Japanese go crazy over Taiwan's boxed lunches

A combination of pork chops, cabbage and rice gave Taiwan's often-absent and much-maligned presence on the international stage a flavorsome boost last week, when Taiwan Railway's classic pork chop and vegetable lunchbox (台灣懷舊排骨菜飯便當) became the first international participant to take part in an annual lunchbox show in Tokyo.

Organized by the Japanese hotel and department store chain, Keiouko (新宿京王百貨公司), the 38th Lunchbox Show (第卅八屆驛便大會), which runs from Jan. 9 through 22, features the mouthwatering work of upwards of 200 manufacturers of lunchboxes from around Japan.

Attracting huge crowds, the lunchboxes on show are not your run-of-the-mill Styrofoam-packaged variety. Not only do railway stations and mass-transportation companies from across Japan tempt the crowds with regional delicacies, but fancy packaging is also an important aspect of the show.

Companies use ornately handcrafted bamboo boxes and clay pots looking more like vases than something you'd put your lunch in, to vie for custom, out-sell their rivals and become, quite literally the hottest box in town.

Initially invited to participate in last year's event, Taiwan Railway's Catering Service Department (台鐵餐旅服務總所) had to decline due its busy schedule preparing for the company's 115th anniversary celebrations.

While not participating in the event, Chen Ching-piao (陳清標), General Manager Taiwan Railway Catering Service Department, remained on the lookout for a bien dang worthy of representing the nation. Not that he needed to look very far, however, as he inadvertently got quite a bit of help from the general public.

"It being our anniversary year, we were inundated with calls from people who remembered the railway lunchboxes of the 1950s," recalled the catering manager.

"So we decided to produce a limited edition of 1,000, package them in a commemorative aluminum box and sell them on Taiwan Railway's anniversary (鐵路節) on June 8."

All of which proved rather more popular than initially expected. Within three-hours of the railway company's announcing it had produced a limited edition bien dang with fancy packaging and filled with the taste of yesteryear, the company had been inundated with phone calls from people eager to purchase a retro-lunchbox.

And so, packaged in a fancy aluminum container and comprising rice, a pork chop, cabbage and an egg, the Taiwan Railway representative lunchbox was born.

According to Chen, its use of oil from the cooked pork, locally produced cabbage and the presence of dried shrimps in the rice ensured that the lunchbox met with the highest standards and possessed a truly Taiwanese flavor.

With the recipe for success secured, Taiwan Railway began preparing for the event earlier this month. Filling 7,500 aluminum lunch boxes with its special classic pork chop and vegetable meal in readiness for the event that kicked off last Thursday; a day that took Chen's breath away.

"I'd heard the event was popular, but there were huge crowds. You couldn't use the stairwell as a line of people packed it from the venue's basement-one level to the seventh floor where the show was being held," continued Chen.

Made with relatively inexpensive ingredients, Taiwan's entrant in Japan was far from cheap. Priced at the equivalent of NT$450, Taiwan's bien dang was in fact the most expensive lunchbox at this year's show -- its Japanese counterparts averaged NT$350.