WE HAVE all packed or consumed bento at some point of time in our lives. Bento is the Japanese art of packing lunch, which is a single portion of takeout or home-packed meal. There are simple bentos, like those in a Japanese Restaurant or the normal baon (packed lunches) moms send to school. For those following the old school calendar, it is back to the school and baon again for us in a few more days.
Bento is an interesting craft that puts the extra in the ordinary lunch box, making it extraordinary. Aside from simple bento, there’s the more complex kyaraben or character bento, where rice or other dishes are morphed into kids’ favorite characters. This is my favorite type of bento. Other bento-holic moms spend an hour or more crafting their creations.
Since I am always pressed for time in the weekday morning rush with kids to chauffer to school, plus myself with work, I have taken to speedy character bentos that don’t require too much fuss. The key is not picture-perfection anyway. I just want to ensure my kids have fun and actually eat what I send.
Why bento?
I started bento when my oldest daughter began to spend her whole day in school at grade two (she’s 14 now). She was a very picky-eater and barely touched her lunches. I wanted to bring her home to feed her, but she begged to spend time with her friends in school.
Bento enticed her to eat because it is really a feast for the eyes. There’s a saying that the eyes eat first before the mouth. And it somehow rings true because even adults won’t touch food that looks unappetizing. Morphing my daughter’s rice into cute stuff was a novelty that worked.
My middle child also got bento lunches even if he already ate well. Bento allowed me to manage my kids’ portions with a balance of go (carbs), grow (protein), and glow (fruits and veggies). It made both of them very receptive to try new things and helped develop their palates.
They also said it made their school lunches more enjoyable. Their classmates often go to their tables examining the contents. Some kids are even tempted to find out more about kimchi rice, tamago rolls, bittermelon, mango-kani salad, and other interesting dishes in their baon. Cute food definitely paves way for socialization.
Mom’s Turn to Play with Food
In addition, engaging in bento is a therapeutic way for me to release my creative energy. It does not really require too much time. The way I see it, I’d get up to make their lunches anyway, so I go the extra-mile to make them cute. The additional 10 minutes to “cutiefy” boxed lunches are always worth it.
Bento is really fun because I get to be a kid again, “playing with my food”. This time around, my mom will definitely not get mad at me. Styling is also not as hard as it looks. There are bento tools like punchers, moulds, cutters, food separators, and the like. They’re available in Japanese Stores like Daiso (Gaisano and Centrio), Japan Home (LimKetKai), and Minisio (SM Premier). I’ve also seen cutters in Monster Kitchen.
However, my go-to gadgets are the basics: plastic wrap (for shaping rice like clay), scissors for cutting the nori (seaweed), ham, or cheese for the decors, and food tweezers to put them all into place. Bread can also be made into bento and can be made into balls with plastic wrap. See, no need for fancy stuff to make creative food!
Lunchbox Love Notes
The most important part of my kids’ lunches for me are the handwritten notes I send taped to the food container or placed via toothpicks on fruits. Sometimes, it is as simple as having: “you are sFISHal to me” with rice shaped into fish. It could also be a lesson like: “Smiling is contagious INFECT everyone!" with smiley yellow rice. It could be a funny riddle too, like: “What do pigs say when they feel grateful? thOINK you!” with a pig themed lunch.
Notes make me feel connected to my children even when we are apart. It is a way for me to show how much I love them and that I am thinking of them throughout my day. And of course, it would be nice if they think of me too when they see my handwriting.
My two older bento clients no longer need this because they cook and eat lunch in school as part of the program. They’ve grown too cool for bento. Ah, high schoolers!
For a little while, my 4-year old mimicked his older siblings. I once tried to make him Olaf rice, and he didn’t want to “kill” the poor snowman. Bento fail! There’s really no point in making food cute if he doesn’t eat it. But then again, I can always make it just for me.
Thankfully, just a few weeks back, my little boy started to show interest again in cute food, which is timely because he is starting kinder this June. I ended up stalking my own Instagram @orochronicles for his snack box ideas.
If you want to see more creative packed lunches, check out my site: www.orochronicles.com . With imagination, sky’s the limit. And of course, don’t forget to pack the most important ingredient: love. Food made with love fills up not just the stomach but the heart too. Happy eating!
