Realistic Fake Food

Fake food samples appear prevalently in the windows and display cases of food-serving establishments throughout Japan. Chances are that you have seen them, even if you have not been to Japan, magical like displays of food that never spoil accompanied by cans of beer held in mid-air by their own frothy waterfall. These under-appreciated works of art often come from the city of Gujo Hachiman (Gifu prefecture) made famous by its fake food artisans. Usually they are constructed out of plastic, however, they can also be made for wax, felt or crochet (pictured). The plastic models are mostly handmade and carefully sculpted to look like the actual dishes. The models are custom-tailored to restaurants and even common items such as ramen will be modified to match each establishment's food. During the molding process, the fake ingredients are often chopped and prepared in a manner similar to actual cooking. Food replicas aren’t just for restaurant display cases either, they are often used in commercials and photography as a stand-in for the real thing; especially ice cream which melts due to the warm lights used on the set - hence the need for fakery.