Take out sucks anyway.

June 17, 2008 3:59 PM

I've heard amazing things about the Mr. Bento lunch jar, and I really really want one. I have heard that there are places in or near Vancouver BC that sell them, but my inquiries have turned up empty. Does anyone on MeFi know of such a place, or will I have to get one shipped from elsewhere?
posted by barc0001 to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

I have one. I ordered it online. Totally worth it if you 1) often bring your own lunch/dinner to work or whatever, 2) can make lots of hot or cold dishes, and 3) can remember to wash it out every night. The last thing is my biggest challenge.
posted by annabkr at 4:07 PM on June 17, 2008

Oh - also, I got it on amazon, I think.
posted by annabkr at 4:07 PM on June 17, 2008

Uwajimaya in Seattle carries them.
posted by proj at 4:12 PM on June 17, 2008

Google for "mr bento" vancouver turned up Forum Appliances in Chinatown.
posted by loiseau at 4:18 PM on June 17, 2008

(But the same thread indicates that Amazon is way cheaper.)
posted by loiseau at 4:19 PM on June 17, 2008

I got one a couple years ago for my birthday. My boyfriend ordered it from this Canadian site with no problems (that I know of). Mr. Bento is great, but I definitely ran into problems with condition number 3 listed above by annabkr. Now he sits somewhere in a closet, as I have given up on getting the smell of moldy yogurt out of him.
posted by flying kumquat at 4:21 PM on June 17, 2008

Best answer: So, this is kinda weird, but I've got an extra one. I got two as gifts and I've only used the one. It's opened, of course, but it has never been used. If you wanted it, hit up my MeFiMail and we'll sort out the details.
posted by Nelsormensch at 4:39 PM on June 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

By the way, if you call Zojirushi, you can get spare containers for inside. My son uses a Mr. Bento for his school lunches, and having extra sets has been a very handy thing indeed. The containers run 4-7 dollars each, I think.
posted by houseofdanie at 5:04 PM on June 17, 2008

Hmm these are interesting.. What are the inner bowls made of? I don't like to microwave plastics. These would be perfect if they aren't plastic!
posted by pcward at 5:12 PM on June 17, 2008

Amazon had the best prices (even with shipping to Canada) when I looked. Get someone to buy it as a gift and send it to you, so that you don't pay duty or as much. I was looking at getting one, but I couldn't tell (online) what the bowls were made of. I don't want to use plastic, if possible.
posted by acoutu at 6:24 PM on June 17, 2008

Er, and make sure the customs declaration says gift.
posted by acoutu at 6:25 PM on June 17, 2008

From an Amazon review:

Cons-
Cleanup is a bit of a pain - Not dishwasher safe. The soup top is a little tricky at times.
Soft plastic will eventually pick up strong smells/Stains
Two temperatures in the same container - Requires a little creativity, doesn't keep everything uniformly hot/cold. \

I'm with you, pcward; I'd prefer non-plastic microwaveable food containers.

Hmm, I wonder if Pyrex' smaller containers would fit in a Bento sleeve? Time to check the sizes available...
posted by IAmBroom at 7:06 PM on June 17, 2008

Response by poster: Well, checking out Forum Appliances unfortunately turned up empty. They do have tons of other Zojirushi stuff like carafes and ricemakers, but no Mr. Bento. They also have other lunch jars, but nothing approaching the awesomeness that is Mr. Bento.
posted by barc0001 at 4:46 PM on June 18, 2008