Bento
A bento (
A traditional bento typically includes rice or noodles with fish or some other meat, often with pickled and cooked vegetables in a box.[2] Containers range from mass-produced disposables to hand-crafted lacquerware. Dividers are often used to separate ingredients or dishes, especially those with strong flavors, to avoid them affecting the taste of the rest of the meal. A typical divider is green plastic grass, also known as the 'sushi grass'. This also works to slow the growth of bacteria.[3]
Bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (
There are comparable forms of boxed lunches in other Asian countries such as in China, Taiwan and other Sinophone communities known as héfàn (盒饭) or biàndāng in Mandarin and piān-tong in Taiwanese Hokkien or in Korea as dosirak (Hangul: 도시락). Other Asian countries would either just use bento as a loanword or hokben, which means steaming bento. There has also been discussion regarding what the bento means for Japanese society and what it represents. The analyses range from a simple semiotic approach to one that outlines the deeper ideological meanings behind the bento.
Etymology
[edit]In Japan, "bento" is written in kanji as
History
[edit]The increased popularity of bento and its term can be traced back to the 12th century during the Kamakura period, when cooked and dried rice called hoshi-ii (
In the Edo period (1603–1867), bento culture spread and became more refined. Travelers and sightseers would carry a simple koshibentō (
In the Meiji period (1868–1912), the first ekibentō or ekiben (
In the Taishō period (1912–1926), the aluminum bento box became a luxury item because of its ease of cleaning and its silver-like appearance. Also, a move to abolish the practice of bento in school became a social issue. Disparities in wealth spread during this period after an export boom during World War I and subsequent crop failures in the Tohoku region. A bento too often reflected a student's wealth, and many wondered if this had an unfavorable influence on children both physically, from lack of adequate diet, and psychologically, from a clumsily made bento or the richness of food. After World War II, the practice of bringing bentos to school gradually declined and was replaced by uniform food provided for all students and teachers.[8]
Bentos regained popularity in the 1980s, with the help of the microwave oven and the proliferation of convenience stores. In addition, the expensive wood and metal boxes have been replaced at most bento shops with inexpensive, disposable polystyrene boxes. However, even handmade bentos have made a comeback, and they are once again a common, although not universal, sight at Japanese schools. Bentos are still used by workers as a packed lunch, by families on day trips, as well as for school picnics and sports days. The bento, made at home, is wrapped in a furoshiki cloth, which acts as both bag and table mat.
Trends in Japanese bento
[edit]In recent years, bento has seen a variety of trends in Japan. Often, these trends lead to remarkable transformations in the consumption behavior of the Japanese. The following are examples of some of the trends in Japanese bento and their timeline.
Kyaraben (2000s–present) – cute bento shaped like characters.
High-quality nori bento (2010s–present) – Luxurious bento made with high-grade nori seaweed.
Single-serving size bento (2010s–present) – Large bento for large appetites.
Taco Rice Bento (2010s–present) – Bento featuring taco rice, a local dish of Okinawa Prefecture.
Frugal bento (2020s–present) – Bento boxes that are simple and unique are becoming popular.
In other countries
[edit]China
[edit]The Chinese word for boxed lunches is héfàn (盒饭), though biàndāng as a re-borrowing from Japanese may also be used. There are numerous regional styles, ranging from Northeastern Chinese lunch boxes[9] to the Hong Kong "two dishes with rice" lunch box.[10] Packed lunches would traditionally be carried in boxes known as shí hé (
Taiwan
[edit]The bento made its way to Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century during the Japanese colonial period and remains popular to the present day.[11] The Japanese name was borrowed into Taiwanese (piān-tong) and Hakka (phien-tông). A modern Taiwanese bento always includes protein, such as a crispy fried chicken leg, a piece of grilled mackerel and marinated pork chop, as well as the side dishes.[11] Taiwan Railway Bento is a well known bento manufactured and distributed by the Taiwan Railways Administration at major railway stations and in train cars. It is estimated that, with five million boxed meals sold per year, the annual revenue from bento distribution is 370 million NTD (approx. 10 million USD).[12]
Korea
[edit]In Korea, the packed lunch boxes are called Dosirak (also spelled "doshirak") (Hangul: 도시락) and they are either made at home or bought at the store. They are similar to Chinese and Japanese variations with some slight differences. Korean bento boxes are usually made with a few different vegetable and meat side dishes, often including a kimchi.[13]
Singapore
[edit]In Singapore, such packed lunch boxes are often acculturated and localised with cuisines slightly different to Japan. These may include roasted pork (similar to char siew) and soy eggs, as well as fried rice.[14] It has been a common method of meal preparation within Singaporean cuisine as early as the start of the 20th century, which was intensified during the Japanese occupation and cultural influences in subsequent decades, with Japanese-style bento also being common in the country today.
In 2021, the Singapore Food Tech Event showcased as to how bento of the future might look like for a sustainable food system.[15]
Culture
[edit]In Japan, it is common for mothers to make bento for their children to take to school. Because making bento can take a while, some mothers will prepare the ingredients the night before, and then assemble and pack everything the following morning before their children go to school.[16] It is often a social expectation of mothers to provide bento for their children, to create both a nutritionally balanced and aesthetically pleasing meal.[17] This activity is expected of the mother and emphasized by society at large,[17] and is common in nursery school institutions.
The traditional bento that is eaten at school or at work is most often prepared by the mother or the wife. However, it can also be bought in konbini (mini-markets) or from street vendors who appear on street corners at lunchtime. For those in a hurry who have to spend their lunch time aboard the shinkansen (bullet train), there is also the bento ekiben which, as its name suggests, is on sale in the train stations. Bento is also present in more solemn moments, even on the Japanese New Year's table for example. Then called osechi, it comes in two or three levels and contains expensive dishes that are eaten at this high point of the Japanese calendar.[citation needed]
Scholarship
[edit]Many scholars have written about the bento since the late 20th century. The foundation of their approach is based on the idea that food can carry many different meanings.[18]
In the 1970s, Chie Nakane used the ekiben, a specific type of bento sold in train stations, as a metaphor for group organization in Japan. By comparing this variant of bento to groups in Japan, he considered how different organizations in Japanese society often include identical components so it does not depend on any other groups for its success.[18] For O-Young Lee in 1984, the bento is utilized to present the reductionism tendencies of Japanese culture. All the food in this Japanese style lunch box is only able to be reduced to fit in a little box due to it being Japanese food; it naturally lends itself to being tightly packed.[19] Roland Barthes, on the other hand, used a symbolic approach to describe the lack of a centerpiece in Japanese food. He described the distinct contents of a bento box as a multitude of fragments or ornaments that are thrown together to beautify each other.[20] Joseph Jay Tobin in 1992 discussed how the meticulous assembly of individual bentos has been aided by the reinterpretation of Western goods, practices, and ideas through a process he classified as domestication.[21]
Types
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2022) |
By ingredients
[edit]- Hinomaru bento (
日 の丸 弁当 ) is the name for a bento consisting of plain white rice with an umeboshi in the centre. The name was taken from the Hinomaru, the Japanese flag, which has a white background with a red disc in the centre. Pure Hinomaru bento only consists of rice and umeboshi to flavor rice without any other side dishes. The metal bento boxes, once popular in Japan, were often corroded by the acid of umeboshi, eventually making a hole in the middle of the lid. - Noriben (
海苔 弁 ) is nori dipped in soy sauce covering cooked rice. - Sake bentō (
鮭 弁当 ) is a simple bento with a slice of broiled salmon as the main dish. - Tori bento (
鳥 弁当 ) consists of pieces of chicken cooked in sauce served over rice. It is a popular bento in Gunma Prefecture.
By style or container
[edit]- Kamameshi bentō (
釜飯 弁当 ) are sold at train stations in Nagano Prefecture. It is cooked and served in a clay pot. The pot is a souvenir item. - Kyaraben (キャラ
弁 ) is a bento with the contents arranged to look like popular characters from anime, manga, or video games. - Makunouchi bentō (
幕 の内 弁当 ) is a classic style of bento with rice, umeboshi, a slice of broiled salmon, and a rolled egg. - Shōkadō bentō (
松花堂 弁当 ) is a traditional black-lacquered bento box. It inspired IBM's (later sold to Lenovo) ThinkPad design.[22] - Wappameshi (わっぱめし) a cuisine served in a special round wooden bento-styled container.[23]
- Shikaeshiben (
仕返 し弁 ) is a "revenge" bento where wives make bentos to get back at their husband by writing insults in the food or making the bento inedible.[24]
By where they are sold
[edit]- Ekiben (
駅弁 ) is a bento sold at railway stations (eki) or onboard trains. There are many kinds of ekiben. Most are inexpensive and filling. - Hokaben (ホカ
弁 ) is any kind of bento bought at a take-out bento shops. Freshly cooked hot (hokahoka) rice is usually served with freshly prepared side dishes. The name was popularized after a pioneering take-out bento franchise in the field, Hokka Hokka Tei. - Shidashi bentō (
仕出 し弁当 ) is made in a restaurant and delivered during lunch. This bento is often eaten at a gathering like a funeral or a party. It is usually packed with traditional Japanese foods like tempura, rice and pickled vegetables. A shidashi bento packed with European-style food is also available. - Soraben (
空 弁 ) is a bento sold at airports.
Bento-related slang
[edit]- Hayaben (
早 弁 ), literally "early bento", is eating a bento before lunch and having another lunch afterward.
Gallery
[edit]-
Two typical homemade bento (one open, one wrapped) with furoshiki cloths.
-
Bento served at a restaurant in Japan
-
Orizume bentō (1)
-
Orizume bentō (2)
-
Okowa bento-styled meal served in a restaurant. Steamed glutinous rice with teriyaki chicken and cabbage
-
A set of stacking boxes[25] for bento called jūbako
-
Makunouchi bento
-
Hotto Motto , This modern restaurant specializes in bento take-out.
Trivia
[edit]See also
[edit]- Jūbako and sagejū: traditional containers of bento, typically lacquerware
- Plate lunch: a Hawaiian street food
- Tiffin carrier: an Indian lunchbox
- TV dinner: a western prepackaged frozen meal
References
[edit]- ^ "Bento". Dictionary.com.
- ^ a b "Bento: Changing New York's Lunch Culture," Chopsticks NY, vol. 27, July 2009, p. 10-11.
- ^ Gordenker, Alice, "The Actual Reason There’s Plastic Grass in Your Bento", Japanese Food Guide
- ^ Xu, Baohua; Tao, Huan (1997).
上海 方言 词典 [Shanghai Dialect Dictionary]. Nanjing: Jiangsu Educational Press. p. 119. ISBN 7-5343-3122-6. - ^ Bento
弁当 (べんとう)語源 由来 辞典 (Etymology Dictionary) - ^ Bento (Lunch Box) Archived 2020-10-03 at the Wayback Machine, Japan Hoppers, Retrieved on 29 May 2017
- ^ "Japanese Lunch Boxes - History". web-japan.org. Kids Web Japan. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ Buck, Stephanie (2016-09-09). "The controversial history of the bento box". Medium. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
- ^ irenelovesya (2023-05-23). "Dongbei Lunchbox: A Budget-Friendly Viral Lunch Option". www.thebeijinger.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ Editorial, Business Digest (2023-03-23). "【
兩 餸飯】兩 餸飯為 香港 經濟 不景氣 產物 ?談 兩 餸飯的 起源 ". Business Digest (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2024-02-09.{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ a b Chen, Karissa (2019-03-06). "Taiwan's Train Food Puts Amtrak to Shame". Eater. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
- ^
劉 文 駿 ,王 威 傑 & 楊森豪 (2003), pp. 137-142. - ^ "Korean lunchbox recipes from Cooking Korean food with Maangchi". www.maangchi.com. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Events and listings: CNY food deals, Nafa open house, Singapore Art Week events | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
Takeaway bento sets are also available, including Salted Egg Prawns with Egg Fried Rice and Honey Chicken Char Siew with Egg Frice Rice.
- ^ Ho, Sally (3 September 2021). "Singapore Food Tech Event Showcases Alt-Protein Innovations and Serves Bento Box of The Future". Green Queen. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Siegel, Bettina (28 September 2010). "The Adorable Lunch, Part 2: My Interview With Bento Moms". The Lunch Tray. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ a b Allison, Anne (2000). Permitted and Prohibited Desires. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 81–104.
- ^ a b Noguchi, Paul H. (1994). "Savor Slowly: Ekiben: The Fast Food of High-Speed Japan". Ethnology. 33 (4): 317–330. doi:10.2307/3773902. ISSN 0014-1828. JSTOR 3773902.
- ^ Yi, Ŏ-ryŏng (1984). Smaller is better : Japan's mastery of the miniature (1st English ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 0-87011-654-1. OCLC 10723642.
- ^ Barthes, Roland (1982). Empire of signs. Howard, Richard (First American ed.). New York. ISBN 0-8090-4222-3. OCLC 8587789.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Tobin, Joseph Jay (1992). Re-made in Japan : everyday life and consumer taste in a changing society. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05205-7. OCLC 25048328.
- ^ Golden, Peter (January 1, 1999). "Big Blue's big adventure". EDN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
- ^ "Savor Japan" (PDF). Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. 2018-09-21. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
- ^ "Revenge bento show us it's a dish best served cold (and boxed) with insults and hidden chilies". SoraNews24. 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
- ^ "Food and Dishware as Landscapes". Highlighting Japan. Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan. 2021-01-02. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
- ^ "Information warehouse of history 32. Hanami bento"
花見 弁当 [bento for hanami (flower-viewing picnic)]. Mie Prefecture (in Japanese). Mie, Japan. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2021-08-11.(rough translation): ..."hanami bento", formally called "sagejū" is...
Sources
[edit]劉 文 駿 ;王 威 傑 ; 楊森豪 (2003).百 年 台灣 鐵道 (in Chinese).果實 . ISBN 986-7796-11-X.