Your newest obsession: Watching people make tiny, tiny food

Today in things we never knew we wanted: an entire cooking channel devoted to preparing teeny, tiny food. The adorable name of this dreamy, soothing YouTube channel (which just so happens to be the name of the actual phenomenon): Kawaii Cooking.

Kawaii cooking is a culinary trend that began in Japan, but is making its delicious way all over the world. It involves using tiny kitchens and tiny utensils to cook tiny meals that are then garnished with tiny finishing touches. So. Much. Tiny.

Seventeen reveals that there are entire YouTube Channels devoted to this mini movement and they typically rack up millions of views. In fact, three of them, AkameruKawaii, Miniature Space, and Pocket Resort have already made us hit “subscribe!”

The crazy thing is that these kawaii masters are actually able to cook entire, edible meals that resemble the life-size treats we’d eat IRL. There are tiny red velvet cupcakes, wee Thanksgiving feasts, and even a rainy day recipe for dewdrop-sized chicken noodle soup.

Now you’re probably wondering, why is kawaii cooking so popular? We had the same exact question. After all, it’s not like these itsy-bitsy snacks would satisfy anyone’s hunger (unless they’re Barbie.)

As with most things, there is a deeper meaning behind the world’s love of tiny, tiny food. Though it is super cute, kawaii cooking also makes onlookers (and chefs) feel in control in this great big, scary world.

Miniature retailer Mo Tipton tells Hopes&Fears that kawaii cooking offers participants “a level of control we can never really attain in ‘real life’ … Here’s a world where things really can be perfect with enough tweaking, and then they stay that way!”

Then again, watching someone artfully cook mini meals is also both hypnotic and relaxing. After a long day, we can easily imagine coming home, pressing play on a kawaii cooking video, and letting all our king-size worries melt away.

As of right now, our favorite just so happens to be this video revealing the preparation behind tiny donuts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5buzbPIAnY

Dear tiny food chefs, please keep doing your thing.