Bento from a convenience store
Takoyaki
| Office workers typically lunch on bento,
boxed meals consisting of rice accompanied by one or more fish, meat, and vegetable
side dishes. Box lunches were traditionally prepared by the wife or mother of
the household, but nowadays most people buy them at convenience
stores or special lunchbox shops. Lunchboxes are also sold in the food courts
found on the basement levels of department stores. Among their dizzying array
of food items, which range from snacks to entrees and desserts, department-store
basements offer a wide selection of Japanese, Western, and Chinese lunchboxes.
(The food floor is by far the most crowded area in a department store these days.)
One of the most popular box meals is the standard makunouchi
bento, which features various side dishes. Other commonly ordered lunchboxes
have one or two side dishes, such as Japanese-style fried chicken, grilled fish,
or Chinese-style meat and vegetables.
Wherever lunchboxes are sold, one can also find onigiri (rice balls). Rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed have been a favorite snack of the Japanese since ancient times. The rice balls contain such fillings as pickled plum, fish, seaweed, or nontraditional ingredients like a tuna-and-mayonnaise mixture. Recently rice balls filled with tempura or high-end ingredients have emerged to tempt the gourmet palate, and rice-ball specialty shops have been opening all over the place. The longstanding popularity of these simple meals appears likely to endure. Lunchboxes typically cost ¥400 - ¥600, and rice balls are ¥100 - ¥200 each. As takeout items, both lunchboxes and rice balls are generally consumed at the office or in a park. Other traditional Japanese foods that lend themselves to a quick meal on the go include yakisoba (soba noodles with sautéed pork in a tangy brown sauce), takoyaki (small balls of pancake-like mixture containing pieces of octopus, red ginger, and thin slices of dried bonito), and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes made with shredded cabbage and such ingredients as pork, squid, or shrimp). With all of these foods readily available to satisfy hunger at a moment's notice, Tokyo certainly is a fast-food paradise. |
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