CUTE CHARACTER BENTOS! KAWAII COOKING FOR NHK JAPAN TV DOCUMENTARY SHOOT, NEW YORK WAVE BENTO BOX SHOW.
NHK Japan documentary shoot, day one… lights, cameras, action! Photo-journalist Shichi took a zillion behind-the-scenes photos, which we’ll share with you in upcoming posts. He also gave me this stuffed Domo (the NHK mascot!).
Dress: Yumi, a flirty London brand inspired by Asian fashion. I couldn’t resist the Yorkie terriers print and the price (on sale for $70).
Leggings: Vivienne Westwood, a gift from my cousin and aunt. This is the first Westwood item I’ve owned!
Cute animal hair ties: from Daiso, the 100 yen (dollar) store.
TV shoots involve a truckload of equipment: lighting, tripods, cameras, you name it. The crew consisted of a cameraman, audio person, director, reporter, makeup artist — and yours truly. (The NHK team spoke to each other in Japanese; luckily, I knew what was going on!)
Before the cameras roll, there are hours and hours of preparations. The previous night was a mad rush to create sample character bentos (animal pancakes, frog pita sandwich, eggs dyed yellow with turmeric and transformed into chicks). I showed the host, Hana, how to draw kawaii animals.
Top: We had a five minute race to make cute faces out of healthy ingredients. Right: Our completed character bento sandwiches (can you recognize my cat, Basil Farrow?). Left: This is Japanese TV — so we had to be extra smiley and energetic and cute. Hana picked up a cashew nut and said, “This looks like a smile.” I held raspberries in front of her eyes and made them dance. V-fingers!
Filming involves take after take after take… Hana had to repeat a line six times: “Kawaii, ne? I’m going to turn this into a sandwich!” We began at 10 am and kept on going until well past 6pm. TV work is tiring, but oh so fun…
The New York Wave episode about cute bento boxes will air this February on NHK; I’ll be sure to let you know the exact time and put up segments on YouTube (please subscribe so you won’t miss out). More goofy photos from the shoot to come.
In recent press
† Popular Philadelphia radio show Chef’s Table interviewed me about my recipe book Cute Yummy Time (you can stream the show on the site).
† CNNGo is doing a four-part series about Cute Yummy Time recipes; the first one gives a tigerish makeover to India’s chicken tikka masala.
† If you’re interested in many more cute-faced recipes, please check out my new cookbook, in stores and available online.
Song of the Day #288: Rocky Horror Picture Show – Dammit, Janet (If you follow my Twitter, you’ll know I’ve been on a Rocky Horror kick…)
This entry was posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 00:36 and is filed under Cute Yummy Time, Fashion, Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
January 21st, 2010 at 13:34
Yukiro says:Wow! we have to cook something while in L.A La Ca ! ;D
Everything you do looks so tasty and healthy !! a combination many believed didn't exist!!
I'm worthless as a chef and all I try ends up in misery^_^
January 21st, 2010 at 16:05
AngryBroomstick says:very cool. When is the documentary gonna air and will it be in English or Japanese?
January 21st, 2010 at 20:03
shichi says:In February, I dunno the exact date yet. I'm sure La Carmina will let everyone know as soon as she knows. As for language, the whole show was in English aside from lots of use of the word “Kawaii”
January 21st, 2010 at 20:23
inside out banana says:aww they're soo cute!! i think i wanna go make a kawaii bento for lunch now haha
January 21st, 2010 at 20:23
Maleva says:so cute….nhamnhamnhammmm
January 21st, 2010 at 20:38
Kat says:LOVE vivienne westwod. I am currenly lusting over her new bags..
January 21st, 2010 at 20:39
R Siu says:La Carmina + Domo kun rulezz!!
January 21st, 2010 at 20:49
Milena says:You are really amazing artist :)
January 21st, 2010 at 20:51
Milena says:Forgot to say, i love your outfit <3
January 21st, 2010 at 20:54
Lisa says:Cute!
January 21st, 2010 at 20:54
Mmy says:I want that dress!
January 21st, 2010 at 20:54
Mmy says:I want that dress!
January 21st, 2010 at 21:19
lacarmina says:That's not true — your spicy baked bread sounded delicious! We'll have to film a DEATH COOKBOOK video in LA!
January 21st, 2010 at 21:22
lacarmina says:^___^
It will air in early February on NHK (but I'll upload segments onto YouTube). It's in Japanese and English; there will be subtitles under my English-speaking parts, I believe.
January 21st, 2010 at 21:23
lacarmina says:Hahah awesome!!
January 21st, 2010 at 21:23
lacarmina says:They were delicious indeed
January 21st, 2010 at 21:24
lacarmina says:Thank you darling! <3 I really appreciate it!
January 21st, 2010 at 21:24
lacarmina says:^__^
January 21st, 2010 at 22:36
shichi says:Oh yes, I forgot about voice overs >.<
January 21st, 2010 at 22:41
Thomas_Goblin says:Waah! That dress is adorable! Still waiting for pictures from the school! ^^
January 21st, 2010 at 22:52
lacarmina says:I'll post them in the next week or so (gotta go chronologically!) But they turned out SO well — it was a big success! Thanks again for all your help!
January 21st, 2010 at 23:10
Shannon says:i can't wait to get ur book!! it's exciting!! woot woot!! ^_~
January 22nd, 2010 at 03:50
Moon Maiden 90 says:I can't get over how cute ur chicks are! lol
January 22nd, 2010 at 04:33
lacarmina says:They literally were too cute to eat… we had to throw them out after! (They were left out too long to be edible…)
January 22nd, 2010 at 04:33
Michi says:Love your hair!
January 25th, 2010 at 00:26
All Women Stalker says:Congrats on the show! I've seen Japanese shows and yes, they are extra perky on camera. The bentos look delicious.