Margaret Mitchell

At Japan House humanity has arrived at the perfect future: food for ogling, not eating

Imagine a world in which supplements cater to our nutritional needs and food becomes nothing more than a pretty plastic ornament, devoid of calories and free from vice

The beady, black eyes of the shoal of plastic prawns looked up at me, somehow even more horrible for having never been alive [Masuda Yoshirо for Japan House] 
issue 26 October 2024

There is a popular Japanese television show that features a segment called ‘Candy Or Not Candy?’. Contestants are presented with objects and must guess if they’re edible or not. Is that a dish sponge – or a steamed sponge cake? I might not consider afternoon tea to be art, but the confectionery artifice required to dupe contestants into mistaking the replica for reality is impressive – or at least entertaining.

The lacquered steaks, fruits, vegetables and sliced bread feel wrong.

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