Each year we make the same resolutions: Find a new job, learn how to save money, pick up a hobby, lose weight. I can't help you with most of those, but I can suggest a way to drop a couple of pounds. Eat a bento for lunch every day.
A "bento" itself is just a box that happens to have a long history of feeding everyone in Japan. What goes inside that box is the key to healthier eating. Bento originated as a simple rice ball, Japanese pickles, and broiled fish, but include anything and everything delicious. Sold at airports, train stations, and grocery stores, bento can be found everywhere in Japan and is an important part of Japanese food culture.
"As for the eating habits of Americans, the balance is not so good," says Toru Furukawa, president of Fuji Catering, a bento-making company located in Chinatown. His solution to that imbalance: Bento. A typical bento from Fuji Catering brings together a balance of protein (meat or fish), vegetables, and starch (rice or noodles) in an eco-friendly box to provide a nutritious lunch.
For Furukawa, bento isn't simply a lunch option; it's a way of life. Born into a bento family – Furukawa's grandfather started a Tokyo-based bento company more than forty-five year ago, which was subsequently run by Toru's father and is now run by his brother – Furukawa lives and breathes bento. He wakes up at 4 o' clock every morning to prepare bento, he dreams about creating the perfect menus for bento, he even wanted to name his son Bento. (Furukawa's wife intervened; the boy, born in September, is named Kanta.) Furukawa brought this passion for bento from Japan to New York City to fulfill his goal of making bento for Americans.
Fuji Catering makes bento for mainly Japanese workers in mainly Japanese companies. The clientel is based on corporate accounts. Furukawa strives to expand his customer base to include more Westerners so that he can show them a healthy alternative to most lunch choices in New York. After being featured in Chopsticks NY this summer, the bento company has started providing more catering to conferences and special events, and it even delivers to two schools in New Jersey, introducing children – as well as their teachers – to smaller portions of wholesome food. Fuji Catering's delivery range includes Long Island City, JFK airport, New Jersey, and from downtown to 60th Street between First and Tenth Avenues in Manhattan.
The hardest part of Furukawa's job is the menu. He constantly tinkers with the food he offers in order to provide the most variety to his customers and to attract new ones as well. Each day features four different kinds of bento, with the menu changing each week. In addition to broiled fish, sauteed seasonal Japanese vegetables, and white rice, Furukawa likes to include Chinese noodle dishes or "Westernized" Japanese dishes such as curry rice, omelet, or hamburger. Changing the menu keeps his clients from getting bored, but it also attracts non-Japanese customers.
The popularity of healthier lifestyles has brought about an interest in bento and the emergence of websites dedicated to the Japanese boxed lunch. An article in the New York Times highlighted the growing trend of bento, which pleases Furukawa. "Bento is not only for Japanese in Japan . . . Bento is just a container, a box, so you can put in anything you want," he says. "That's one good point about bento: A lot of good stuff comes in one box."
If you're not lucky enough to work for a company that orders from Fuji Catering, or if you're just walking around the city looking for a place to grab a bento, try these shops:
Sunrise Mart - (East Village) 29 Third Avenue between 10th Street & Second Avenue • 212.598.3040; (SoHo) 494 Broome Street • 212.219.0033
Katagiri - 224 E. 59th Street between Second & Third Avenues • 212.755.3566 • www.katagiri.com
Zaiya - Three locations: Midtown, East Village, and at Kinokuniya • www.zaiyany.com
Yushi - (4 World Financial Center) 250 Vesey Street • 212.945.3096; (Midtown) 245 Park Avenue at 47th Street • 212.687.1900 • www.yushi.com
Washoku Cafe - 9 E. 37th Street between 5th Street and Madison Avenue • 212.686.2233 • www.washoku.com
Here are a few websites that extol the virtues of bento:
Eat My Bento - A community that shares an affinity for bento exchanges recipes.
Lunch in a Box - An American mom, fluent in Japanese, prepares bento boxes for her son's lunch.
Just Bento - A native Japanese woman who lives in Switzerland offers tips on creating healthy bento.
If the websites above inspire you to make your own bento, here are some places where you can buy the actual boxes:
Katagiri and Sunrise Mart (mentioned above)
Toki - Website where you can order bento boxes online.
If you're interested in books about bento:
Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go
Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go
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