gemini bento

Hello bento pals--especially Geminis! My Gemini-themed bento takes inspiration from the fresh, tart foods and flavors associated with this sign (lemon, dill, fennel, capers, coffee, apricots) and also some traditional New York treats.

Why New York, you ask? Well, the city's bracing, ever-changing, restless energy epitomizes Gemini: a place where people move, think and speak quickly and newness and novelty is expected. Mercury rules the exchange of information, ideas and inspirations; NYC is a major center of media, publishing and trade, all Gemini specialties (I may feel a special connection to these themes as my parents met while working in publishing here...)

Inside the Gemini bento we have twin mini whole wheat bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, farmer's market dill and dill flowers. A delicious green bean and tarragon salad with piquant caper and green peppercorn dressing shares the magewappa, from a super recipe found at the interactive, dynamic cooking site food52.

Tart lemon slices, sweet watermelon and apricot, and a mini cupcake decorated to echo a New York-style black and white cookie also inside (Gemini-associated coffee was added to the chocolate glaze!).

I'd like to share a few more pictures from my recent NYC visit that highlight the mercurial, Gemini nature of the city. Grand Central Station is a NYC landmark, key local transportation artery (Gemini) and features a dynamic sculpture of Mercury as focal point:

Inside the station, its famous celestial ceiling features an image of the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux:

At Gray's Papaya, patrons eat their speedily served hot dogs standing (ideally with a delicious papaya juice drink, a perfect compliment to the briny hot dog) surrounded by signs, testimonials and ever-changing city scenes:

At Rockefeller Center, another graceful image of Mercury:

The beautiful golden facade at La Maison Francaise, 610 Fifth Avenue:

 

 

 

New York-style cheesecake with strawberries in the window of Carnegie Deli:

Kinokuniya in Midtown is wonderful resource for printed Japanese culture: an airy, well-stocked emporium of books, magazines, stationary and more delights. For those interested in books on Japanese arts and crafts, especially, its a heavenly place to get lost in for a couple of hours. There's even a cafe.

The shelves include a good selection of books on bento:

 

Downstairs is a wonderful stationary department with some bento supplies...it was nice to see this NY Times article on bento featuring Sheri and Debra on display:

 

Cute temptation...

 

And for lovers of Japanese paper, cards, stickers, crafts, so many variations on the kawaii and beautiful!

Hope you enjoyed this month's Astro-bento and the NYC images...

pink watermelon bento

 

Today's bento for a summery warm afternoon features watermelon "flowers", Thai basil duck, red cabbage with chili oil, green methi leaves...and a purple sweet potato kitty (many thanks to a sweet bento pal--I love this new cutter!) and mini musubi, one with fresh basil, the other lavender tinted with a magical pastel furikake sent by another sweet bento buddy (many thanks, you know who!).

Some interesting okra with deep burgundy skin from the farmer's market, cherries and garden flowers, including my favorite pink rose also inside the magewappa.

This amazing hydrangea is blooming in a friend's garden...I've been enjoying its ever-changing play of violet, lavender, ivory and green tints this week:

 

Happy Thursday afternoon!

mini musubi bento

Hi bento friends! We had a fun weekend, how about you? To start this post, here's Monday's bento, inspired by Debra's beautiful Sampler Bento Box. Her lovely mini-musubi really intrigued me and prompted musings about possible variations on this theme...

So, from the top left, a mini musubi filled with avocado and topped with grilled eel, the next is filled with baby teriyaki octopus and has ume nameshi, pickled ginger and a punched nori decoration, middle tier has ginger salmon salad inside, rolled in ebi fumi furikake and an avocado filled version topped with pink and yellow radish pickles.

Farmer's market cherries and a ripe apricot added for juicy sweetness...

Speaking of the farmer's market, images from this Saturday: fresh garlic and garlic "scapes":

 

Perfectly ripe and delicate raspberries:

 

And cherries...

Pretty plants for sale...

 

This adorable puppy was relaxing in the crafts section of the market:

Walking home, there was a splendid blue-violet hydrangea:

 

We went into D.C. today, drawn back to the French buffet at the National Gallery...it was even tastier this time! I ate a huge amount of ratatouille...yum!

 

As a cold front moved in, storm clouds gathered...

By early evening, the storm had passed, revealing a brilliant blue sky...

 

 And rain-nourished flowers...

Have a lovely week ahead, bento pals!