4 Food Anime That Will Make You Drool and Cry

If you’re not interested in cutthroat competition, cooking lessons taught at countertops, guys in sunglasses hooting at barbecue plates or worshipping at the altars of chef-gods, American food television can feel like a desert. Outside of the ill-fated No Reservations, the show based on Anthony Bourdain’s book of the same name, there isn’t much television that uses food and cooking for storytelling purposes or that actively engages with the deep, visceral reasons why food matters to people and culture.
But across the Pacific, Japanese television viewers have been able to treat themselves to a multitude of shows, both live-action and animated, that dramatize culinary exploration, showcase historical cuisine, and provide meaningful context to everyday dishes. Food anime in particular are able to tell really interesting stories, and if you’ve seen any Studio Ghibli films, you’ve already gotten a glimpse of how lovely it can be to see food beautifully animated. Once you check out these shows, which are now available to stream with English subtitles on Crunchyroll, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing.
1. Wakakozake
If it’s possible to call any television series poetry, Wakakozake is a prime example. Each episode of this show feels like a short poem about sakana, or Japanese bar food. Every two-minute episode follows the same basic formula: Wakako, a young office lady, goes out to a different izakaya every night after work and orders a drink and a snack. She takes a bite of her food, then takes a sip of her drink, musing on the pairing and sometimes, her life in general. Offering up reflections on the best way to eat fried salmon (i.e. not with rice, you savage) and the ideal cocktail to have with potato salad, Wakako is both an everywoman and aesthete: the perfect drinking buddy.
2. Silver Spoon Set at an agricultural high school — just how many of these are there in Japan? — this anime follows the school life of Yugo Hachiken, an clueless city kid who ends up learning firsthand just where food comes from. Mirroring Hachiken’s education, the show takes most of the romance out of the farm-to-table philosophy, emphasizing the hard work and know-how required to make farm life sustainable. For instance, one of the major storylines of the first season involves a class project where the students raise piglets from birth to slaughter; this might not be a great show for vegans, but it does go deep into the complicated feelings that can accompany this process.