The typical Japanese family's kitchen is changing. Stay-at-home moms are investing in sketchbooks, drawing boards, tweezers, nail scissors and scalpels to create culinary wonders. The traditional Bento box (lunchbox) is getting a makeover. Most school children pack a bento box every day and they are frequently purchased by office workers in train stations, convenience stores and cafeterias. But take a closer at what the kids are bringing to school these days.
Fewer kids and increased household income means that housewives are finding more time on there hands to cater to their children’s needs and desires. Combining classic Japanese precision and aesthetics with a desire to create delicious, nutritious and exciting meals for their children has led many women to create amazing edible wonders.Trendy artistic themes include seasonal motifs, cartoon characters, animals and food. The 'watermelon' above is made of seaweed, avacodo, salmon, and black seseame seeds for the pips. The details are prized by kids who take great pride in their mother’s efforts.
Housewives have featured their lunchbox exhibitions in cookbooks, online journals, and tv programs such as Yayoi Brown's creations. One woman has even started a blog, Rico & Coco, dedicated to her art.Call me old fashioned, but I think it is mad to spend hours meticulously creating a work of art that will be gobbled down by a six year old in five minutes flat.
Food imitates art imitating food
2 comments:
This is funny. Though I can't really laugh too much, because my dear mother spent hours squeezing every bit of her creative skills to make my lunch interesting and appealing for me to eat anything - I used to not eat food...
Thanks Malacoda for your typically insightful comment (in case you didn't get it, that was English sarcasm).
Mambo, you have one great mom, I hope you appreciate her!
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