Bento

The arrangement of a bento box seem important, as the colors and flower add a visual appeal to the presentation of what is a basic fish and rice meal. All bento here seem to be arranged in some way or organized in a system that has become the expected norm of lunch box arrangement. Almost every sushi box also comes with a big blade of fake plastic grass. I have no idea what to do with this maybe save it for American Easter holiday. The bento has become a staple of the Japanese diet but the meals are more often sold in stores as opposed to made at home. I learned in class that making a kids lunch can take along time to prepare properly.

In the book “Out” I read recently groups of women work the night shift earning minimum wage all night preparing these meals to be later sold in convenience stores around the county. These women in the story had a hard time making ends meet as one of their husbands spent all their savings at the hostess club.  Not to repeat myself but it’s easy to see the unwinding and global undermining of tradition in modern Japan in something as simple as a box lunch. The time people are wiling to spend preparing food indicates a pace of life is faster.