Mr and Mrs. Banh Mi Bento

Mr and Mrs. Banh Mi Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today was such a fabulous day; I really would call it the first day it felt like spring. The sun was out in a blue cloudless sky ALL day, and it was warm enough to leave the jacket in the car. A whole bunch of things are blooming in my garden, including volunteers I forgot about from last year. I actually have green onions that had been clinging to life all through winter, and now they are growing dark green and tall again. My sweet peas went to seed and now I've got vines shooting up the tomato cages. How's your garden?

Today we went out for lunch and at the same time decided to pick up some banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) for my boy's bento tomorrow. Score!

He gets a pork banh mi, which after I cut into pieces short enough to fit in the tiffin, looked like faces. So what could I do but finish them off with eyes and headgear? I also managed to squeeze in a whole tangerine, a strawberry, a few grapes and a sprig of broccoli. Perfect! This tiffin came with a top tier, but I'm only using the bottom section today -- which means I can fill it up higher. I separated the sandwiches in wax paper to keep them away from the fruits. It's not the first time I've put a sandwich in the tiffin; the round sandwich thins or bagels also work well.

You may have heard about the Spring 2010 Bento Contest going on, hosted by Maki of Just Bento, Thomas and Erico of Bento & Co, and Mook of French Bento. The finalists have been selected, and my Spring Momiji Bento is one of the final 15! The voting has now been opened up to the public, for selection of the top 10 Spring Bento. If you haven't already, please stop over and vote there, if you get a chance! My bento is #051 Happy Little Bento. Take a look at them all; they are all beautiful!