Lunch Time!

A few different people have asked me about some of the difference between America and Japan. One that I haven't really mentioned yet is school lunch, or lunch in general really.

The high school students bring their own lunch, but the junior high students get bentos. A bento is basically a japanese lunch box consisting of a full, single serving meal. Even the high school students will bring their own packed bentos from home. They are a bit smaller to make them more portable, but they are essentially the same as what I've shown below. The biggest difference is that since bentos are such a thing here, the students have all different kinds of bentos decorated in all different ways. It's like how kids used to carry lunch boxes before they were appropriated and ruined by hipsters.

I am fortunate enough to be able to pay monthly to enjoy junior high lunch everyday. I really like almost all of the food, and I don't have to think about packing my own lunch. Here is a little sample of what lunch looks like everyday.

There's sometimes some variety, but usually there is one large container filled with different foods, a smaller container of rice, a milk, and some kind of fruit/dessert (the jello-like substance at the top of the picture). Some days there is soup or a salad, but before you open things up it tends to look pretty much the same.

Here's what it looks like after you take of the lids. There's usually a protein (I've already forgotten what this was, but it's usually fish, tofu, or chicken) and a few sides that range from seaweed, to lentils, to other japanese specific cuisine such as the two lumps to the far right. I still don't know what they are, but they were delicious. 

Sudachi-kun loves milk and well folded milk boxes!!!

Heather posted earlier about how diligent the Japanese are with trash separation. School lunch is no different. Not only do I separate my milk, my straw, the plastic my straw is packaged in, and any other plastic or paper container, but there is a special way to fold the milk carton! For the first couple of days I had no idea what I was doing, but now, as you can see, I can fold my milk carton with the best of them. Look how excited Sudachi-kun is that I folded it correctly!

Here is a picture of the trash separation. Everything has its place, and it is all done meticulously. At first I thought it was weird, but now it has just become second nature. 

Here is a much larger picture of the lunch menu that you can see at the bottom of the previous picture. If you look closely you can see that each part of the lunch and where it will go in the bento is listed out. I can't decide if I'll be really happy once I can read all these or really sad because lunch will no longer be a fun surprise!

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