The Japanese are perfectionists. Be it the work they do or the food they eat, they prefer an organized approach.
When Japanese mothers pack food for their loved ones, they spend time and effort to make the portion appealing. For this, they use a special ‘Bento box,’ which is now trending on Instagram.
Bento boxes originated in Japan in the 16th century when a military commander named Oda Nobunaga fed large numbers of people at his castle by having food handed out to each individual. The word bento was coined to describe the simple meals that were distributed in this manner.
A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Today, the mothers have gotten creative and all sorts of munchies and scrunchies are decorated and packed in the box to encourage kids to eat healthy.
There are two styles of bento food: ‘Kyaraben’ and ‘Oekakiben.’ Kyaraben are typically decorated to look like popular characters from Japanese cartoons (anime), comic books (manga), or video games. In ‘Oekakiben,’ the food is decorated to look like flowers, fruits, people, and animals.
Check out these cool bento boxes on Instagram.