Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: The Exquisite Humiliation of Bento

Friday, April 4, 2008

The Exquisite Humiliation of Bento

There's nothing like a well-packed Bento Box to make you realize what a totally inadequate lunch-packer -- and let's face it, parent -- you are. Thought you were doing a good job, did you? Putting a lot of love into it? Thinking about what your kids like and how to maximize the moment of suprise and happiness when your kid opens up his or her lunchbox and sees -- aww, a yogurt-squeezie! Maybe a fruit leather!

That's okay. I'm more than willing to realize my inadequacies as a lunchbox-packer (and parent) so I am able to fully enjoy the art of Bento. Or Face Food. Or let's just call by its best name: Bento porn.

These pictures are from facefoodbento.blogspot.com/
Another favorite, more american version is lunchinabox.net

In between bouts of awe and shame, I have garnered little tips from the Bento-packers, like trying to fit everything into one box (sometimes) so that everything is visible at once. This also means you can put in a few little things, like a couple cherry tomatoes, a couple carrot coins, or whatever.

AND ... I've adopted the Octo-DOG. This is a classic lunchbox fixture in Japan. My four-year old loves these. I stayed away from hotdogs because - yuk, hotdogs! - until a friend at my son's bustop told me she was using organic chicken dogs with no nitrates.

So.. voila: my daughter's new favorite lunch time treat (posing here as an afterschool snack)

If I hadn't shown really amazing awesome Bento before I showed mine, would my octo-dog have been more impressive? Luckily, my daughter has never seen the real stuff.

4 comments:

Jamie said...: So... you're saying that my deviation from the turkey sandwich and venturing into the land of peanut butter on crackers is not something I should actually be proud of?; April 4, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Anonymous said...: You know I am totally against the entire ideology behind homeschooling, but the thought that I might have to pack lunches that involve this degree of complexity is making me change my mind.; April 4, 2008 at 9:43 PM
doodlysquat said...: Cheese and crackers are a fine accomplishment, Jamie. I seek to achieve it myself someday.

Anonymous, I would recommend not moving to Japan. I think you're safe here with pb&j and a juice box.; April 13, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Your octopus is SO totally cute! And I like it best of all the pics you featured on your entry, because let's face it - the octopus is actually doable by most of us. Thanks for sharing the great idea!; April 15, 2008 at 6:09 PM

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The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)