Take a good look at the photo on the left. The caption under the original photo asks you to decide whether this is a real baby or a bag of rice shaped like a baby. If it is, as the information leads you to believe, a bag of rice–I’m totally creeped out! A small rice shop in Japan came up with the idea as an improvement on the long-held tradition of sending a rice bag to relatives to thank them for a gift. Usually new parents thank relatives for their baby gift by sending a regular bag of rice with the baby’s photo on it to show them what the baby looks like. Naruo Ono, the rice shop owner, had a better idea. He started making cuddly, baby-shaped rice bags that weigh exactly the same as the baby and are printed with its face and name. The upside–his rice-baby business is booming. The downside–the family has so much fun “rocking the rice,” by the time they open the bag, the rice is stale. So what do YOU think?
To me, it’s too much like cannibalism. Let’s talk about something less disturbing, but we’ll stick with the international angle. If you’re looking for an Irish-themed baby gift, don’t fill a baby-shaped bag with potatoes. Send an Irish Guardian Angel, for heaven’s sake! Would you like to give a unique baby gift that incorporates Chinese Feng Shui into the design? Instead of stuffing a baby-shaped bag with bamboo, go to Corner Stork Baby Gifts and choose one of their feng-shui-ready toys like the cute, colorful and cuddly feng shui bear at the right. As for me, I’ll never look at sushi the same way again…