Better than real

> Japan’s mouthwatering fake food are such good replicas that they make hungry restaurant customers salivate

expensive because the materials are pricey and you’d still have to keep painting them,” he says.

“It’s a job for humans who have the creativity that machines lack. They don’t know what is beautiful and appetizing.”

For veteran Mishima, some of the hardest work is reproducing raw products like sushi.

“When it’s grilled fish, the characteristic colours are easier to recreate,” he said. “But creating the colour of freshness – that’s tough.”

Any food can be recreated from a silicone mould, whether it’s a spongy cake or sizzling hamburger.

Each bit – bun, meat, tomato, cheese – is made separately before they’re painted and assembled piece by piece.

The last step is a coat of varnish to give food a glistening look, sure to catch the eye of peckish passers-by. But replicas don’t come cheap. A single dish can cost several hundred dollars, so some restaurants rent food model sets by the month for upwards of ¥6,000 (RM233.30).

Takizo Iwasaki – whose eponymous firm controls about half the market in Japan – is widely credited for turning faux food into what is now a US$90 million (RM401 million) business.

It’s not a growth industry, though.

High-end restaurants shun the idea of plastic replicas to display their dishes, and the idea hasn’t caught on much outside Japan.

But Mishima and his colleagues – three 20-something women – don’t think replicas are going to fade into culinary history just yet.

“It’s been a childhood dream to make this fake food,” said employee Asumi Shimodaira, working on a plate of inedible ravioli.

For company president Hatanaka, the action models – like a spaghetti-wrapped fork suspended in air – are his favourite.

The firm is pushing into new lines like fashion accessories, such as fruit earrings, fried egg rings, and bacon slice headbands.

They also make pieces for those looking for unique footwear, or fun window displays.

One pair of boots, covered in plastic toast and dripping with fake ice cream and fruit sauce, can sell for ¥36,000 (RM1,400).

“We’re not satisfied just taking the orders from restaurants,” Hatanaka said. “We like to make original creations too.” – AFPRelaxnews

Mishima (left), who works at the fake food shop run and owned by Hatanaka (above), gives restaurant customers a better idea of what to expect when ordering a dish.