Bioshock Bento is too Cute to Eat!

I’ve long been fascinated by the patience and artistry that goes into making a Japanese Bento Box; if you aren’t familiar with these, then you should start by looking at these images on Google as well as this Flicker Pool. As explained in the introduction on one of the multitudes of Bento Box sites I’ve found:

As with so much of modern Japanese culture, the aesthetic (especially for children and young women) is strongly based on a compact cuteness. If you went to a school where kids brought packed lunches, you know how much it means to a kid when Mum (or Dad, or whoever takes care of these things at home) packs his or her favourites, and what a social advantage it is to have a parent who packs lunches that are admired or envied, particularly if the food is handy for swapping and sharing. The same is true in Japanese schools, but the ‘judges’ award a lot of additional points for presentation. There is often some rivalry between housewife-mothers to produce the niftiest bento, which can be fun, but is a source of serious and unwelcome social pressure for some women, who rise early in the morning and agonise over what to make today, so their children’s friends and teachers won’t think they suck.

When you put it like that, it’s easy to see that the pressure to deliver something different, much less amazing, must be quite high. So imagine if you were the kid who showed up at school with this Bioshock bento…

bioshock-bento-art-for-game-fans

I would imagine that every other student went home that night and gave the “game over” glare at their mama. 😆

Oh, to be so talented…

Source: AnnaTheRed’s Bento Factory, via kickinthehead on Flicker, via XboxFreedom

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.

3 Comments on "Bioshock Bento is too Cute to Eat!"

  1. What every gamer boy dreams of…a geeky girlfriend to make cool game-themed lunches for him. 😉

  2. dixieflatline77 | September 28, 2009 at 11:12 am |

    Here’s the source of the bento
    http://www.annathered.com/2008/12/25/bento21-bioshock-big-daddy-little-sister/

    also has more pix and details of how she did it

  3. Thanks! I’ll add that direct link to the post. :-))

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