Bento is a kind of Japanese food that I never forget.

Japanese cuisine has become very familiar in Vietnam in particular and in the world in general. It is easy to see Japanese restaurants in the streets of Hanoi. Even small supermarkets also have Japanese food stalls selling some products such as sushi, udon noodles,…

It is fortunate for me to have the opportunity to come to beautiful Japan to enjoy the cuisine here. The thing impressed deeply me was the amazing presentation of the dish along with the glorious but harmonious color that made each dish a work of art. Bento is our lunch whenever we have long trips on the bus or high-speed train. These are cute boxes divided into small parts where put the beautiful food.

The first mention in the history of a bento-style lunch was in the Kamakura Period (from 1185 to 1333), when a process for making cooked, dried rice became popular. The rice could be stored in traditional lacquer boxes and kept to eat later. The word Bento 弁当 means ‘convenient’, which is funny if you think about it because while the bento box might be convenient to eat because of it’s all-included, packaged up form, it’s certainly not convenient to make! A typical bento box will comprise of plain white rice, fish (or meat), and vegetables in cooked or pickled form.

Kyaraben キャラ弁(Cute character bento) is an example of bento boxes heavily features the cute lunch boxes that are filled with intricately crafted designs. The idea behind the cute designs was, initially, to encourage Japanese children to eat a variety of healthy foods, but these days the cute designs are popular with everyone. It is traditional for a Japanese housewife to wake up early and prepare a cute lunch box not just for her children, but also for her husband. Character Bento’s can be designed so that the food looks like popular cartoon characters, animals, people and landscapes.

Bento of course is a one example of Japanese food which shows outstanding appearance. For me, bento is a kind of Japanese food that I never forget.