Bento Picnic

Happy Father’s Day (and belated Mother’s Day) to Nick & Julie!

I could not have bootstrapped Bento Picnic without them.

Here they are finishing the install for the custom cabinetry that my Dad built for the bento shop in 2018.

Thank y’all for everything you did to support my dreams! 🙏🏻❤️

Thali is like the Indian version of & has strong parallels to principles of , Japanese menu design!

Every features a variety of regional specialties & includes all six tastes, known in Ayurveda as Shadrasa: sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, astringent.

According to the Ayurvedic tradition, a meal is not complete unless it is a full-sensory experience with a balance of all 6️⃣ tastes — because each ‘rasa’ (taste) is not incidental, but rather an indication of the properties of the ingredients. ⚖️ So getting a balance of all the tastes at each meal is important for keeping our doshas in check! ✔️

➡️ Swipe right to see the that I have been enjoying as I travel thru India!

1️⃣ Homestyle thali that I learned to make in Jaipur with Payal of (North India)

2️⃣ Fancy Rajasthani thali at in Jodhpur (North India)

3️⃣ Thali served on a banana leaf a vegetarian restaurant in Thodupuzha, Kerala (South India)

4️⃣ Unbelievably inexpensive thali from .yoga.centre in Tamil Nadu (South India)