IDEAS
Strickler is the author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World and the Cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter.

We don’t think of the bento box as an important innovation, but we should. Created sometime in 12th or 13th century Japan, the bento box arguably invented food packaging as we know it today.

The secret to the bento box’s success is in its name: bento derives from a Japanese word meaning convenience. The bento’s four internal compartments and lid enable someone to easily carry a balanced meal of a variety of dishes without it getting spoiled. Ten centuries after its invention, the bento box remains one of the most balanced, healthy, and convenient meals around.

Related Stories

History

What Caused the Stock Market Crash of 1929—And What We Still Get Wrong About It