"It might seem like silly kids’ stuff, but that sense of fun has helped make bento boxes — obentos as the Japanese call them — increasingly popular with grownups in the United States, too." -The New York Times, Bento Boxes Win Lunch Fans
Smile, makkurokurosuke.
To many many people on this planet, the oden(おでん) soup craving is not unlike chicken noodle soup craving.
Hearty, sustaining, all of it attained with a few common, humble ingredients. Fish cake, radish, potato, tofu, mushroom, egg, bonito and kelp stock. And Amorphophallus konjac jelly, or konnyaku, which may not sound common, but you can find it in any Asian supermarket. Some insist the resulting fishy broth single-handedly defines the word "umami"(旨味), or savoriness.
Who are we to say such homey comfort is not likely to be found in a piping hot vending machine can? A big hit with salarymen, you can find them rushing about cradling this stuff in their hands.
If a vending machine with promises of said warmth, cheer and a sense of well-being doesn't materialize in your vicinity, here's an oden recipe.
