We all have fond memories of childhood which make us natsukashii, a word that roughly means “that makes me so nostalgic that I must look like one of those wide-eyed manga characters with a tear rolling out of my eye.” Opening my Death Star action playset on Christmas morning back in 1978, eating Sugar Corn Pops while watching Land of the Lost and spending the summer barefoot are some memories that are important to me. For Japanese kids, there’s a special kid’s meal served at restaurants in department stores called okosama lunch for children to eat when they go shopping with their parents or grandparents. It’s basically a plate filled with everything kids love: a “hamburg” steak, spaghetti, rice, an ebi-fry or fried breaded shrimp, a cup of corn soup and some Japanese “pudding” (caramel cream) for dessert. Adding to its awesomeness usually served on a plate that looks like a car or a Shinkansen bullet train. and has a flag toothpick from a random country sticking out of the top. Incidentally, we’ve gotten in two Okosama Lunch Plate bento plates for your kids, or you!
A “child’s lunch plate” makes Japanese nostalgic.
