bento box

Definition

A partitioned, traditionally lacquered, lunchbox in which a bento (“Japanese takeaway lunch”) is served.

Etymology

From bento + box. Bento is borrowed from Japanese 弁(べん)当(とう) (bentō, “food to be eaten on the go; takeaway lunch served in a box”).

Example Sentences

• "My heart was filled with covetousness as I saw the fine old lacquer bento boxes which they produced after carefully removing many silk wrappings."
• "At every important station, boys walk along the platform carrying large trays and shouting "Bento," (prolong the o). The hungry traveler opens the window and buys a neat parcel, consisting of two wooden boxes and a long narrow envelope [containing chopsticks]. […] One of the wooden boxes is full of cold boiled rice. The other contains an assortment of things, usually including fish and pickles. To name the contents of a bento''' box and tell what each thing is made of requires an extensive knowledge of Japanese cookery."
• "Of all the eccentric characters in Japan, one of the most famous and distinguished is probably Viscount Dr. Inajiro Tajiri, president of the imperial board of audit. […] His food is of the simplest variety. He daily carries to the office a bento box filled with rice and some pickled plums, and during the past 40 years he has ever stuck to his Spartan lunch."