Bento boxes can be small 🍱

A story about a bento I ate for the first time in a while that gave me a realization about 'satisfaction and bento boxes'.

Introduction

Bento boxes 🍱. No matter how old I get, this word always brings a sense of excitement.

Even if I've been betrayed by the taste of a bento many times (lol), as time passes, I find myself longing for one again without learning my lesson. And then, I eat a bento with a fresh perspective and immerse myself in a small moment of joy.

A bento box allows me to feel a fleeting moment of midday happiness, but today, I found myself thinking about food satisfaction and bento boxes once again. This article is me sharing those thoughts with you.

It's better not to think about the mechanics of a highly satisfying bento

I have written several articles about bento boxes in the past (see the bottom of the page).

However, they all focused on 'how to eat a bento deliciously'. Yes, I used to think that a satisfying bento was backed by solid mechanics and well-thought-out preparation.

But today, I was strangely able to break free from that way of thinking. I realized that there is a more important perspective to a highly satisfying bento beyond just the mechanics. Strange, isn't it? Especially since I am someone who desperately wants to have a delicious eating experience. I guess it's okay to let myself be carried away by such thoughts once in a while.

A perspective that moves away from thinking about how to eat a bento deliciously. A world of satisfaction that doesn't consider taste was expanding there.

What a box packed with favorite foods gives you

You see, bento boxes are the product of mothers everywhere racking their brains over nutritional balance, appearance, and how to make them taste good. Of course, I am grateful and truly thankful for that.

However, it seems that the satisfaction of a bento is not 'planned satisfaction'.

For lunch today, I had a bento with croquettes and pork fillet cutlets from my usual bento shop for the first time in a while. That shop is a long-established, casual bento place that has been around for decades, with a rich menu and affordable prices. The seasoning is repetitive, so if you eat it every day, you'll get tired of it, but it's a taste you always want to come back to periodically.

When I bought a bento there for the first time in a while, maybe it's just the sign of the times, but the croquettes and fillet cutlets had gotten smaller (lol). I ate it thinking, 'Well, it can't be helped.'

This isn't the first time I've felt they've gotten smaller. Which means I've had similar thoughts several times before. Yet, the sense of satisfaction after eating that bento hasn't dropped at all. Why is that?

It's because, by chance, all of my favorite foods were packed into that bento. Not just things I like. My absolute favorites. It was a bento where every single item was perfectly suited to my tastes.

A bento box smaller than the amount of side dishes gives me a blissful time.

My favorite side dishes are packed "snugly" into a small bento box.

The number of items doesn't have to be large. Heck, it doesn't even matter if the nutrition is unbalanced. Side dishes and rice neatly packed into a limited, small space visually appeal to the eater, forcing a sense of satisfaction that says, "Look, isn't this delicious (*'▽')?" (lol). Oh, in short, it means you can use visual elements to enjoy eating your bento.

Since the amount in a bento is limited and you're basically eating it cold, it's fine to just include the things you like. Even if you think about nutritional balance, it's only for one meal and a small amount at that. It's negligible, really (lol)! So, in extreme cases, a one-item bento is perfectly fine.

Whether it's a pickled plum, bonito flakes, or just rice with furikake sprinkled on it,if it's packed "snugly" into a small bento box. And if it's something you love, the amount won't affect your level of satisfaction.

I'm not saying this because today's bento experience was my first; it's based on my experience eating many different bentos, so it's pretty accurate ＾＾.

To all the mothers out there, when you make a bento for your child, try packing just a few of their favorite things "snugly" once in a while. Children who come home having eaten it will definitely say, "Today's bento was delicious! Make it again!" And being able to say that is proof of satisfaction, which leads to excitement for the next satisfying meal.

You can experience that most easily with homemade bentos. You won't be able to eat homemade bentos forever, after all. That's exactly why if you cherish each meal, you'll be able to look back on it later as a good experience.

Oh, right, after perfect satisfaction, this is usually what happens to me.

Now, next up is ramen 🍜. Shall we go for it (*'▽')~

#Didn't you just say you were satisfied
#Well, I did eat it, though#I guess you want to go for more because you were satisfied
#Anything is fine if you can be satisfied

wwwww

#What are you talking about

Now, what shall I try tomorrow?

Click here for past articles about bentos 😋

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