"Food is something you can't escape," explains Yuka Honda. "It's there every day."

Along with partner Miho Hatori, Honda is one half of Cibo Matto (say it "chee-bo mah-toh"). The nameëan Italian phrase meaning "food madness"ëpretty much sums it up: With few exceptions, all of Cibo Matto's songs are about food.

You got it: Chow. Victuals. Comestibles. Grub.

And love.

Viva! La Woman includes such delectable offerings as "Beef Jerky," "Apple," "Artichoke" and the singluar "White Pepper Ice Cream" not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime cover of Sammy Davis Jr.'s "The Candy Man." The sound? Just try making a sandwich out of bossa nova samples, broken-English rapping, sweet bilingual pop melodies, steel drums, atonal curveballs and the occasional screamëlooped, juxtaposed and possibly even scratched, hip-hop styleëand you've got something close to Cibo Matto.

The duo was formed after Hatori and Honda, both originally from Japan, found themselves playing together in the group Leitoh Lychee (translation: "Frozen Lychee Nut").

"You won't believe how many food songs we had in that punk band," says Miho.

"Every time we rehearsed, we wanted to eat," says Yuka. "Cibo Matto grew out of those restaurant times."

The buzz on Cibo Matto started right away, leading to gigs opening for Soul Coughing and They Might Be Giants, and a single, "Birthday Cake," which featured an unequaled version of "Black Hole Sun" on the B-side. Voted Best Unsigned Band in the CMJ readers' poll, Cibo Matto was duly signed to WBR, where they undertook the recording of Viva! La Woman with producers and co-Latin Playboys Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello) and Tchad Blake (Continental Drifters).

For the record, they've stayed true to their calling. "It's easy. It's natural," says Miho. "Mmm. I'll eat anything. Except maybe crocodile."