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When my European friend, whose four-year-old is going to a Japanese school, first mentioned the term "bento stress," I did not have a clue what she meant. But after chatting with some Japanese mothers, I began to realize that preparing a lunch box in Japan goes way beyond simply spreading peanut butter on sliced bread.
It is even more than making the meal look appetizing. It is a religion, it is an art, and it is a science, with a huge industry of tools and how-to books surrounding it. In Japan, it’s all about presentation. This demands creative skills, talent, dedication, commitment and—most importantly—time.
My friend Keiko, a Japanese housewife and mother of two, used to get up an hour early every day to prepare a bento for her kids. Another Japanese lady confessed to me that she spent 30 minutes create the perfect bento box for her son. She did this every day for 12 years.
Over the past few years an unofficial competition has sprung up among mothers to equip their kids with the most unique, creative (and of course nutritiously-balanced) lunch boxes. In great demand are the so-called kyaraben (character bentos) that contain exquisite food art that looks like cartoon characters, animals or even scenes from movies. In the beginning, fun bentos were intended to encourage a wider range of eating habits among children, but now it has evolved to the point where national contests are being held.
“Before starting to eat their lunch, children showcase their boxes to their friends,” Keiko tells me. “If my kids fail to bring a nice lunch box, the other children might give them a hard time.” Seriously? Kids run the risk of getting bullied because their lunch does not look beautiful? This is a hard concept for me to comprehend, but it is echoed by several other parents.
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4 Comments
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Pukey2
This is crazy. As if parents don't have enough stress worrying about their kids' homework, uniforms, meetings, mom pack mentality, bullying, etc. One of my colleagues is quitting work next month, not because she's going to have a baby but because her kid was going to start school. I don't know where to begin.
I remember growing up in my home country. My mother hardly needed to do anything and I still grew up just as well as the guy next door, all the way up to university.
Rob-3
Since students are required to wear a uniform, and there are very strict rules on how to wear them, I guess the only thing they have that can be used to "show off" is their lunch.
Here in the States, public schools in particular, kids are judged by their peers on the brand clothes and shoes they wear. Sadly this is also seen with adults.
I was raised by my Japanese grandmother in Hawaii and she didn't go out of her way to make me a "pretty" bento lunch. But she at least made it look neat and tidy (the only way I can describe it).