Cute Food

Japanese people are known for cute stuff.  This is the land of Hello Kitty.  There seems to be an authentic admiration for all things cute.  This includes food.  And I admit, I am guilty of partaking in this appetite for cute confections (and savories, too).

Sweets in Japan are not the sugar laden doughnuts of the US.  For the most part, they are gently sweet.  You taste the actual ingredients.  It takes a bit to get used to, but I love it.  Taiyaki is a traditional sweet.  It is a thin fish shaped cake filled with red bean paste (adzuki).  There is a shop right around the corner from us, Naniwaya Souhonten, that was established in 1909!  I have to say that the taiyaki from this shop is the best I've ever had.  No wonder they have been in business so long.

When we went to Tokyo Tower, they made their own version of taiyaki.*  And they also sold the non-traditional custard filling.  It cracked me up that they inserted a pretzel stick in the top for a true point. 
(*Disclaimer: We didn't eat this one and can't vouch for it's tastiness.  I do have SOME self control.)

There are pastry shops all over the place here.  They are all French inspired with a Japanese twist.  I'm sure I will write and ode to the Japanese bakery at some point.  But right now I'll only focus on the cute characters my son loves to pick.  His favorites from the shop down the street are the savory lion and the sweet bear.  The lion's mane is made with sausages, and the head is filled with potatoes.  It's actually pretty darn good and I don't feel bad for buying it for his breakfast.  The bear is filled with chocolate custard.  It is not very sweet, but my son still loves it.

At the Sunshine Aquarium, we enjoyed the spotted eel roll cake.  A sponge cake wrapped around a log of black sesame ice cream.  It was cute, but not the most impressive ice cream (and I love black sesame ice cream).

The cute food is not limited to desserts and pastries.  Even kids meals are adorable.  At an omurice (thin omelet covering a mound of fried rice) restaurant, the kid's set or kid's meal was decorated with a smile.  Most kid's sets come as a complete meal with several items like veggies, a main course, and dessert.  This one had broccoli, potatoes, sausage (little crab looking thing), omurice, yogurt with strawberry jam, and a cookie.

Speaking of kid's sets, I took my son to a hamburger joint the other day called Freshness Burger.  The name cracks me up.  The menu was standard fare of hamburgers, fish burgers, chicken burgers, and some salads.  I ordered the kid's hamburger set for my son.  It came with the hamburger, potato wedges, chicken nuggets, and apple juice.  What?  Why the chicken nuggets?  No clue.  But the real surprise came when she handed me the toy - a traditional wooden toy!  I was floored.  It is an actual toy I'd give to my kid.  Wow!

So when you see the photos of the cute bento boxes that doting moms give to their kids for their school lunches, you know there is societal pressure to be cute.  I've read lots of stories about how Japanese kids are some of the best eaters in the world.  Maybe it's the kid sets that are mini versions of real meals, or maybe it's because everything is so cute you just want to gobble it all up.