Spices and sauces in the Bento.

Hello Maki! I am a brand new addition to JustBento (and Bentos in general...and Japanese cooking in general) but your site has been a million times more helpful than the internet as whole in answering questions and giving ideas and how-tos so thank you for that. Currently, I'm in the preparation and research stage and that includes recipes and I had a few questions: 1. As far as spices and sauces go, what are some "staples" I should have in my kitchen? 2. I love curry but the one time I attempted a recipe at home, the smell of it (as tasty as it was) lingered for a long time. I noticed a few curried dishes recipes on your site but I was wondering how does one include this in a Bento? Doesn't the curry smell or any other strong odors linger in the box? Thank you again for JustBento!