A mother from Tokyo, Japan got quite creative when faced with her children’s picky-eating habits. Using food, she crafted recreations straight from pop culture and beyond to get them excited to eat again. Using the name Etoni Mama, the mother has gained a mass following online.
She told Buzzfeed that “Etoni” is a combination of her daughters’ names — Eko, Toko, and Niko. With over a thousand photos of her work on her profile, Etoni Mama currently boasts over 161,000 followers. Her page features a variety of edible creations, from elaborately-decorated bento boxes to using food to craft scenes straight out of movies.
Ingredients Serve as Inspiration
Typically, Etoni Mama looks at the ingredients she has on hand and tries to imagine what they resemble. Then, she gets to work crafting them into something most wouldn’t even imagine. See below: An array of fruits used to recreate Edna Mode from The Incredibles.
She described an example of her process to Buzzfeed. “I was looking at an egg yolk and suddenly saw it as Winnie the Pooh’s stomach,” she said. Thus, the beloved Pooh in egg form was born.
As pictured, Etoni Mama often finds inspiration in Disney and Pixar characters from Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Mulan, Monsters Inc., and Frozen. However, she also finds plenty of inspiration elsewhere, such as real-life holidays and events.
Despite this year’s Wimbledon Campionships being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, she paid tribute to the tennis tournament with a special lunchbox complete with a mini tennis racket.
Etoni Mama also designed the image of a man giving Mimosa flowers to a woman in honor of the United Nations’ International Women’s Day using toast and eggs.
How Long Do Creations Take?
Many can imagine that this type of craft may take several hours with details as elaborate as Etoni Mama’s. While she puts aside a lot of time to cook the actual food, Etoni Mama tells Buzzfeed that her goal is always to finish plating in one hour.
As for the added time it takes to put everything together, she doesn’t mind it as she finds cooking fun. It also doesn’t hurt that her edible creations have made her children walk back on their picky-eating ways.