If I thought novelty sandwiches were a big deal, that was because I had never seen these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zRzsDBnWhY

Although my SIL2’s been into the whole bento lunch box thing for a while, I never knew just how creative it could get until I saw pictures on a friend’s Facebook site.  Yes, she made those for her children.

Although Gavin’s largely been a taste and smell person, I’ve noticed that even he isn’t immune to the sights and colours of creatively prepared food.  Take the “blue” muffins for an example – although he decided in the end that he didn’t really like the flavour of it, at least he was willing to taste it which was a step ahead of many other foods that never even come close to his mouth!

Then there were the novelty sandwiches which worked so well with Gavin…  I’m sure these creative bento lunch boxes would work even better.  Unfortunately, I’m not so sure I have the patience nor the talent to work up something so creative…  Erm, HL?

If you’ve been inspired by these images, you may want to take a look at the article on the New York Times on Bento Boxes.  They have some handy links to Bento Box recipes, equipment, etc.  For parents of fussy eaters, this might just be the trick to get your child interested to try new foods and eat things they wouldn’t ordinarily put into their mouths.

As for me, as great as all this looks, I think I’ll lay off the heavy artillery for now.  Gavin’s been coming around ever so gradually in the food department so perhaps it isn’t necessary to set a precedent that I’m sure I won’t be able to maintain.

If you have a fussy eater and tried introducing the Bento Lunch Boxes, please share a little about your experience in the comments below.