The Japan Foundation, New York, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Alabama present: “Obento: Japanese Culture in a Box – Learn to make a Japanese lunch box” by Debra Samuels, Boston Globe food writer and cookbook author.
Reservations are required for this event, to be held on Wednesday, October 15, 2:30-4 p.m.at the Metro Building, Room 303 on the UTC campus.
If you wish to attend this event please RSVP to: Asami-Nakano@mocs.utc.edu
The event is free, but participants are required to make a $10 refundable deposit prior to the event to secure a reservation. The deposit will be refunded upon completion of the workshop.
Please make checks payable to The Asia Program and mail it to:
The Asia Program
300 Pfeiffer Hall, Dept.2222
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403
Participants will have an opportunity to learn the cultural background of Obento, a Japanese term for “lunch” or “lunchbox,” with a presentation by Samuels and a hands-on workshop. Samuels will illustrate common differences in value, presentation, and nutritional balance between typical American and Japanese lunches. Under Samuels’ guidance, everyone will have the opportunity to make their own Obento.
The Obento or Bento phenomenon has caught on in the United States because of its balance of nutrition and beauty. There are dozens of blogs on Bento geared toward adults and children. Three out of the top ten best-selling Japanese cookbooks on Amazon feature Bento.
The new school year prompts many articles in newspapers and magazines that refer to making these colorful meals in a box when looking for healthy alternatives to excite the palate and the eye.
Samuels, cookbook author, food and travel writer and cooking teacher, has been working with children, families, and food in a variety of settings for more than twenty-five years. Since 2000 she has been a food stylist and regular contributor to The Boston Globe. She is the author of My Japanese Table: A Lifetime of Cooking with Friends and Family (Tuttle Publishing).
Samuels has lived in Japan for over a decade and offers her broad knowledge and experiences with Japanese food traditions.
