餌
えさ · esa · JLPT N3 · noun
bait
🪱🐟 esa sounds like Esau, who was baited into a deal by a bowl of stew
The kanji is 食 (food) + 耳 (ear): food used to catch an animal's attention. えさ is the word for animal feed and fishing bait. Using it for food people eat sounds insulting.