Random sentimentality.

Yesterday, Maki at Just Bento (the Queen of bento blogs) wrote a post explaining the differences between "bento" and "lunch box". At the bottom of this wonderful post, she included a Tokyo Gas commercial -- one of a few "sentimental food-and-family-love" style adverts from the company. I like to say I'm not generally one for sentimentality, but man, all the ones I saw really hit home.

And then I had a craving for tamagoyaki, which I don't even like. Go figure. Here's today's bento:

Bottom tier (330 mL): Brown rice (reheated from frozen); umeboshi; a sprinkling of gomashio.

Top tier (270 mL): Canned greens, Southern style; tamagoyaki-wanna-be omelette.

Also in the bag is a little container of plain organic yogurt topped with triple berry granola for breakfast, now that I've shifted my work hours an hour forward. The box-and-bag set also came with a water bottle, and was purchased from Loft in Bangkok all together for about $22.

Other tidbits:

As I was riding the train to work this morning, I attempted to peer into the various lunch arrangements folks had made for the day. The styles ranged from tupperware unceremoniously stuffed inside a plastic Wal-Mart bag to an insulated lunch bag to a neatly-packed clear plastic tote with lunch for 2 inside.

Obviously, the only one I could see inside was the plastic tote, which contained a sufficient but somehow unexciting lunch of a sandwich, bag of chips, large soft cookie, and a granola bar. This is pretty standard fare if you consider what a "normal" American lunch might include, or what a caterer might offer in their boxed lunch menu (...albeit for 3x what it should cost). The only discrepancy, in my opinion anyway, is the lack of 1 piece of whole fruit.

I was also struck by the fact that this lunch, despite seeming so standard, is not very healthy! (M made an observation yesterday that I'm strangely quite health-conscious. Well, can't say I don't think about it or don't try, anyway...)