Japanese Mothers and Obentos: The Lunch-Box as Ideological State Apparatus

1. Obentos

1.1. Is a boxed lunch that is a routine an art form and task

1.2. Mothers spend a great deal of time and attention on making obentos

1.3. Mother and child are both judged , constructed and watched

1.4. Parameter of the Obento is structured and regulated in nursery school settings

1.5. creativity and pleasure are products of this task

2. State Ideology and Ritual

2.1. Repressive State Apparatus

2.1.1. power the state wields threat of force

2.2. Ideological State Apparatus

2.2.1. Overt function other than political or administrative, i.e. welfare, health, mass media and education

3. Japanese Food as Culture

3.1. Food is not just food

3.2. Obento's contains 5 or 6 mini bite-sized meals perfectly cut and arranged to be visually attractive

3.3. container is just as important as what is contained

3.4. Naturalization of food- accentuate and prefect : make food appear better than natural

4. School State and Subjectivity

4.1. Obentos are used in shaping gender roles

4.2. Teachers are nationally screened. School Board Members are appointed

4.3. Students must obey teachers if they want to get into high school

4.4. School attended determines students' future career

5. Nursery School and Ideological Apporation of the Obento

5.1. Enrollment not mandatory but is the highest in any other industrialized nation

5.2. Obento is intended to ease the transition of entering Nursery School

5.3. Obentos from home are no longer given once the child is in first grade

5.4. Mother's responsible for making obentos; child is responsible for eating it all. Therefore mothers must make it so that it is easy for her child to consume

5.5. Obentos are used to teach children to obey rules and accept authority of the school system

6. Mothering as Gendered Ideological State Apparatus

6.1. Pressure from other mothers is what influences other moms to make obentos and are thus judged how good of a mother they are based on the obentos

6.2. motherhod is defined by making obentos