Ai-yi-yi! *wants*

[telophase]

A post over on bentolunch today features a miniature microwave steamer made to do steamed buns one at a time, but which is the perfect size to do single servings of vegetables and the like. telophase wants! But it's available only at Daiso stores, a Japanese cut-rate chain, of which there are only five in the States, in the Washington and California areas. At least, none of my Googling has turned up anything that small available online. It looks to be the perfect size to take to work to heat up meat buns or single-serving veg for lunch.

Naturally, I could put it on my List o'Things to Looks For in Japan this fall I am going to buy so many bento boxes..., unless one of you kind souls happens to be somewhere near a Daiso and is willing to get one for me. *puppy-dog eyes*

ETA: I may have a handle on one, wheeee!

Comments

[solarbird]

That's funny. We have four Daiso stores in the area, two of which I'd consider reasonably local to me, one of which I can (and have) taken a bus to reach. (The Westlake Centre store.) I had no idea there were so few of them in the US.

I need to go down there to pick up some shelving, and a couple of other things. If your handle doesn't work out, let me know.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :) I'll find out this weekend - a friend of mine knows someone in Seattle who's swinging by Daiso this weekend and will look for them.

[kittikattie.livejournal.com]

I live near Seattle. As in, 20 minutes away.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Cool. :) Mike's got a friend swinging by there this weekend who's willing to check. If that doesn't work out, I may be throwing myself on the mercy of you and/or other WA LJers. :)

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Dude, I could use one of those!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

There seem to be a lot of Seattle people who read my LJ; I'm sure someone could be persuaded to pick one up for you. XD

[cyancat.livejournal.com]

You are so mean for showing me that community.... Now I want to start making my own bento boxes... that is if I could even get a bento box... Damn Iowa.
Though I wouldn't eat alot of the foods they were preparing.
Miss finiky here doesn't think many of those foods were appetising.
Though the one with French toast for dinner looked mighty good.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I don't like a lot of what a lot of them pack, but you get the occasional gem like this steamer coming through. XD mmmbento runs cookingcute.com (http://www.cookingcute.com), which has a lot of recipes, too.

eBay is your friend when it comes to bento boxes. The thing you have to get used to, though, is how small they are. But once you pack them full, and maybe add a piece of fruit or bag of chips or something like that for a midafternoon snack, they're fine.

I also found a couple of super-nifty containers at Albertson's grocery store this weekend that are larger and incorporate ice packs to keep your food chilled. This one's a fruit and veg (http://fit-fresh.com/fruit.html) container, they say, but it worked PERFECTLY for taking the fixings of a taco salad to work - the meat in the center cup, which can be taken out an microwaved, and the chips, cheese, and salad stuff in the compartments around it. The ice pack it comes with snaps into the lid, and you can use the lid as a plate. I have this container (http://fit-fresh.com/lunch.html) too, but haven't used it yet. I have my eye on the soup and salad container (http://fit-fresh.com/soup.html), and if I brought salads to work, I'd be tempted by the salad shaker (http://fit-fresh.com/salad.html) (but if I eat just a salad, I'm starving about an hour later. One word, though: DO NOT be frightened off by the $10+ prices on the website. I paid somewhere between $5 and $6 each for the two I bought at Albertson's.

Much appreciated

[cyancat.livejournal.com]

Wow thanks for the info.
The recipies are interesting and hopefully I can get the guts to try a few.
Like the Indian Style Chicken Chunks and the Thai-Style Dumplings.

Those are some really nice containers that would be perfect for packing a lunch... I'm surprised at how they are so bento-ish.
Now I just have to find an Albertson's XD
Sankyou!

Re: Much appreciated

[telophase.livejournal.com]

One of the eBayers I've bought from has some bento boxes up now (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZsmlingcutie) at amazingly good Buy It Now prices. She ships quickly, too. I got a shipment today and it was sent about two days ago.

Boxes she's got up at the moment:

Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/BENTO-JAPANESE-LUNCH-GREEN-PUTI-FRESH_W0QQitemZ130079049725QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4003QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). Here. (http://cgi.ebay.com/BENTO-JAPANESE-LUNCH-RED-PUTI-FRESH-APPLE-TWO-TIER_W0QQitemZ130079050021QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4003QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) Here. (http://cgi.ebay.com/BENTO-JAPANESE-LUNCH-BLUE-FEEL-AT-EASE_W0QQitemZ130078888703QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4003QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/BENTO-JAPANESE-LUNCH-CUTE-GREEN_W0QQitemZ130078549047QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4003QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

That last one is tempting, but I ahve tooooo many boxes on order right now. XD But you can see the size of them - she gives the dimensions.