Contests and EventsPhase One: Cooking [This is a bento, isn't it?!]In the spirit of bento (and because I've recently become very interested in this) I want to encourage you all to try cooking something Japanese! We are a bento box, aren't we?! :] So, if you do cook something, please post a picture(s) of it and I will add it to the newly-made "Pics!" section. Show off your culinary talent!
Try to cook something a bit challenging, maybe containing ingredients you wouldn't normally eat. When you post your pic(s), tell us about your cooking experience! Was it fun? Too hard? Did the food taste good?
And for the first three to do this (But it mustn't be something really easy! I may raise or lower your prize based on difficulty; if it's too easy, you will get nothing at all, even if you were one of the first three. You're prize will go to the fourth person, and so on.), I will give them a little reward!
Entries can be found under Pics!
Note: To receive a prize you must also have been a member before this post was made. If you are not a member, still feel free to cook and take pics! Remember: Even if you don't get a prize, you can still have fun, eat yummy food, and show it off here!
I will keep this event up for a few months, so make sure to pick a challenging recipe! I want it made at least mostly from scratch. Nothing defrosted will be accepted.** If you aren't sure if what you're wanting to make is hard enough to win a prize, ask beforehand.**To clarify, you can use some frozen ingredients; for example, the gyouza skins I used were frozen (I don't expect you to make something like that from scratch). What I don't want people doing is buying, say, frozen potstickers, boiling/frying/steaming them, and calling it "cooking."Phase Two: QuestionsTo get you even more excited for the event, while we wait for people to cook, there will be some questions on Japanese cooking/meals/food in general. I will post the questions individually, and they will be spaced out. The first to PM me the correct answer will get a minor prize.

(Minor because this is sort of piggy-back to the main part of the event, the cooking.)
If you joined after
this post, you can still win in this phase of the event.
If you are the first to PM me the right answer, you have to wait two more questions before you can win again (though feel free to PM me the answer, if you want to show off your knowledge. xD <3). Question 1: What do Japanese people say before eating? (07.27.10)
Answer: "Itadakimasu"Winner: EllyAngelYukizato

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Question 2: What do Japanese people say after eating? (08.03.10)
Answer: "Gochisousama deshita"Winner: Cherry Blossom

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Feel free to suggest future contests and events!