Japanese food question..?!
Answers: uhmm..is there any way that you can buy an onigiri or a bento in Portland, Oregon? I've never tried it before and I really want to. I've been hearing a lot about it [from tv and shows and books] and it sounds really good. So anyone know where I can get one?
I don't know where you can get them, but they're both really quite simple to do yourself :).
Onigiri - Make up some japanese rice. Failing that, any rice so long as it's sticky.
Wet and salt your hands. Not dripping wet, dampen. Cup your hands together to make a sort of sphere, thats about the amoutn of rice you want to use. Once you have the rice in your hands, squish it and shape it into triangle with flat sides. You can, if you want, make a hole in one of the flat sides nd add a filling (think umeboshi -japanese pickled plum things- or some kind of fish - canned tuna, smoked salmon work-). Smooth out the side once you're done putting in your filling wrap a piece of sushi nori around it., I actually use three, so that when I eat them, I don't get sticky hands :)
Bento - "bento" is just a japanese style lunchbox. When I make mine, I put in japanese rice (or even onigiri or nori maki which is similar), some cooked meat (left over chicken drumsticks, breaded pork fillets -tonkatsu-, frankfurters etc) or fish, some cooked vegetables and .. erm.. a japanese sweet omelette (which is made as normal, but with a teaspoon or so sugar, and then cut into thin strips).
go to any Japanese restaurant. There are so many in Portland!