colorful additions to obento boxes, but again, my kids won’t touch them. ;ey’ll eat crisp orange baby carrots, tree-like broccoli stalks, and cool, green-and-white circles of English cucumber. Treat American taste buds tend to think of “treats” as something made of re;ned sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Japanese taste buds still think ;rst of fruit. Luckily, many American schools, including my daughter’s, now have rules against packing high-sugar treats in lunch boxes, and American grocery stores and farmers’ markets are stocked with a rainbow of fruits. I also keep frozen and canned fruit on hand to use in a pinch.
While most American moms would be happy just to be able to balance the ;:;:;:; ratio, Japanese moms go one step further: presentation. A Japanese obento lunch not only tastes good, it’s visually appealing. Japanese moms strive to include in every lunch something green, something yellow, and something red. Try throwing a handful of cherry tomatoes or a few slices of kiwi into your child’s lunch to both liven it up and give it a nutritional punch. Along with color, Japanese moms are also conscious of texture and taste—fruits and vegetables are a great way to wake up the taste buds a;er a ho-hum peanut-butter sandwich.
As if that weren’t enough, some Japanese moms make their obento into culinary masterpieces. ;ey shape rice and cut nori (seaweed paper) into popular cartoon characters, carve fruit into animals, and use canapé cutters to make carrots that look like mini ;owers. But while the results are beautiful, I just don’t have that kind of time.
Instead, I cheat. I cut crustless
Play with your food!
Core and cut apple into thumb-sized sections. With very sharp knife, cut underneath apple peel, leaving only the last third of peel still attached to apple. At the halfway point, cut a V into the peel. Bend the V-shaped flap up slightly to create bunny ears.
Japanese moms dip their bunnies in salty water to keep them from browning. I prefer Fruit-Fresh, or dust the apples lightly with cinnamon to hide discoloration.
With very sharp knife, slice a tiny sausage (like
Lit’l Smokies) from the center out to create four tentacles for your octopus. Cut each leg a second time, but not all the way up. Sauté until browned, and legs have curled up a little. Drain on paper towels to absorb excess grease.
Japanese moms will add dots of ketchup for eyes and a mouth, and cut a piece of nori to tie around the octopus’s head like a headband. In
Japan, a headband is a sign of hard work—a subtle reminder from Mom to work hard at school.
DINOSAUR;EGG KIWI With sharp knife or the V-end of a melon cutter, cut zigzag pattern around the diameter of a kiwi. Gently pull halves apart. Don’t forget to pack a spoon to scoop out the inside.
Fold a circular slice of ham in half. From the edge, roll the ham into a cone. Secure ham rose with a colorful fruit pick.
Feeling ambitious? Serve your kids a bouquet for lunch. Put down a layer of spinach leaves, add a few ham roses, and use your canapé cutters to carve some Cheddar-cheese tulips. (See photo on page 74.)
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