Nissin Onigiri1 min read
Japan has a long history of extremely realistic-looking plastic food models. The concept is tied to Japanese foodies’ belief that food should be a treat not just for the taste buds, but for the eyes as well, and so a skillfully made model is a great way to entice customers to eat at your restaurant or buy your product.We really can’t stress how convincing the models are. For example, look at this onigiri (rice ball) model from Nissin, which looks exactly like the real ones sold at convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan. Doesn’t it make you want to run out and buy a Nissin rice ball?The thing is, though, Nissin doesn’t make rice balls. They’re the company behind the Cup Noodle brand, and they specialize in instant noodles and soups. So why did they make a plastic rice ball model?
Nissin calls the item the Onigiri, but rather than writing it in Japanese as おんぎり, with お signifying respect to the rice, it’s instead written as 置にぎり. 置 means “put” or “place,” and you’re supposed to put the model on your desk or lunchroom table to prevent coworkers from commenting on how much you are, or rather aren’t, eating by making your meal look bigger than it actually is, sparing you from comments and personal questions like:● “Is that all you’re eating for lunch?”● “Are you doing a low-carb diet or something?”● “You should eat more!”
