Somewhere over the East China Sea, it occurred to me how perfectly a typical economy class airline meal enforces portion control. Although the quality of the food can be lacking at times, constraints on physical size and cost result in a portion size that could serve as inspiration for meals made at home. It reminds me of the Japanese bento: a simple, balanced, and some would say beautiful meal. Not too little, not too much: the bento is also a model for portion control and efficiency in a meal with a pleasing presentation. The bento (and perhaps the less noble airline meal) is an embodiment of the Japanese concept of hari hachi bu: eat until 80% full.

For the record, the meal on Japan Airlines that inspired these observations was actually quite good. It was a curry and rice dish which I thought was fitting to pair with Japanese beer. On the return flight they served an equally good adobo dish with vegetables, apple salad, fresh and dried fruit.