A bento is a single-portion meal that can range from food thrown into a sectionalized container at a takeout restaurant to edible masterpieces crafted by mothers and wives (and I hope a few fathers and husbands too).
Couple lunches from shrine trip today
There needs to be a bento making/design competition at the Olympics. Japan would win it with their army of bento ninjas.
Pardon my finger in one of the shots 👇 🍱#bento #lunch pic.twitter.com/lYbWWMwB6n
— Kirk 🖍️ (@Jamaipanese) October 17, 2019
Bento Battles
There is a whole industry here in Japan dedicated to the art of making a good bento. It’s not unusual for your home-packed lunch to be anywhere from a small conversation topic on one end or paraded in front of cheering classmates/coworkers on the other end. In my experience, the battles are fiercest at the kindergarten level.
Bear vs Titan
The bestowed compliments and praise feed the fire of these battles and before your know it, your curry and rice dish has your rice shaped like a bear soaking in a curry hot tub and your salmon meal is the colossal titan screaming at you as you pick him apart with your chopsticks.