Miniature Food Art: The Food You May Wear and Play With
Have you ever heard your parents say, “Don’t play with your food!” Well, what if I tell you, you can now do. With miniature food art, you can now not just play with your food, it might also be your newest favorite fashion accessory. However, most of these are not edible.
Food as an art is not new to us. We see artists who use food as a subject for their paintings, food carvings, and of course, the culinary arts. It is an art that tells one culture through food.
What is Miniature Food Art?
Miniature food art is a kind of art where artists make replicas of dishes on a smaller scale than the actual food. It has many forms: inedible toys, accessories, and edible miniature food from the same ingredient as the original dish.
Miniature food art is now a trend, because of how adorable it is to look at. It will definitely make you have your cravings and make your eyes satisfied.
This is the kind of food that you may wear and play with.
The most popular miniature food art forms are inedible toys and accessories.
You can make your outfit of the day (OOTD) more fashionable with those food art accessories. It could be a pair of earrings, a ring, or even a keychain for your lovely bags.
What do you think of having a plate of palabok with the size of your thumb hanging on your ears? What about a thumb-sized or even a smaller siopao on your ring finger? A food art as a fashion statement could make your OOTD more fun and eye-catching.
If you are a collector, this is perfect for your character figures or for your dioramas. Miniature food art can make your displays more amusing and exciting.
However, how does this kind of food art come to life?
According to Virginia Pozon of Toy Canteen, polymer clay is the secret to making that inedible food art and accessories more authentic. Virginia Pozon of Toy Canteen is one of the most popular miniature food art artists in the Philippines.
Those miniature food accessories are made from polymer clay, and it would usually take two to three days to finish a dish.
Additionally, the products are based on the customer’s request. The artist finds a photo on the internet of the actual food as a reference. Then, they use polymer clay to mold and sculpt the dish. After that, they will put the molded and sculpted polymer clay inside an oven. After the baking process, they will paint it according to the original color of the dish.
Also, standard sizes of the accessory food art are ratios of 1:10 scale to 1:12 scale. If it is for a barbie or a character figure, it is on a ratio of 1:16 scale.
Pozon said, “paying attention to the details is the crucial part of the process as it would make or ruin the actual art.“
This miniature food art promotes Philippine culture.
The art made by Toy Canteen and other local artists promotes local food. From the popular street food, isaw (chicken or pork intestine skewers), our favorite merienda, pancit canton, to the all-time Filipino favorite fast-food chain, Jollibee. They can do all of that. In doing this, people who see their products will probably have cravings for Filipino food.
One of the best things about this miniature food art, especially the art made by Toy Canteen and other local artists, is it promotes local food.
Food and art are both parts of a culture. If an artist uses them both to make a product, it will surely raise awareness of one’s culture. Moreover, using food art as a form of a hobby (collecting toy miniature food art), as a livelihood, and as an accessory will help the culture and this kind of art stay in a lifetime. It is our pride to have local artists promote local food in the Philippines through Miniature food art.
So now, will you agree that your favorite food can be your newest favorite display and be your coolest fashion accessory?
