Obento

As with may other prosaic activities, Japanese have made an art form out of the lunch box. Obento is the term for the ubiquitous little wooden box lunches seen all over Japan. Making the contents visually interesting and harmonious in multiple facets is an art form practiced by a growing number of people around the world.

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First there are the containers and dividers taking a variety of shapes from traditional wood and lacquer to animal shapes and complex designs. Next comes the food, which traditionally contains the five basic colors and five basic tastes. In addition the textures should vary as should the type of food.

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In many instances these requirements fit in with modern ideas of nutrition encouraging the use of colorful green vegetables and antioxidant rich fruits, along with limited portions of the food.

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Now comes the interesting aspects of sculpting the items in the food with a common theme such as bunnies or sumo wrestlers or famous cartoon characters. Its amazing to me how much effort people go to to create such edible art that lasts only for a morning before being consumed. This fits a theme in Japanese culture of the fragility of beauty in the world though I liken it more to the art of Christo who creates temporary tableau with material giving some added form to nature.

Naturally some housewives in Japan have gone overboard with their designs to make the most interesting lunch box for their children, as will no doubt occur in the US. On the whole however, as believer in the Bauhaus ethic I see this as another reflection of the innate desire in humans to create art in every day activities, regardless of background or training.