The document provides information about Japanese bento lunches. It discusses washoku or Japanese cuisine which focuses on seasonal, balanced, small portions and beauty. It introduces obento or "lunch in a box" and includes photos of different types of bento including picnic, train station, character, and everyday bentos. It outlines design specifications for bento including being portable, aesthetically appealing, balanced nutrition, using Japanese techniques or seasonal components, and considering the consumer. Tables show recommended bento box sizes and calorie amounts based on age and gender. The document proposes a teaching unit on bento including investigating bento through research and demonstrations, designing a bento using given specifications, planning and creating a bento, and evaluating the

1. Bento
Japanese Lunch

2. Washoku
- Japanese Cuisine
● Seasonal
● Balanced
● Small Portions
● Beautiful
Photo Credit: www.wahokufood.blogspot.com

3. Japanese Spinning Top

4. Obento
“Lunch in a box”
Photo Credit: www.justbento.com

5. Obento Meal

6. Picnic Bento
Photo Credit: www.soyandpepper.com

7. Ekiben/ Eki Bento
Train station Bento

8. Character Bento
Photo Credit;
www.foodforlife.co.uk

9. Everyday Bento
Photo Credits: www.justbento.com

10. Bento Components
(Design Specifications)
● Portable - food safety & visual
● Aesthetically appealing
● Balanced Nutrition
○ 4 parts rice: 2 parts protein: 1 part other
ingredients
● Japanese techniques or seasonal
components
● Consider the consumer’s likes/dietary
restrictions

11. Bento Size
Age
(Men)
Avg. height
(in cm)
Calories per meal
(kcal)
Bento Box Size
(in ml)
6-8
117-128
500-550
500
9-11
133-145
600-650
600
12-14
160
885
900
15-17
170
920
900
18-20’
s
171
885
900
30’s
40’s
170
170
885
885
116-128
500-550
500
9-11
134-147
600-650
600
12-14
155
770
700
15-17
157
735
700
18-20’
s
158
685
600
30’s
157
670
600
40’s
157
670
600
152
650
600
152
650
600
70’s
400
400
60’s
450
450
50’s
85-110
85-110
6-8
3-5
3-5
147
520
500
900
900
50’s
165
800
800
60’s
165
800
800
70’s
160
620
600
80’s
160
620
600
* Source: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/yellowstudio/c/0000000352/
80’s
147
520
500
* Source: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/yellowstudio/c/0000000352/

12. Teaching Bento Unit
● Investigation (Inquiring & Analyzing)
○ Access Prior Knowledge
○ Watch bento video from BBC & Japanese commercial
○ Investigate Obento through cookbooks, internet,
interviews
○ Investigate and Test Kitchen different common Bento
Techniques
■ Demonstrations
■ Food Lab Bento Technique Stations - QR codes

13. QR Codes

14. Teaching Bento Unit
● Design (Developing Ideas)
○
Set design specifications (given or created by
students)
○
Potential ideas
○
Design Justification
○
Sketching
■
Recipes (if needed)
■
Techniques

15. Teaching Bento Unit
● Plan and Create (Creating a Solution)
○
Create step-by-step
○
To be created in one class period
○
Create Bento
○
Final Product Photo

16. Teaching Bento Unit
● Evaluate (Evaluating)
○
Feedback from consumer
○
Objective feedback from others
○
Reflect on process and product

17. Resources
Just Bento
Adventures in Bentomaking
Happy Little Bento
Japanese Cooking 101 YouTube Channel
Other resources in Shared Dropbox folder

18. Bento Challenge
Now it’s your turn -
Your challenge:
Create a balanced, attractive
bento lunch using the pantry items provided