623831 Sat May 30 17:45:14 -0700 2009 5 5 Texas 0 4728705 As the popularity of bento lunches grows, I'm beginning to wonder if selling bento containers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area would be worthwhile. There is really no good asian store that sells the fashionable bento boxes that are made in Japan - I had to go online to order mine and would have preferred to go somewhere local? A thought my husband and I had was that we could try it tupperware-party-style - have private parties to offer wares for sale while providing a demonstration of usage. Thoughts? Sat May 30 17:45:14 -0700 2009 324369 reai0314 1 4728867 Did you try Shop Minoya in Plano? (Parker/Independece) They sell typical bento containers used in Japan. Sat May 30 19:05:57 -0700 2009 4728705 51639 kuidaore 1 4729113 How do you demo a bento box? I believe it would be self explanitory. What esle can you use a bento box for? A bento box does not hold wet things very well (soup or curries). In otherwords I see several drawbacks already. I might not be a connoisseur of bento boxes but I just don't see a big market in them. I will just stick with the lunchbox or Tupperware container for now. I would think Minoya, Kazy's, and Super H Mart as wells as several others in town have bento boxes. I am not sure if they would be fashionable of course that is in the judgment of the person buying it. Sat May 30 21:27:16 -0700 2009 4728705 170567 LewisvilleHounder 2 4730905 Some bento boxes in Japan hold liquid very well (some are made specially for soup.) Many bento boxes are basically tupperware. Japanese bento boxes look like these (not something you might have seen at restaurants here). http://item.rakuten.co.jp/yellowstudio/c/0000000352/ http://tinyurl.com/nzkbvd http://www.mutow.co.jp/apl/rdeco/lunchgoods/ Some are thermo and keep the food warm. http://www.kiteru.com/ima_siru/pick_up/asin:13946361.htm People take these to work, picnic, etc. Everyone in Japan took home-made bentos to school at one point in their childhood. http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-culture/japanese-life-bento Sun May 31 17:20:13 -0700 2009 4729113 51639 kuidaore 3 4731435 I think there might be a market or bento meals stylized more like the homemakers in japan might do for their children. kuidaore has shown a delightful site that gives nice elaborate examples of the kyarben, or culinary artistic renditions of their favorite cartoon characters in the form of rice and other delicious goods in the bento. A true art form. As noted in my url added below, you can see the hours involved in creating these hyper lunch boxes to please their children. I would think these would go over HUGE in a place like Dallas. Start by visiting the American Girl store at the Galleria where you have high dollar lunches with your even higher dollar doll, followed by an even higher dollar make over for the doll. You will see hairstylists for these dolls, amazing. PT Barnum said it right about the sucker. http://www.weirdasianews.com/2008/05/10/kyaraben-bento-box/ Sun May 31 21:09:15 -0700 2009 4730905 277493 DallasDude 1 4729710 Kazy's has a very large bento collection on the second floor - that where I got mine. They do have boxes from Japan, but they're mixed with ones made in China or elsewhere so you have to check the stickers on them. I thought they would be fun to use as well, but I have to admit they sit barely used. When I feel for bento, I've been going to Sushi Robata. http://kazysgourmetdallas.com/store.aspx Sun May 31 08:07:17 -0700 2009 4728705 23782 Webra1