JAPANESE BENTO

'O-bento' is what the Japanese call a packed meal, usually lunch. Bento
boxes have internal dividers, and sometimes several stacked layers, so different
kinds of food sit in their own little compartments. In my opinion, this is
interesting because you can actually arrange your food accordingly in different
layers and you do not necessarily like to mix flavors. The whole thing is usually
wrapped together with chopsticks in a cloth or special bag, and the goal is to
make the whole package as attractive as possible, which from the aspect of
considering the colour combinations of the food and presenting and garnishing it
as neatly and artfully as you can, to coordinating the box, chopsticks and
wrapper, and any other items like paper napkins, knife and fork or spoon, drink
flask or thermos.

Bento boxes themselves range from handsome lacquered wood boxes,

with which you may be served in a nice Japanese restaurant, to children's plastic
lunchboxes decorated with cartoon (anime) character art. There are styles to
appeal to the businessman, the elegant young lady, the differing tastes of little
boys and girls. For example, I once saw an extra-large charcoal-grey bento box
that I thought would be exactly right for Tony Soprano.

As with so much of modern Japanese culture, the aesthetic, especially for

children and young women, is strongly based on a compact cuteness. If you went
to a school where kids brought packed lunches, you know how much it means to
a kid when Mum packs his or her favorite’s, and what a social advantage it is to
have a parent who packs lunches that are admired or envied, particularly if the
food is handy for swapping and sharing. The same is true in Japanese schools,
but the 'judges' award a lot of additional points for presentation. There is often
some rivalry between housewife-mothers to produce the niftiest bento, which can
be fun, but is a source of serious and unwelcome social pressure for some
women, who rise early in the morning and agonize over what to make today, so
their children's friends and teachers won't think they suck.

The base of any bento lunch is either cold, cooked white rice, or
sometimes noodles and the filling would be a carbohydrate-rich staple of the
Japanese diet. In addition, there is “okazu”, which are side dishes that include
meat, fish, eggs, tofu, fruit and vegetables. All of the food mentioned is
presented in bite-size form for handy chopstick action. They all have to be
prepared in such a way that they will taste nice cold, though sometimes bento is
reheated. “Okazu” add colour and flavour, vary with the seasons, and round out
the nutritional value of the meal with protein, vitamins and minerals. Japanese
usually try to mix a few types of food for colour and dietary balance. This is
because a healthy diet includes at least five handful-sized portions of fruit and
vegetables a day. Of course, there are also different ways of dressing up the rice
or noodles to avoid monotony.

“Bento” form part of the Japanese language of love. “Aiso bento” means
bento made as a romantic gesture. In a culture where girls are traditionally
expected to be pretty demure and domestic, one of the accepted ways to show a
boy you like him is to make him a special bento. Of course, when you look at
some of the wilder Japanese youth culture, that seems sweetly old-fashioned, but
it can still mean a lot! In “shoujo”, which is usually for girls, anime and comics,
you will often see schoolgirls give bento to the boys they have a crush on.

In conclusion, “bento” is a unique culture in Japan which is irreplaceable.

They practice it since a century ago. Therefore, it is a priceless culture for the
next generation.
 As well as seasonal items, bento may showcase regional specialties. This
can be shown in the culture of “ekiben”, takeaway bento sold at railway stations
around Japan. You can take an “ekiben” eating tour of the nation if you like!

In Wedding Peach, Momoko's attempt to do this for the handsome

Yanagiba is thwarted when pesky but attractive Yosuke points out that the food
wasn't homemade, but came from a convenience store! In Maison Ikkoku
(although it's more of a seinen - young man's - manga), Kyoko shows her
affection for Godai by making him cute kid-style lunches that will impress the
children at the daycare centre where he works. Bento can also be a wife's way of
showing her husband that she still cares for him - and, of course, her children
that she loves them and wants their day at school to be pleasant.