A while ago, I watched a documentary program on TV and saw an American boy who was packing some huge chocolate chip cookies and an apple for lunch. I was very surprised to see that! Is this normal in the United States? Well, if I were a grade 3 student I would envy him. Because only on a school trip, I was allowed to bring some chocolate chip cookies.
We usually have school lunch "Kyushoku" at the elementary school in Japan. A nutritist manages every meal to consider food values, calories, and makes the menu. We have rice, bread, pasta and more at school. Recently the food tastes better these days then it used to. There are some web sites about school lunchs, and they look very tasty. When we start junior high we usually bring Bento all the way through school. I think it comes from rice culture.
Bento is not only for carrying around every where. It is a meal in a" box", and you enjoy its a world as a "one package" of a meal. So it can be eating right there at the restuarant. This is the big difference between Obento and take out food.
Obento is basically formed by rice and some side dishes. It recommends to have a half of the Obento box- rice, the 1/3 remaining-side dishes of meat or a fish, and the 2/3 remaining-colorful vegetables. If you follow this recommendation, it is a perfect balanced meal with rice and side dishes as well as each nutrient.
Obento is the showplace of love from Mother, and she uses her brain to make her children eat the food they don’t like. Also it is hard to think about a new menu everyday, so there are many web sites about Obento menu and Obento(JP)recipes.
There are many working people who like Obento, so every convenient store has their own special Obento menu and compete with each other. Obento brings lots of money.
Famous Obento
Shokado Bento
This is one of the menus from Japanese-style restaurants, you get to enjoy this in the restaurant as a package meal. Basic rule is to use a box divided off as a cross. Shokado Bento is originally served as a small meal at the tea ceremony.
Makunouchi Bento
They have had Makunouchi Bento at the theater since Edo era, and people eat it during the interlude of play or Kabuki. This is the origin of Makunouchi Bento.
Ekiben
Each train station has special Bento with specialties of each prefecture. This is for traveling.
Hinomaru Bento
This is a super simple Bento with a red pickled plum in the center of the rice. It looks like a Japanese flag (we call it Hinomaru.), that is why it is called Hinomaru Bento.
Even when I finished school and started working I would still bring my Bento. I can adjust the size of my own meal if I make Bento by myself. If I go out and eat, I worry about how many calories I am consuming. Also I get bored going out to eat all the time.
I think the way to make Obento is passed on from Mother to daughter without change. On that point, the way my mom makes Bento is simple and sturdy. My mom says that baby tomatoes and red little Vienna sausage looks pretty in Obento, but they are not tasty. She boils vegetables with soy sauce. After boiling them, you can’t recognize which is a carrot or shitake mushroom, because when you boil the vegetable with soy source, the vegetables turn brown. My mom packs them tight in my Obento. She thinks the juice released from side dishes makes it tasty, so there is no partition between rice and side dishes. My mom’s Obento was simple and the soy sauce is brown all over. When I was a kid, I envied the boy who was always sitting beside me. His Bento had a great color contrast with a red Vienna sausage, yellow rolled eggs, brown meat balls and white rice. But after all, I make Obento without partition just like my mom! It is rice and side dishes blending together, brown colored rice with juice released from grilled meat is soo tasty! Yes it is brown tough sturdy Obento.
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