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At many Japanese restaurants, there is plastic food out front. The fake meals function as supplements to the menu so people can see what the meals actually look like. And the way this phony food is made is fascinating.




As previously posted, plastic food is called “shokuhin sample” (食品サンプル) or “food sample” in Japanese. Many restaurants work closely with the phony food craftsmen, with the actual meals being molded to ensure the sample accurately represents the real deal.

Business Insider recently did a five-minute clip on Japan’s fake food industry .

Below , you can see a master fake food maker showing children how to make cabbage. As you can see in the clip (via DDN Japan), that’s hot water he is putting the liquid plastic in .

And this clip also shows how to make cabbage. After the cabbage is formed in hot water (お湯), it is then cooled in cold water (水) .