nights are hectic for me, and I often don’t do my best bento work on Wednesdays. In that spirit, I present a gussied-up casual bento with bats aplenty.

I used plastic cupcake toppers to add a batty touch to cucumber sandwiches with bacon and garlic yogurt cheese. I also added little cucumber bats to the deviled eggs and included a few grapes to add a touch of sweetness to the box.

You can find the rest of my Halloween lunches and treats here.

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Lunch for October 26, 2016

A creepy little doll for Halloweek. The doll is made from plain salted rice and decorated with nori and ham colored with food coloring. It’s accompanied by pomegranate, cucumber, and crispy caramelized pork.

Not shown is a small cup of thai peanut sauce for dipping the cucumber bits.

You can find the rest of my Halloween lunches and treats here.

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Bonus: sometimes lunches just invite you to play with your food.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for October 26, 2016

A creepy little doll for Halloweek. The doll is made from plain salted rice and decorated with nori and ham colored with food coloring. It’s accompanied by pomegranate, cucumber, and crispy caramelized pork.

Not shown is a small cup of thai peanut sauce for dipping the cucumber bits.

You can find the rest of my Halloween lunches and treats here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for October 25, 2016

I’m going to be honest with you: this entire bento box was made as an excuse to use that little hat. The witch is made from a grape decorated with a bit of melted chocolate and a cucumber. The witch’s hat is a food pick, and it is holding her together.

Alongside this witchy little lady I have apples, crispy caramelized pork, additional grapes, and cucumber sandwiches with a spread made from garlic, parmesan, and yogurt cheese.

You can find the rest of my Halloween lunches and treats here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch from August 10, 2016

Keeping it simple for a busy week. The salad and watermelon are leftovers. The teriyaki chicken is made using leftover chicken with a bit of extra seasoning. The rice is served plain and decorated with hearts made of sweet pepper.

If you want to see more of my non-character bento boxes, you can find them here.

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Lunch for August 2nd, 2016

I greatly enjoyed the new Ghostbusters movie, especially Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann. As one does (or, rather, as I do), I decided to give the character a place in my lunch box.

Holtzmann is hand-drawn and painted with food coloring on rice paper. The rice paper is placed on plain, lightly salted rice. Sides include salad, strawberries, and chicken satay. Not shown are peanut sauce and salad dressing.

I used this amazing fan art by @lilylilymine as a reference when drawing Holtzmann; please go give her some love, because her art is a delight.

[bespectacledbento]

The fourth season of Orphan Black over, and I have collected the lunches I’ve made over the course of it into one large post. Fullest of full credits to @sunset-in-santa-fe for coming up with “Clone Lunch” and making me feel as though I should have thought of it myself.

I had a blast creating these things. It’s not just that I love the show, but I love expressing that affection in a way that I can incorporate into my workday without freaking out my coworkers. I’ve also loved sharing them with you.

Week 1: Cosima Portrait Week 2: Rachel’s Code Week 3: Neolution Eye Week 4: M.K.’s Sheep Mask Week 5: Rachel Duncan Week 6: Pupok Week 7: Who Am I? Week 8: Cosima’s Tattoo Week 9: Castor Week 10: Cophine

You can find all of my Orphan Black themed lunches here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for June 16, 2016

The rainbows will not stop! It’s been a rough week, and it’s been a rough season. However, with the return of Delphine last week, the time seemed right for some rainbows and some Cophine.

Because I’m not at all good at drawing kisses, I drew this using Cophine by Sango-Bluewolf as a reference. The image is food coloring and edible marker on rice paper. It’s set on top of rice, which is itself on top of chicken tikka masala.

The other layer is a rainbow made of strawberries, carrots, peach, peas, and grapes.

You can find my other Orphan Black themed lunches here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for June 14, 2016

Return of the rainbow fruit skewers, because there still isn’t nearly enough happiness in the world. The rainbows may continue until the sadness (or the week) stops.

Blackberries, green grapes, peaches, and watermelon make for a simple and tasty combination that just makes me happy. They’re easy, quick, and pretty.

I’ve also included mini ciabatta buns with tomato, bacon, cucumber, and leftover seasoned yogurt cheese from yesterday’s cucumber sandwiches. It’s a bit like a dill-seasoned variant of a BLT, and it’s quite tasty.

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Lunch for June 13, 2016

The news yesterday was rough. All I can do, really, is to create things that make my corner of the world a little brighter. I made a lunch that made me a little happier. I hope this little bit of rainbow will brighten someone else’s day, too.

I had been planning to make cucumber sandwiches before I found out the news, and I simply had to make them after. I associate cucumber sandwiches with nobody so much as Oscar Wilde, after all. The sandwich is made with homemade yogurt cheese, home grown dill, and unpeeled cucumber slices because I’m a rebel like that.

Rainbow fruit skewers with watermelon, peach, green grapes, and blackberries are my proper nod to the LGBTQ+ pride flag, and snow peas are simply delicious.

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Drinking peach iced tea with frozen peaches while watching the live broadcast of this year’s Tony Awards. If you’re a theater nerd (and I know there are plenty of you out there), I hope you’re watching, too.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for June 9, 2016

Jessalyn Wanlim has indicated that we might want to eat our feelings tonight. Thankfully, this project has left me pretty well-prepared for that very action.

This week I wanted to do some more with hand-cut nori, so I pulled out the Castor symbol and made that. It’s set on top of rice and paired with chicken tikka masala. The other layer is pineapple and spinach salad with dried cranberries. Not shown is a small container of sesame ginger salad dressing.

You can find my other Orphan Black themed lunches here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for June 3, 2016

I have only one thing to say about “Hit the Diamond” as an episode, and that thing is this: Bob.

“In Too Deep” has turned a bit into the Lapis show as far as my lunches are concerned, and I am totally content with this. Her deadpan delivery of the word “Bob” during the game in this episode cinched her place in this week’s lunch, made from nori, thin sliced cheese, and food coloring.

Lapis is paired with rice and turkey tikka masala (both leftovers). A tiny leftover muffin, a spinach salad (with sesame ginger dressing not shown), and grapes round out the lunch.

You can find the rest of my Steven Universe bento here.

[bespectacledbento]

Lunch for June 2, 2016

After last week’s episode, I’ve been thinking a lot about Cosima. I’ve also been itching to try more of the watercolor-like technique I tried with the water hand last week. The natural result was this piece, inspired by Cosima’s tattoo.

The nautilus shell was created using food coloring and rice paper. It’s placed on a background of egg white which is itself set atop some store-bought California rolls.

The other layer is a simple side of grapes and spinach salad.

You can find my other Orphan Black themed lunches here.

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I got a few of @whatwouldwaltdo‘s Haunted Mansion themed blends from @adagioteas, and I am excited to start experimenting with the blends. Because Corruptible Mortal State features lavender and is therefore my favorite, I decided to keep that for drinking and instead use Cadaverous Pallor, my second favorite, to make scones.

This is an adapted vanilla bean scone recipe. I infused the milk for these scones with the tea, and added some chopped, dried rose petals to the top of the scones before baking. Over top of it all is a simple vanilla glaze.

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Lunch for May 27, 2016

You might remember from last week that I’m quite fond of Lapis Lazuli. This week’s episode has done nothing to change that, so I wanted to do another Lapis-themed lunch.

For this one, I gave myself the creative challenge of creating the water hand that Lapis often makes. The hand is made from rice paper colored with food coloring and placed on chicken korma and rice.

The other layer features orange slices and a spinach salad.

You can find the rest of my Steven Universe bento here.