Tucked away in my recipe box are a few yellowed, typewritten pages from my mother-in-law’s home economics class circa 1960. Knowing that I love food, she thought I might like these notes from a unit on garnishes. As Gen-Xers, my husband and I both had a good laugh at this relic from another time — when women were encouraged to host cocktail parties and serve hors d’oeuvres among displays of pickle fans, fluted mushrooms and beet asters.
While turning fruits and veggies into exquisite works of art might appeal to a caterer, I don’t wish to add such laborious details to my life. But I saved it as an interesting oddity. (And for the record, my mother-in-law hates to cook and never hosts cocktail parties. When we visit her, we usually go to Olive Garden.)
So it was with some surprise that I found myself attracted to the beauty of the bento box. While the word bento comes from China and means “useful thing” and “convenient,” the bento box is a Japanese package that originated 1,000 years ago for farmers, fishermen and soldiers to carry rice.
Over the years, the upper classes developed the bento into elaborately decorated, lacquered boxes for traveling, serving tea or visiting the theater. Today, takeout bento boxes are very popular in Japan, often sold in supermarkets, department stores, restaurants and train stations.
However, a quick online search shows that modern bento boxes have also reached insanely creative heights, with parents (mainly mothers) performing Instagram-worthy feats of gastronomy for their children’s school lunches.
In Japan, making a bento box is seen as an act of love, but its appearance is also a status symbol among families in affluent communities. Many mothers compete to make the most beautiful and nutritious boxes, often spending up to 45 minutes making their child’s lunch — plus hours looking through specialized magazines and shopping for the necessary tools.
Bento boxes typically include rice, meat or fish and pickled vegetables. But picture these dishes formed to look like cute pandas munching on bamboo; baby farm animals nestled in a flowering pasture; or characters like Hello Kitty, Pikachu and Olaf the Snowman. If the idea of making citrus baskets and leek flowers showed me that I would probably fail a 1960 home ec class, then I can’t imagine arranging nori to look like a Sony PlayStation.
But it got me thinking. Today’s bento boxes can be suitable for all ages, and they don’t need to be elaborate or time-consuming. They are actually perfect for encouraging a balanced, nutritious meal and making leftovers a little more appealing. If you’re looking to wash fewer lunch containers, maintain a healthy diet, entice a picky eater or add a smidge of artistry to your day, then a bento box might be for you.
The first step is to find a box. Bento boxes come in many shapes and materials, such as bamboo, stainless steel, wood and plastic. You can often find suitable containers at stores such as T.J. Maxx in Torrington, Conn., and Marshalls in Great Barrington, Mass. The holy grail of bento materials (including ingredients) is Mitsuwa Markeplace in Fort Lee, N.J., just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan. The shopping plaza there has not only Mitsuwa but also a Daiso and Little Japan USA; all three have everything from containers to special forms for shaping rice balls.
But any food container will work and it doesn’t even need to have dividers to allow you to separate the different decorative foods.
When you gather the ingredients, make sure to hit all the food groups. Then, start building your box with an eye for color, shape, texture and portion size.
Some Bento tips
• Prep veggies on the weekend so that you can sprinkle a rainbow of bright, vibrant colors here and there.
• Make extra food for dinner so that you can easily pull out leftovers.
• Cut sandwiches with cookie cutters, or make pinwheels with soft tortillas.
• Rather than chopping veggies for a salad, serve meat, grains or legumes on a lettuce leaf wrap.
• Find ways to separate the food so that it doesn’t all mush together. If your box doesn’t have dividers, try using cucumber slices and orange segments to make a natural border. Or, use silicone baking cups to contain yogurt, applesauce, hummus or guacamole.
• Overall, don’t fuss. Simply remember that the original meaning of bento is “useful thing” and “convenient” — both for the container and its contents.
Three critically acclaimed NYC cellists playing together in concert for the first time attracted an enthusiastic capacity audience for a varied program at The Smithfield Church on Sunday, July 13. The concert titled “Three Cello Fellows” was part of the Bang Family Concert series. Performing were Robert Burkhart, foreground, Arthur Fiacco, at left, and Alberto Parrini. An added surprise came when NY Philharmonic organist Kent Tritle accompanied the cellists for a Popper Requiem on the church’s historic tracker organ.
PINE PLAINS — This Saturday, July 19, the Stissing Center of Pine Plains will hold an art auction fundraiser between 4 and 6 p.m. to raise funds for the non-profit’s cultural programming, which serves as a performance venue and exhibition space.
The auction will be held at the Stissing Center’s headquarters at 2920 Church St. in Pine Plains. Admission will cost $125 — a fee that can be deducted against the selling price of any pieces of art attendees may purchase.
Tickets are available through the Stissing Center’s website, or by calling the organization’s main phone number. Refreshments and music at the event are included with the price of entry.
On offer at the auction are photographs, paintings, drawings and sculptures — among pieces of other mediums — by such artists as Chuck Close, Kenro and Yumiko Izu, Ellen Berkenbilt, and Anne Lindberg.
Proceeds will contribute to the ongoing restoration of the historic building and toward funding the Stissing Center’s programming. Such events at the Stissing Center during its 2025 Summer Season include theater performances, solo and ensemble musical performances and culinary events hosted in the venue’s professional kitchen.
The Silo Bakery, Route 343 east of the Amenia Post Office, opened for business on Thursday, July 10, offering a delectable variety of pastries, breads and pies. Pausing for a photo on Saturday, July 12, was pastry chef Thomas Croizé. The bakery will be open Thursdays through Sundays, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
SHARON — A University of North Carolina study listed Sharon Hospital among rural hospitals endangered by potential funding cuts to Medicaid.
The study by The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC identified 338 rural hospitals nationwide where care could be adversely impacted by cutbacks in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Sharon Hospital was the sole Connecticut facility in the list.
Two criteria were considered: hospitals in the top 10% of Medicaid payer mix of rural hospitals across the country; and hospitals that experienced three consecutive years of negative margins. Sharon Hospital was included in the latter.
“This means these rural hospitals face greater risk of being forced to stop providing some services, converting, or closing,” the study stated.
A group of U.S. senators shared the data with President Donald Trump (R) in the form of a letter dated June 12. Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the letter, which states, “Rural hospitals will not get paid for the services they are required by law to provide to patients. In turn, rural hospitals will face deeper financial strain that could lead to negative health outcomes for the communities they serve.”
Following several years of financial struggle, Sharon Hospital’s parent company, Nuvance Health, completed a merger with Northwell Health in 2025. Northwell is the largest private health care provider in New York State.
“We appreciate elected officials shining a light on this report as it relates to new legislation and cuts that would be devastating to rural hospitals. It is no secret that Sharon Hospital has been struggling financially for some time – largely due to underpayment from government and other payers. These new cuts only exacerbate the situation. We are hopeful that the benefits of our recent affiliation with Northwell Health will provide some stability as we weather this latest storm.” Daniel DeBarba, chief financial officer of Nuvance Health, part of Northwell.
Sharon Hospital President Christina McCulloch said although the cuts would “add strain to our financial stability,” she clarified, “The hospital is here to serve the community. I don’t want the community to not use our services that we have for fear that the hospital is closing. All of our services are open.”
Since 2018, the community organization Save Sharon Hospital has advocated to maintain full-service medical care in the Northwest Corner.
SSH President Lydia Kruge Moore shared, “It is deeply troubling that vital health care services remain at risk in rural communities like ours. Save Sharon Hospital is incredibly grateful that Northwell Health has recognized the importance of rural health care and has committed to maintaining all services at Sharon Hospital.”
