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…)
† Related Articles by La Carmina...
- NHK KAWAII BENTOS TV SHOW: INTERVIEW WITH LA CARMINA, BLOGGER & CUTE YUMMY TIME AUTHOR. PEACE NOW JAPAN, VIVIENNE TAM.
- TV NEWS: APPEARING IN NHK NEW YORK WAVE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT CUTE BENTOS! ROCKET WORLD STUFFED BEAR TO SUPPORT WILDLIFE PRESERVATION.
- CUTE BENTO BOX LUNCH DEMO VIDEO. LIVE COOKING CHARABEN TUTORIAL AT NEW YORK BOOK SIGNING, JAPANESE BENTOS LESSON.
- TEACHING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN HARLEM HEALTHY EATING. JAPANESE CHARACTER BENTO LESSONS IN UNDERPRIVILEGED NEW YORK CLASSROOM.
- BONUS FOOTAGE FROM CUTE CHARACTER BENTO MAKING TV SHOW. FUNNY WEIRD JAPANESE TELEVISION, GAME SHOWS.
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