The Dalai Lama Pokes Fun Of Japanese Food, Which 'Sometimes Looks Like Decoration, Not Real Food'

During a recent audience with students of the American Embassy School in New Delhi, the Dalai Lama covered a range of topics that included his feelings on various pets, and mosquitos, the creatures he felt least appreciated the planet's riches.

The spiritual leader of Tibet also made fun of Japanese food, which he said "sometimes looks like decoration, not real food." Case in point: The raindrop cake.

According to notes on the meeting from a New York Times reporter, His Holiness also noted that Japanese food tended to be lighter fare than the cuisines of many countries, and that, at times, "after finishing a Japanese meal, people might understandably feel inclined to go out and find a restaurant."

For what it's worth, the Japanese diet has often been linked to the longevity of its citizens. With an estimated 61,568 citizens who are 100 years of age or older, Japan boasts the largest concentration of centenarians, in a population of 12.6 million. The United States, which has about 53,000 centenarians, has a population exceeding 300 million.