The Office Lunch Bento

Here's a picture of a typical daily lunch bento, about $3.50. It is delivered to the office by an outside company each day, which is really convenient. It comes with miso soup. At the end of the month, the company deducts the cost from my pay check. Of course, the lunch bento is optional. I find that just under 50% of the people in the office order it. The rest head out on the streets to local restaurants, soup shops, bento shops, convenience stores, etc.

The lunch bento menu is different each day and the meal is designed to be dietetically balanced for food groups, calories, etc. The first few months after I arrived here I wondered how I could order 2 of them as I was never full after just one. Now, I sometimes don't eat all of the rice as I have learned to stop eating before my stomach feels completely full. It's very cultural to stop eating when the stomach feels about 70-80% full.

Most of the people that don't order the lunch bento tell me that they may not be in the mood for a particular menu on a particular day, so they would rather see what their food mood is on a given day and then find it nearby. As for the taste? Well, it is cafeteria grade food, but for the cost and convenience, it’s a lot better than heading out in rain/cold weather or hot/humid weather. After eating the lunch bento, some folks take a nap at their desk. Others head off to the smoking room. I prefer taking a walk outside to stretch my legs and see what new stuff has arrived in shops nearby, or just to observe the lunch time culture of people whirling around.