Master Panda Bento Lunch

Newsflash: Pandas are adorable! Seriously adorable.

In fact, the irrepressible "awwwwwwwww" that follows any image of a panda got me to wondering. What triggers our affection for this bear? I actually did a little research and found the answer (hint: there's a scientific explanation) which I share below.

But first, it's a panda bento!

Wait for it...awwwwwwwwwww! OK, so now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk bento.

This was actually a totally new bento venture for me. I'd not attempted to craft a panda face from a sandwich before, and I was thrilled with the way it came out! I created my master panda bento lunch by first assembling a sandwich of colby cheese and wheat bread, then cutting it into a circle. I then used the heel of the loaf to cut the two oblong shapes that encircle the eyes. I cut two more to serve as ears and tucked them in between the bread at the top. A simple straw punched out the actual eyes. Wait, that sounds kinda violent. How about this instead: I used a straw to punch out a small circle for the eyes, and another semi-circle tool for the mouth.

Master panda is accompanied by baby carrots and a slice of tomato topped with a wee little panda bento pick. The final touch is a panda container filled with fruit snacks for a little something sweet.

Now, back to the mystery of our love of pandas...

I actually found an article from the BBC that lists out all the reasons we humans love the giant panda. These include the fact that they sit like we do and also eat with their hands. The fact that they are rare and elusive contributes to their allure.

But the main reason, I think, we are drawn to them is simply because of their appearance including their roundness and that distinctive coat, most especially those eyes which seem bigger because of the black patches of fur around them. The reason we love a chubby creature with big eyes is because it reminds us of infants. There's actually a scientific term for this (which I just learned) called neoteny.

It's all summed up beautifully here in this explanation from the San Diego Zoo: "Our own young have characteristics that we humans respond to such as a big, round head, large eyes, a high forehead, and a roly-poly body. We are programmed to respond to these babyish looks. Babies just make us like them and want to care for them. It is part of our human makeup."

So, there you have it.

Happy Bento'ing!
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