Mom makes her sons' lunches into adorable characters

Eat your art out.
 By 
Kelly Diamond
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

These meals will make you eat your art out.

Ming is a mother of two and a preparer of some of the most creative and adorable lunches on the web, which she posts to her site, Bento Monsters.

The edible pieces of art bring joy to her sons and her 192,000 Instagram followers.


You May Also Like

"I started making charabens (character lunch boxes) in 2011, when my first-born entered elementary school," Ming told Mashable in an email. "He was not used to the longer hours and missed me then. He would cry when I sent him to school everyday. I started making charabens, and packed them along with lunch notes, to cheer him up, giving him something to look forward to during recess."



While Ming's charabens are amazingly intricate, she says designing the meals is a casual and fun experience rather than a stressful one.

"I have a habit of noting down whatever inspirations I have on the notes of my handphone," she said. "Every week, while planning our meals and grocery shopping, I just take a look at the list and choose what I want to make from there."

Ming's Bento Monsters are just a hobby and she has no plans to create a business out of them, though she has published a photo book of her best works. 


Ming's sons enjoy their special meals, though the excitement seems to have worn off over the years.

"They are no longer as excited as when I just started," Ming said. "They still like to see and guess what I’m making when I’m done, and if it’s a character they like, they would play with the food (arrange the character) before they eat."

As the boys have gotten older, Ming has scaled back a bit on the number of creative meals she makes for them.


"In recent years, I’ve stopped packing them decorated bentos for school, just a normal bento," she explained. 

"I serve them the decorated food at home for lunch or dinner instead, so you would see that I mostly serve them on trays/plates in recent years."

But that doesn't make them any less adorable. 


Moms of the world, the gauntlet has been thrown in the meal-making game. 

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


Topics Instagram

Mashable Image
Kelly Diamond

Kelly is a comedy writer who currently resides in New York City. If you have a dog, she wants to pet it. Follow her on Twitter @KellyDiamond_

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Connor Storrie makes out with Sarah Sherman in 'SNL' promo
A group of four men and a woman stand facing the camera in a studio.


Meta hits pause on its AI characters for teens
A Meta AI logo on a smartphone.

Jimmy Kimmel trolls Melania Trump over her new documentary
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage. The caption at the bottom reads, "All the people in the movie are giving it rave reviews."

J.K. Rowling controversy explained
J.K. Rowling with a broken heart behind her in the colors of the trans pride flag. Behind her is a collage of her transphobic posts.

More in Life
How to watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale online for free
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea reacts

How to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's controversial romance now streaming
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi embracing in still from "Wuthering Heights"

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers online for free
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders warms up

How to watch Mexico vs. Belgium online for free
Israel Reyes of Mexico reacts

How to watch Brazil vs. Croatia online for free
Vinicius Junior #10 of Brazil leaves

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone


Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 2, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!