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The first time I had udon noodles, I was in my apartment kitchen in Baltimore. I had been making a habit of going to the Korean grocer down the street from my apartment rather than hop in the car and drive uptown to the supermarket - the best green veggies were there…I so miss having that within walking distance of my front door.

But I digress. I’m the girl who buys Double Noodle Chicken Soup and then fills the bowl with noodles and maybe a few tablespoons of broth. I love noodles - the texture, the flavors of different kinds, the way they fill me up without feeling like a brick in my gut. So when I saw neatly stacked packages of thick and meaty udon noodles for the first time, there was no question about bringing them home. They became my default dinner most weeks - easy to prepare and adulterate and highly satisfying.

Then the cafe up the street started serving udon stir-fried in black bean sauce with veggies. Between that and my trips to the grocer, it quickly became the Year of Udon.

The udon in my lunch today echoes those now out-of-reach flavors, reminding me of a time when life was lived richly on the cheap. Kind of sums up bentoing for me, too. Click through for the details.