And now for something completely different!

I'd like to introduce you to a delightful culinary tradition from Japan, known as Bento (AKA the coolest boxed lunches you've ever seen in your life). Seriously, these meals will make your brown-bag lunches from grade school want to go weep in a corner. They are amazingly awesome, profoundly unique examples of how the Japanese successfully intigrate art and life on a daily basis.


THIS is an example of a bento box:



Yes, it's all edible. Yes, it's adorable. Yes, that's a rice ball shaped like a penguin.


Bento can be traced back to the 5th century in Japan, where farmers and field workers would take boxed lunches to work with them. It has transformed over the years into a competative art form. Many Japanese women begin their mornings by creating bento boxes for their spouses and children.




Bento boxes are compartmentalized boxes which are used to hold single portions of different foods. Usually the boxes consist of large portions of noodles or rice, a protein, and vegetables. They are common with school children, and surprisingly, with adults at work.


You can order your own bento boxes online, off of e-bay, or from specialty shops that sell Japanese goods.

To get a better idea of what bento boxes can be like, here is a mini gallery:

Now don't you feel cheated after all those years of oreos and ham sandwiches in brown paper bags? I sure do.