Bento for the Boys

In response to a few comments made over time, I decided to write a little blog about Ridge and Holt’s lunches. The word “bento” is used when talking about any kind of packed lunch. Though the village provides school lunches at minimal cost for elementary and middle school students, pre-school students must provide their own bento. When it was just Ridge going to school, I didn’t pay much attention to it for some reason. Usually, Aaron just slapped some rice and sausages into a storage container, accompanied by the occasion cup of yogurt. After attending the pre-school PTA meeting held at the beginning of the school year in March, I decided to become more involved in making lunches. I think it was hearing about other kids’ lunches and listening to the teachers discuss do’s and don’ts of bento making that made me change my mind. I started paying more attention to how the Japanese prepare bentos (mostly by observing others and noticing photographs). Now, I’ve become a little nutty about it. I don’t always get as elaborate as Aaron insists, but I admit to sometimes feeling inspired.

An essential concept to understand is how the Japanese look at food. They love it. I mean they really, really love it. They don’t show their love of food like Americans, i.e. by eating too much. Instead, they put a lot of thought into presentation, then they admire how beautiful it is, how delicious it looks, and then how good it tastes. Japanese television is full of what Aaron and I call “food porn” because of the way the food is photographed. They use lots of close ups and slow movements to accentuate the visual qualities of the food. Another characteristic of Japanese meals is the variety of food. In a typical American meal, you might have a main dish and two side dishes. Sometimes, you might only have one main dish, such as a casserole, and a vegetable side dish. In Japanese meals, it’s not unusual to have five or six different things to eat. For example, when I get one of my favorite meals at a restaurant we go to often, it comes with: rice, miso soup, pickled veggies, a savory egg custard, shredded cabbage, and a meat dish. It sounds like a lot, and sometimes it is, if they give you a huge bowl of rice. Sometimes, though, it’s not a ton of food, just a lot of variety. Usually, the portions are small. That’s one of the reasons why it’s been so hard for Aaron to find an “American size” portion of steak.

Bentos are no different. Care is taken to arrange the food so it looks nice. This often involves small paper cups to keep some foods separated. In the stores, you can buy many kinds of little paper flags to put into your sausages or rice to decorate it. It’s also possible to buy molds so that your child doesn’t just have a ball of rice (called “onigiri”), but they can have a ball of rice with the shape of a popular cartoon character molded into it. The options are limitless. So, as one who occasionally gets caught up in trying to do what everyone else does, I started to imitate some of what I was seeing. The end result is probably comical by Japanese standards. I try to make the boys’ bento look nice and interesting. However, I am well aware of the fact that some of the foods I pack are considered strange lunch foods (like yogurt), or unusual foods (i.e. foreign). The way I look at it is that the boys’ lunches are going to be looked at and commented on. I might as well give them something to talk about. That’s why, one time, I sent Ridge with an Easter egg dyed purple and blue. The shell had cracked some, so when he peeled it, the white of the egg was tattooed with some beautiful colored lines. I figured that would really get the teachers talking! I always wonder what they think when I send Ridge to school with left over chili. His teacher told me that because of Ridge, several of the kids have developed a taste for raw carrots dipped in mustard. Ridge loves to eat carrot sticks with mustard, believe it or not. Apparently, the Japanese think it’s strange that American’s eat so many raw vegetables. They usually cook everything.

I can get a lot more creative with Ridge’s lunch because Holt still won’t each many foods. His lunch usually consists of rice or pasta, some kind of meat, and raisins. Ridge, on the other hand, will eat a variety of foods and he also really seems to enjoy having a pretty lunch. I took a few pictures of lunches I’ve made over the past few weeks. I enjoy being creative, so they probably look like this about 75% of the time. There are days, though, when I’m just too tired, and the boys end up with rice and a meat. Ridge is getting used to the nicer ones, though. He always comments when he only gets meat and rice.

Here are a couple of Ridge’s bento.
bento one
bento two

Here is Holt’s.
Holt's

They have little boxes for their bento. These are very typical in Japan and come in all shapes and sizes.

After packing the lunch, I add a napkin and eating utensil. Holt only plays with chopsticks, so he just gets a “spork” every day. Ridge likes to use his chopsticks when he can.

After stacking everything, I wrap it in a cloth and tie it up. The teachers request this because the kids can then use the cloth as a placemat. I’m sure it minimizes the mess for them.
On the cloth
Ridge's, getting ready
Holt's, getting ready
First fold it this way,
then tie it up
Both bento

Ridge’s is usually just wrapped up, but I put Holt’s into an Anpanman bag. Here they are, ready to go!

Boys and bento

(you can tell it's an older picture since they have had haircuts recently)