Oct 4, 2024
TtoE bento box meal x 2
Search my other blogs starting with TtoE (an abbreviation of Tone to Edo), and you’ll see many healthful, seasonal, and economical dishes I make. Some blogs are about dinners, others bento box lunches.
I’m in the habit of cooking nearly every meal I eat, but sometimes I’m so busy that I don’t have time to cook rice and okazu side dishes. So I resort to supermarket bento box meals. Sure, they’re appealing, filling, and generally full of good nutrition. However, some lack veggies.
One strategy I use when I’m in a hurry, hungry, and need a bento box lunch for the next day, is bento remake. This hamburg bento is 大盛 oomori, or large portion, which usually refers to the helping of rice.
From my fridge and pantry stock, I prep some ingredients for fried rice. Twenty minutes later, I’ve got two meals - a donburi bento with some leftover chicken in a reused takeout container
and a decent dinner with lots of nutrition.
One scary anecdote - a former foreign resident I know depended on bento box meals and got beriberi! The condition, called 脚気 kakke in Japanese, is the result of depending on rice for calories which means not enough Vitamin B1. The Japanese naval physician Takaki Kanehiro back in the 19th century is credited for realizing beriberi was resolved by nutrition. Be like Dr. Takaki.
Do you get bento box meals? Do you think they're okay or deficient in healthful content?
3 Comments
genkidesu
on Oct 4
We don't typically get bento meals mainly because it's more economical for us to cook, but our vice as a family is sweets...which aren't really known for their healthful qualities! The bento here though are a lot better than ready made meals I've seen in a lot of other countries where many items are just deep fried.
TonetoEdo
on Oct 4
@genkidesu Ah, I guess I should have been more explicit about cooking for one. And agreed, the quality and variety in bentos and ready meals are generally very good here. My vices are snacks and beer!
BigfamJapan
on Oct 4
Both my husband and I take a night off cooking every Saturday. Sometimes we go out to dinner, sometime we pick up bento at a supermarket or street food, but most often we get Hotto Motto. I love Hotto Motto! We are lucky that we don't have to make bento for the kids, but might have to from next year when DS goes to high school!