I had written a trip report on Japan and had thought it was funny how Japanese restaurants used displays. An article from Saveur magazine answered some questions.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sweet Willie:
Most restaurants do not have English menus, but many have displays of the food they serve in the window. Just go into the restaurant, come back out w/your waiter and point to what you want. While helpful to us, I found all the displays kind of ironic when Japanese patrons would look at them and comment. To clarify, I as most people in the U.S., have a very good picture in my head of what a hamburger, roast chicken, spaghetti, or any other typical meal will look like. Yet the Japanese would point and comment on the dishes displayed, even though every display at every restaurant looks like the same person put it together. If you're Japanese do you really need to see what a soba noodle dish looks like?!?!?! I personally found it funny.</font>

An article in Saveur magazine (April/May 2003) answered my question as to why many Japanese restaurants have food model displays.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Replica food was cooked up at least 80 years ago by Japanese restaurants hoping to introduce locals to an influx of dishes, from places like China and the US, that arrived on their shores when Japan relaxed its isolationist stance. Today more than 80% or restaurants in Japan display faux food….”</font>

80% seems slightly high to me, but it sure made ordering easy. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/smile.gif

I have been fascinated by those displays too!

There is a market in Tokyo that I've been to that I assume to be the main place to get these fake foodstuffs. You can buy anything you want and there also people who will custom make "food" for you. Sometimes I have to look twice to be sure it's not real!