AUTHOR: MM TITLE: Asian Persuasion DATE: 7/14/2008 12:35:00 PM ----- BODY: I love Asian food stores, but I hate traffic so my shopping trips which seem to have become more frequent are weekend morning field trips as I attempt to foil the reprucussions of what is known as "Construction Season" here in Chicago. My kids and I pulled up to Mitsuwa yesterday morning right after it opened, the smells of fresh rice and soy immediately greeting us. Mitsuwa is a 17 mile drive which can take anywhere from 15 minutes up to an hour travel time, depending on the time of day. My boys have now been there several times and know the definitive difference between Mitsuwa and Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Mitsuwa has bento boxes, Choco Boy and Thomas the Train snacks. They also get a lot of attention at Mitsuwa from other customers and the cashiers who coo at Mister and smile and wave to Bubs. It's far different from anything they are used to and despite the adventure bringing them ensues (hubby has yet to venture on this field trip with us), it makes the trip much more pleasant, even if we're sitting in traffic.

Look mom! Choco Boy!

Mitsuwa, like H-Mart, gives me a different perspective on things, the perspective I miss living in a very diverse but segregated city. Ask anyone in Chicago, I have yet to hear anyone deny it yet. And so, it both irks and amuses me that I drive to the suburbs to get Asian groceries. Ok, I don't necessarily HAVE to as we do have a Chinatown, but it's past downtown and takes just as long to get there if not longer. Same goes for the Little Saigon neighborhood. So the perspective I speak of? Different languages being spoken, different faces and races in the same place looking for the same thing: food. I see mixed couples and their children, neighborhood folks picking up staples for the week. It's an exposure we don't have in the city, a void I need to fill now that I have kids. A void I need to fill for myself as an adult. My kids love the snacks I pick up on those trips. My older son asks specifically for Choco Boy for his camp bento box and my little guy loves the crispy onion snacks. I'm discovering the joys of fresh, thinly sliced beef that is inexpensive, REAL ramen noodles, Abura-age for making Inarizushi at home, large bottles of saki and bento supplies, some of the latter I've put up on my ecrater store. I love seeing new babies on these trips, babies that remind me of what my two toddlers looked like as babies because they have similar skintone, hair color and almond shaped eyes. It reminds me of how amazing genetics are and how beautiful children of mixed race always seem to be. I feel like our family has gotten the best of many worlds. And so I suppose that is my void--a lack of clear instructions on how to keep culture alive in our household on a day to day basis. I suppose the easiest way it seems is through food and that is what sends me 17 miles out of the way every couple of weeks in order to make that happen.

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-------- AUTHOR: MM TITLE: 4th of July Bento Weekend DATE: 7/07/2008 07:15:00 AM ----- BODY: The weather in Chicago couldn't have been better for the 4th of July weekend. We took advantage of it and headed around town with the kids. Wanting to make sure we ate well and didn't spend a fortune on food downtown, I packed lunches for all 4 us the three days (Fri, Sat and Sun). (the majority of the pictures I took of said lunches are on hubby's camera so I'll have to add them later) Day 1: the 4th of July My older son's favorite playground is the "green playground" down at Millenium Park and we wanted to get out of the neighborhood and explore a bit so we headed downtown. Traffic was easy, my husband being the urban landscape creature that he is knew exactly where to park without fighting parking garage madness and off we went on our first adventure. From the "green park," we headed over to Chicago's wonder, Millenium Park. Crossing the bridge over Columbus Drive, we caught a glimpse of the annual Taste of Chicago--and the millions of people streaming through the tent lined streets. Without the kids we may have ventured over but honestly, it looked too uncomfortable to get our stroller through so we passed and found a spot on the grass under the bandshell. Great weather, great lunches, good people watching. Couldn't have asked for a better Fourth. Day 2: Off to the lakefront we went. I have to admit, it's one of Chicago's prettiest features. During the summer, miles of beaches and parks come alive with people playing soccer, golf, beach volleyball (yes, in Chicago!) and kids running about into Lake Michigan. This year, we really lucked out with an actual spring that lasted more than a week and my kids are old enough to be interested in watching boats and staring at the water.

My boys
Again, another day of packed lunches eaten on the grass. After lunch, we headed over to a local street fair. There are at least one every weekend and they are usually pretty inexpensive and kid-friendly if you go early. A lot of local bands play at these affairs and it's a great way to catch up with friends who live in other parts of the City since the fairs are very neighborhood-centric.
Another day out in the sun with the family--can't believe the weekend's almost over! Day 3: Off to the Zoo we go! The Lincoln Park Zoo here in Chicago is one of the few FREE zoos left in the country. It's at the Lakefront, there's usually parking somewhere in the neighborhood and our kids can't get enough of it. The polar bears were actually out this time around doing their synchronized swimming. Mister couldn't get enough--he was entralled. I think he's found his favorite exhibit which suits me just fine--I could spend all day watching them too. Our lunches:
Mister's lunch Bub's lunch Parental lunch part 1
Parental lunch part 2
Contents of the kids' lunches: sliced hotdog, carrot sticks, mango chunks, jelly treat, ginger biscuits, ketchup.
Contents of the shared parental lunch: hotdogs, carrot sticks, the last of the mango salsa, hard boiled eggs, dill dip, stir fried veggies (from Whole Foods) with a dash of soy sauce.
After the zoo, we headed home for quick naps and then off to a birthday party where we got to catch up with a lot of our old neighbors. I don't think we've been so busy on a three-day weekend in such a long time and we all ate well, played well and slept well so in the end, it was well worth the timing and effort to make sure we got out of the house each day.

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-------- AUTHOR: multiculturalmama TITLE: A Break from the Garage--Bento Boxes DATE: 6/25/2008 10:51:00 PM ----- BODY: I spent hours in the garage and made some headway so it's time to take a break and indulge in my new favorite pastime: Bentos. Thanks to the influences of bloggers extrodinaire, CityMama and Biggie, I've become obsessed with Bentos. Living in Chicago, a major metropolitan city, one would think that bento supplies such those posted on Biggie's Site and Flickr would come easy. On the contrary, it's been a treasure hunt and I haven't found the likes of the Stitch Bento Box just yet! Honestly, I don't think I'll find it out here in the Midwest.
What I have found is that some of the best kept secrets are just outside my backyard. Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights, about 15 miles Northwest of the city has the basic Asvel boxes which I really like. I've picked up a few extra and and have them on Petit-Tableau, my ecrater site. I have seen a variety of price ranges and paid much more than I would have expected for a simple box, but the Asvil has a nice seal, is microwave and dishwasher safe and they'll probably last longer than the more inexpensive ones.

Down the street from Mitsuwa in Niles (see last post) is H Mart. I found the cutest bento set for Mister and we've been using it for trips out and about. With his peanut allergy, I tend to be cautious about eating food at street fairs and even at other people's houses. The risk of cross contamination at his age (16 months) is too high so we just pack our diaper bag with a little extra something so he can join in the fun.

At Chicago Food Company's store just up the road from us, I found some great Lock & Lock containers for my husband. At 800 ML with dividers, they are the perfect size for his lunches.
Bubs favorite is his Clickety Click Mink Monkey box which is really adorable.

And of course the accessories; sauce containers, mayo/condiment cups, picks. They all now have a place in my kitchen cabinet. Note the Avsel bento box on top.

I will start adding photos of actual lunches made in these boxes, after all, isn't that what they are for?

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-------- AUTHOR: MM TITLE: Asian Persuasion DATE: 7/14/2008 12:35:00 PM ----- BODY: I love Asian food stores, but I hate traffic so my shopping trips which seem to have become more frequent are weekend morning field trips as I attempt to foil the reprucussions of what is known as "Construction Season" here in Chicago. My kids and I pulled up to Mitsuwa yesterday morning right after it opened, the smells of fresh rice and soy immediately greeting us. Mitsuwa is a 17 mile drive which can take anywhere from 15 minutes up to an hour travel time, depending on the time of day. My boys have now been there several times and know the definitive difference between Mitsuwa and Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Mitsuwa has bento boxes, Choco Boy and Thomas the Train snacks. They also get a lot of attention at Mitsuwa from other customers and the cashiers who coo at Mister and smile and wave to Bubs. It's far different from anything they are used to and despite the adventure bringing them ensues (hubby has yet to venture on this field trip with us), it makes the trip much more pleasant, even if we're sitting in traffic.

Look mom! Choco Boy!

Mitsuwa, like H-Mart, gives me a different perspective on things, the perspective I miss living in a very diverse but segregated city. Ask anyone in Chicago, I have yet to hear anyone deny it yet. And so, it both irks and amuses me that I drive to the suburbs to get Asian groceries. Ok, I don't necessarily HAVE to as we do have a Chinatown, but it's past downtown and takes just as long to get there if not longer. Same goes for the Little Saigon neighborhood. So the perspective I speak of? Different languages being spoken, different faces and races in the same place looking for the same thing: food. I see mixed couples and their children, neighborhood folks picking up staples for the week. It's an exposure we don't have in the city, a void I need to fill now that I have kids. A void I need to fill for myself as an adult. My kids love the snacks I pick up on those trips. My older son asks specifically for Choco Boy for his camp bento box and my little guy loves the crispy onion snacks. I'm discovering the joys of fresh, thinly sliced beef that is inexpensive, REAL ramen noodles, Abura-age for making Inarizushi at home, large bottles of saki and bento supplies, some of the latter I've put up on my ecrater store. I love seeing new babies on these trips, babies that remind me of what my two toddlers looked like as babies because they have similar skintone, hair color and almond shaped eyes. It reminds me of how amazing genetics are and how beautiful children of mixed race always seem to be. I feel like our family has gotten the best of many worlds. And so I suppose that is my void--a lack of clear instructions on how to keep culture alive in our household on a day to day basis. I suppose the easiest way it seems is through food and that is what sends me 17 miles out of the way every couple of weeks in order to make that happen.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger bokumbop DATE:7/18/2008 08:12:00 AM Very cute kids ... thanks for commenting on Kimchi Mamas. It does seem very counter-intuitive that you'd find more "mixed" families out in the suburbs, doesn't it? (I'm also in Chicago, well, west suburbs now, but spent a lot of time in Albany Park where my dad had a medical practice for many years, and after college I lived in an apt in North Park for five yrs) I find that the city, although statistically diverse, can be quite segregated. I was at a playground recently with friends on the NW side and did notice that families were diverse as far as there being arab kids, a black kids, white kids, etc., but none of mixed race (except for mine and said friends). And everyone kind of kept to themselves, playing well alongside each other, but not together, really. Not to say that the 'burbs are any closer to being ideal - you must assimilate completely (at least on the outside, not bring up any 'racialized' topics, bite tongue when one of the white moms or dads says something completely ignorant - have to pick your battles), and even then I have a hard time fitting in and making friends (but that's a whole 'nother topic!). I have to restrain myself when seeing other families like us at the Costco, etc., running up to them and asking, where do you live? Are there more like us there? :-)

I started bento-ing our lunches recently. Sooooooo fun. I see accessories in my future ...

- Carol from KM ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger MM DATE:7/18/2008 03:48:00 PM Kimchi Mamas is awesome! What a great forum-you will definitely be hearing from me again soon!

Nice to "meet" someone else who is in Chicago-land and understands. We're in Old Irving Park. Awesome neighbors, great place to live but we definitely stand out. I understand what you mean about Costo esp. I see a mixed Asian couple or a couple with an adopted Asian baby and want to run up to them and give them one of the playdate cards I made for my kids and say "PLEASE CALL ME!" but there is no way I could do it without looking pathetic!

Ironically, my kids are growing up in the same diverse yet segregated environment I did 30+ years ago in SF and maybe I'm secretly just trying to spare them some of the discrimination I felt as a child--right there, a topic for another blog post!

On another note, I am turning into a bento fiend--my kids love it. Accessories are WAY too much fun... ----- -------- AUTHOR: MM TITLE: 4th of July Bento Weekend DATE: 7/07/2008 07:15:00 AM ----- BODY: The weather in Chicago couldn't have been better for the 4th of July weekend. We took advantage of it and headed around town with the kids. Wanting to make sure we ate well and didn't spend a fortune on food downtown, I packed lunches for all 4 us the three days (Fri, Sat and Sun). (the majority of the pictures I took of said lunches are on hubby's camera so I'll have to add them later) Day 1: the 4th of July My older son's favorite playground is the "green playground" down at Millenium Park and we wanted to get out of the neighborhood and explore a bit so we headed downtown. Traffic was easy, my husband being the urban landscape creature that he is knew exactly where to park without fighting parking garage madness and off we went on our first adventure. From the "green park," we headed over to Chicago's wonder, Millenium Park. Crossing the bridge over Columbus Drive, we caught a glimpse of the annual Taste of Chicago--and the millions of people streaming through the tent lined streets. Without the kids we may have ventured over but honestly, it looked too uncomfortable to get our stroller through so we passed and found a spot on the grass under the bandshell. Great weather, great lunches, good people watching. Couldn't have asked for a better Fourth. Day 2: Off to the lakefront we went. I have to admit, it's one of Chicago's prettiest features. During the summer, miles of beaches and parks come alive with people playing soccer, golf, beach volleyball (yes, in Chicago!) and kids running about into Lake Michigan. This year, we really lucked out with an actual spring that lasted more than a week and my kids are old enough to be interested in watching boats and staring at the water.

My boys
Again, another day of packed lunches eaten on the grass. After lunch, we headed over to a local street fair. There are at least one every weekend and they are usually pretty inexpensive and kid-friendly if you go early. A lot of local bands play at these affairs and it's a great way to catch up with friends who live in other parts of the City since the fairs are very neighborhood-centric.
Another day out in the sun with the family--can't believe the weekend's almost over! Day 3: Off to the Zoo we go! The Lincoln Park Zoo here in Chicago is one of the few FREE zoos left in the country. It's at the Lakefront, there's usually parking somewhere in the neighborhood and our kids can't get enough of it. The polar bears were actually out this time around doing their synchronized swimming. Mister couldn't get enough--he was entralled. I think he's found his favorite exhibit which suits me just fine--I could spend all day watching them too. Our lunches:
Mister's lunch Bub's lunch Parental lunch part 1
Parental lunch part 2
Contents of the kids' lunches: sliced hotdog, carrot sticks, mango chunks, jelly treat, ginger biscuits, ketchup.
Contents of the shared parental lunch: hotdogs, carrot sticks, the last of the mango salsa, hard boiled eggs, dill dip, stir fried veggies (from Whole Foods) with a dash of soy sauce.
After the zoo, we headed home for quick naps and then off to a birthday party where we got to catch up with a lot of our old neighbors. I don't think we've been so busy on a three-day weekend in such a long time and we all ate well, played well and slept well so in the end, it was well worth the timing and effort to make sure we got out of the house each day.

Labels: , , , ,

----- -------- AUTHOR: multiculturalmama TITLE: A Break from the Garage--Bento Boxes DATE: 6/25/2008 10:51:00 PM ----- BODY: I spent hours in the garage and made some headway so it's time to take a break and indulge in my new favorite pastime: Bentos. Thanks to the influences of bloggers extrodinaire, CityMama and Biggie, I've become obsessed with Bentos. Living in Chicago, a major metropolitan city, one would think that bento supplies such those posted on Biggie's Site and Flickr would come easy. On the contrary, it's been a treasure hunt and I haven't found the likes of the Stitch Bento Box just yet! Honestly, I don't think I'll find it out here in the Midwest.
What I have found is that some of the best kept secrets are just outside my backyard. Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights, about 15 miles Northwest of the city has the basic Asvel boxes which I really like. I've picked up a few extra and and have them on Petit-Tableau, my ecrater site. I have seen a variety of price ranges and paid much more than I would have expected for a simple box, but the Asvil has a nice seal, is microwave and dishwasher safe and they'll probably last longer than the more inexpensive ones.

Down the street from Mitsuwa in Niles (see last post) is H Mart. I found the cutest bento set for Mister and we've been using it for trips out and about. With his peanut allergy, I tend to be cautious about eating food at street fairs and even at other people's houses. The risk of cross contamination at his age (16 months) is too high so we just pack our diaper bag with a little extra something so he can join in the fun.

At Chicago Food Company's store just up the road from us, I found some great Lock & Lock containers for my husband. At 800 ML with dividers, they are the perfect size for his lunches.
Bubs favorite is his Clickety Click Mink Monkey box which is really adorable.

And of course the accessories; sauce containers, mayo/condiment cups, picks. They all now have a place in my kitchen cabinet. Note the Avsel bento box on top.

I will start adding photos of actual lunches made in these boxes, after all, isn't that what they are for?

Labels: ,

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger bokumbop DATE:9/26/2008 09:12:00 PM MM - where did you find the various accessories, egg molds, sauce bottles, etc.? Did you find musubi molds, too? I really can't find much at Mitsuwa. ----- --------