Practicality of Cute Food

Cute is cute, but that means packaging is still just packaging. So essentially cute food is just food dressed up to look more appealing. Doesn’t matter the reason they were created because at the end of it all, today it is an obsession and another manipulative tool on the belt of a clever products marketer (and you wonder why prices go up).

So do we love cute food such as Kyaraben Bento? Sure… if we can afford the luxury then what’s not to love. But even if we can afford it, do we deserve it?

Cute is a culture in Japan but to the rest of poorer Asia*, cute is the luxury on top of luxury because over here, food itself IS the luxury. You can only afford to care that your food comes in multi-colored characters, when you have too much of it and no worries for it. So obviously that’s not for all of us.

To the poor, cute foods just make them wonder how much was wasted to create that little face? What happened to the full slice of bread?-Was it eaten or simply just thrown away?

Cute food makes the rest of poorer Asia wonder if they are the only ones who know the value of food and if they are, that makes them more appreciative so why then are they not more deserving to have more of it?

Honestly, I would like to teach my child to appreciate food as a blessing. I’m not going ‘create’ anything with it just so he can play with it and then maybe decide to take a bite from it. Some people have to worry about when their next meal will come, do I really want to spoil my child and make him into an unappreciative brat? No…I want him to respect food and all that it took to make it possible for him to have that meal. What if he cries for Cute Bento? Well then I’ll just have to start young and introduce him to United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) now won’t I?

*Many countries in Asia are still suffering from poverty and the recent hike in food prices presses harder on them than you can imagine. Visit ruralpovertyportal to learn more about how poverty affects lives around the world.