Obento

The construction of a bento box is an important part of the relationship between, among other things, the Japanese mother and her child. The care that is put into these boxes serves as a way for the mother to both nourish and support her child as they enter the rigid world of Japan’s educational system. Although there are many facets to the bento relationship what really stood out to me as I constructed my first bento was the amount of caring that a bento symbolizes. It is not a hasty process and requires a lot of planning in order to buy and prepare foods for a bento. The organization of the box should be visually appealing and is largely based on the contrast of colors, tastes, and textures. What is more since the box’s entire contents are supposed to be consumed and done so in a fairly speedy fashion thought must be given to whether or not the items chosen are appealing to the recipient. This neccesity results in the creator of the bento doing so with thoughts of the recipient on the forefront of their mind and a workable knowledge of the personality of said recipient is key. To prepare a bento is to share with the recipient your knowledge of their personality. By creating something that is both asthetically pleasing and nourishing mothers are able to give to their child a tangible example of their love.