I am officially conflicted

I'm becoming one of those people that I claim to hate... well, not hate, that's rather a strong word. But I can't stand going into a place like World Market and seeing all of these people playing with and purchasing objects that they know nothing about. Many of the objects have no labels on them except something obscure about the origin, like "Flute: East Africa." Nothing about the country or village its from or the person who made it or how it is meant to be used. And that irritates me, when people just take those objects and use them without any understanding of their context, because it is "beautiful" and "exotic," and because their economic privilege gives them that access.

Photo courtesy of: SugarCharms.com

But I confess... I want a bento box! After all of our talk about them in class, and our experiences making obento both in class and at the Anthropology Open House, I now have an acute desire to possess a bento box.

Am I like one of these culture-mongerers I so detest? I know what it is that I'm buying, and I know its origin, purpose, and traditions behind it. So why is it that I feel a little weird and uncomfortable about purchasing a bento box? Am I worried that people will look at me oddly - a grown woman of 22 who doesn't look even remotely Asian, eating her lunch out of a bento box adorned with colorful cartoon characters or sparkly cherry blossoms? Or is it that I still feel this twinge of - what is the word - impropriety. I feel almost as if I'm trespassing on the institution of obento by purchasing a box for myself. Because I'm not Japanese, and I won't be packing the lunch for a small child, and often that lunch will consist of such American things as a sandwich and a bunch of grapes. Because my desire for a bento box stems from my desire for utility (realizing that the compact, portion-controlled container makes a lot more sense than several large tupperwares and a plastic grocery bag) and my desire for the exotic.

Photo courtesy of: SugarCharms.com

So should I get one? I think I will go the route of the cautious shopper. I will hold off on a purchase for awhile. Should my desire linger, I will know that I want the item enough to invest the time and money in obtaining it. However, I will likely still wonder at the appropriateness of my purchase... I suppose it cannot be avoided.