A Taste of Japan: Bento (boxed lunch)

In Japan, a packed lunch isn't just having your parents make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an apple, it's an elaborate and competitive presentation. Traditionally, bento boxes look very fancy, with many different compartments and lacquered wood. Today, bento boxes have different pictures like hello kitty or flowers and are made up of aluminum and plastic. Bento boxes can be lunches for a picnic, private parties, school, or work. For a child, a bento box symbolizes the love and affection of their parents and how popular they will be in school based on how their bento box looks. Parents have to show their love in other ways, because of Japan's customs of not showing emotion to others. A bento box usually consists of white rice or noodles and side dishes such as tofu, meat, eggs, fruit, or vegetables. This is all planned out with the parents giving the right amount of food to keep their children healthy. Other types of bentos are Aiso (girls make it for their crush), Sake (rice with a slice of salmon), Tori (rice, vegetables, chicken), Sushizume (filled with sushi), etc. You can buy bentos at any local Asian store or make it at home adapting the bento to your own tastes. Here's a link to make your own onigiri (sticky rice) bento:
http://justbento.com/bento-no-37-onigiri-bento-box-action-okowa-sticky-rice-onigiri




sources: http://www.airandangels.com/bentobox/intro.html