I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Archive for the 'SF Bay Area local' Category
(Chronologically Listed)
Soft launch of Ichiban Kan online store
Sounding the death knell of the eBay $9 egg mold, Japanese-style discount store Ichiban Kan finally debuted its online store yesterday in a soft launch. Their shopping cart is not working at the moment, though, so you cannot yet place orders. Ichiban Kan e-mailed me that they did a test run today with an unexpected error, but still anticipate being able to take online orders in a matter of days (not weeks). (UPDATE: They’re accepting orders now; see my list of good Ichiban Kan products for the lunch packer.) You can browse some of their inventory now at www.ichibankanusa.com, but be aware that all of their products are not yet up on the site. The store’s bento selection is a little slim, but they write on their blog that they have a shipping container full of bento gear on its way from Japan now, and will continue to “aggressively” add more products to the online store. Stay tuned. (Read on for my initial review of the online store.)
As I wrote in the San Francisco Bay Area bento gear shopping guide, Ichiban Kan is a good bargain store with an ever-changing selection of Japanese household goods, including matching bento boxes, insulated bento sets, bento accessories, collapsible sandwich cases, bento bags (kinchaku, insulated bags), egg molds for shaping hard-boiled eggs (2 for US$1.50, available in fish/car and rabbit/bear shapes), rice molds, character bento goods (Cinnamoroll, Hello Kitty, Shinkansen, Pokemon), cute food cups, food picks, sauce containers, chopsticks and utensils with cases, rectangular tamagoyaki omelet pans (see my tamagoyaki tutorial), etc.
Published by Biggie on April 2nd, 2008 tagged SF Bay Area local, equipment, shopping | 49 Comments »
Hanami cherry blossom viewing picnic
On Sunday our family did a version of hanami, the Japanese spring tradition of having a party under sakura cherry trees during that brief moment that they’re in bloom. We went to Golden Gate Park, where we were able to enjoy our little picnic without the crowds of Japan. I remember quickly thrown-together hanami parties in the afternoon or evening with friends and colleagues in Japan, with all kinds of food from sparse sandwiches or pre-made bentos bought from convenience stores, to elaborate barbecues cooked on portable hibachi grills accompanied by beer and sake. Hanami parties in the evening usually wound up being unpredictable and fun, with the drunk salarymen next to you wanting to share their food and try out their English.
In my old residential neighborhood in Tokyo, people would reserve their spots at popular picnic locations by writing their names and desired times on a piece of paper by the cherry tree in question. There are even official blossom forecasts (sakurazensen) by the weather bureau reporting exactly where the trees are in bloom, and where they’ve peaked. My mini version of these cherry blossom reports for San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park follows — this is the week for it! If you have tips on good hanami locations near you, please let us know in comments.
Contents of picnic bento for three (two adults, one preschooler): The top tier holds a variety of onigiri rice balls, some mixed with shrimp-flavored or vegetable-flavored furikake
Morning prep time: 25-30 minutes, using shrimp and chicken salad from Costco’s deli section, and homemade juice gelatin cups that I’d made earlier. What took the most time was making the variety of onigiri rice balls by hand. (Read on for cooking notes, my San Francisco blossom forecast, and an additional preschooler lunch.)
Published by Biggie on April 1st, 2008 tagged SF Bay Area local, bento, fish or seafood, for kids, onigiri or sushi, poultry, rice | 53 Comments »
San Francisco Japantown bento shopping update
Recent trips to San Francisco’s Japantown yielded a number of shopping updates for bento fans, encompassing Sanko housewares store, Ichiban Kan dollar store, Nijiya Market and Kinokuniya bookstore. Store details and addresses are in my updated SF Bay Area shopping guide for bento gear. I have no commercial affiliations with any of these stores.
1. Sanko Expands its Bento Offerings
After my earlier review of Sanko’s solid selection of high-quality bento boxes, evidently those of you in the area made a run on the store in search of the “Don Don Lunch Box” (a microwave-safe donburi bento box by Hakoya). Well, the owners were so impressed by the demand for unusual bento items that they’ve recently expanded their selection of bento accessories, and grouped all of their bento-related items together in a new section (far left corner as you walk in). Prices are not cheap, but you won’t find these accessories anywhere else in San Francisco. Expect to pay five to eight dollars for any of the accessories pictured here, even with their current 10%-off Spring Sale that runs until March 23, 2008. Additional photos of their bento section are at the end of this post (photos taken with the permission of the store management). (Read on for updates on the additional stores.)
Published by Biggie on March 13th, 2008 tagged SF Bay Area local, equipment, for kids, shopping | 23 Comments »
How to use a donburi bento box
Japanese donburi is a type of meal with food served right on top of rice in an oversized bowl; examples include dishes like simmered egg and chicken (oyako-don), tempura, Japanese curry, sukiyaki, eel, etc. When making a bento lunch, though, donburi toppings with a lot of moisture tend to make the rice soggy when packed together. I’ve previously described the “rice lid” method where a layer of rice is packed on top of curry or stew in a thermal jar, keeping most of the rice intact and allowing the use of a thermal lunch jar’s non-sealing larger rice container for liquidy foods. Another method is to pack rice totally separate from the stew or curry, and put them together just before eating, which keeps the rice from getting soggy. This is the best way provided both rice and curry are nice and warm, and your container is large enough to contain both easily. I recently picked up a microwave-safe bento box for donburi meals that’s designed to address just these issues. (Click for the full review and an additional preschooler lunch.)
Published by Biggie on February 18th, 2008 tagged SF Bay Area local, bento, equipment, shopping | 15 Comments »
SF Shopping: Sale at Sanko
San Francisco Bay Area readers should be sure to check out Sanko, a small store in Japantown I’d browsed before but hadn’t noticed their bento box selection. Currently having a Presidents’ Day 10%-off sale until February 23, 2008, Sanko has San Francisco’s best selection of higher-quality men’s bento boxes, including Asvel and Hakoya brands. Look for the innovative microwave-safe donburi bento box from Hakoya (”Don Don Lunch Box”, full review here), which I haven’t seen locally before. Prices are not extremely cheap, but you’ll find excellent quality things here you won’t find elsewhere. Courteous and helpful, their staff is known to occasionally serve tea to customers in lovely Japanese tea cups. (Click to read the full review…)
Published by Biggie on February 16th, 2008 tagged SF Bay Area local, shopping | 5 Comments »
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