This is not your typical lunch box (at least not in Canada, it isn't)!

When I was teaching in Japan, one of my students gave me a bento box. It was just a plain double decker bento box with separators/dividers. It also had a spot to store chopsticks. This was perfect for me because I have never been a sandwich kinda gal. Sandwiches for lunch just seemed so boring to me. Plus, I'm not much of a bread eater to begin with. Gourmet sandwiches or Paninis are great, but regular, plain 'ol sandwiches don't quite do it for me. Funny, because Hubby loves regular, plain 'ol sandwiches!

Anyway, the bento box is fantastic because you can make sure you have all the food groups, it's portable, compact, and the best part...it's portion controlled!
When I was in Japan (1998-2000), many Japanese mothers were stay-at-home moms. Times are changing and I don't know what the work situation is like in Japan now, but when I was there it wasn't the norm for a mom to work outside of the home.

Mothers took care in preparing their husbands' and children's lunches. I was shocked to see all the time and effort put into preparing a bento box.

I used to stare in awe (yes, I know it's impolite to stare) when I saw some of the lunches my young students brought! I told them that my Mom never made lunches that fancy for me when I was a kid. The students told me that it was a mom's way of showing she cared. Plus, presentation is very important in Japanese culture. My students in turn were shocked to hear that my Mom packed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple and a juice box for lunch. To me, that was a cool lunch when I was a kid!

Some of my adult students were Japanese housewives who studied English twice a week as a "hobby". I was so curious about the bento boxes that when my teaching contract finished and I was set to return to Canada after my two years in Japan, my students got me a Japanese cooking class as my sayonara present. One of the things I learned how to make was a bento lunch. The detail and prep work involved was pretty crazy! I realize that not all moms in Japan go to great lengths to make a bento like this: or this: or this: or even this: Pretty wild, eh?

*All images found on Google Images*