About I Love Obento!

I Love Obento is a totally family owned store specializing in all things bento! We truly do love bento or obento (the ‘o’ adds honor or respect). We believe obento can well be summed up with one phrase:

But as you browse, you may realize another aspect of obento that thrills us, NUTRITION! Obento lends itself so well to good nutrition. Healthy food can be included in a bento box disguised as a cute animal or an alien or a leaf. Kids are much more likely to eat cute healthy food, than the alternative.

We appreciate you coming to our store and hope you find everything you need. Be sure to let us know what items you need or want, we’ll try our best to accommodate you. If you would like to get to know us better, zip over to Sheri’s food blog by clicking here.

If you’re new to bento, read on.

An Extremely Brief History of Bento
All you Veteran Bento makers, please email us with corrections or additions!

Bento was really the first Japanese take out food. Of course it has a long and illustrious history because for centuries people have been needing to eat away from home. It was probably prompted at first by working too far from home to sup at their own table (I know…I’m brilliant). The term feudalism is used in describing the Kamakura period to which the bento can be traced. So instead of working on their own farmland, people were probably forced to work for others on land not near their homes.

As is customary with the Japanese, beauty, economy and great care were all intertwined in the bento. It has gone through many changes throughout the centuries. Bento containers have changed drastically over the years from their humble beginnings of small bags or bamboo leaves to the beautiful lacquered and wooden boxes of today. I believe the actual food artistry of the bento is an emerging cultural art form in our present day.

Information on Plastics

Many of our boxes are made of Polypropelyne, one of the safest plastics. Really, it is the safest for direct contact with food, because it has a high chemical resistance even at a high temperature. All of our plastic boxes are, to my knowledge, either made of PP (Polypropelyne), or ABS (Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). ABS is very chemically inert, so it does not transfer chemicals. ABS is safe at a large range of temperatures, just like PP (#5). It is a polymer and is used for a very wide variety of applications, such as pipes (most of our large plumbing in the US), musical intruments, Legos®, tattoo inks, and much more. It is a very stable polymer and many Japanese boxes are made of ABS. Some lids are made of different materials, but are not meant to be heated while in contact with food.

Happy Shopping!

Blessings,
Sheri and Family

Wholesale inquiries: contact@gmail.com