It doesn't look like the picture! (AKA, McCook's revenge)

[Reyneth]

Dude, I've heard what goes into "photo food" to make it look good for TV and magazine ads and the like. Yeccch! Stuff like glue in the milk to make the cereal sit just right.

It's not glue *in* the milk, the "milk" is actually glue. Keeps the cereal from getting soggy, don't 'cha know?

[Knightmare]

Does anyone remember the movie Falling Down starring Michael Douglas?
A great movie, and still relevant, I feel.
Anyway, there was a great scene where the (anti-) hero is at a Whammy Burger restaurant, and orders a burger. The burger comes out looking nothing like the picture, and he goes off.
I tried to find a video of it, but I can't find anything.
I guess you'll have to rent it to see what I'm talking about.

[Arachne]

For me, the entire point of fast food is that it looks gross and squashed and barely edible and soooooo bad for me. When I'm feeling stressed out, that's just the thing, a little bit of low-key self harm to keep me from doing something stupid like slicing off all my hair or throwing half my belongings in a dumpster.

No, no one else gets it, either. When I'm stressed, I crave fast food, twinkies, and potato chips. Mmmmm, fat.

[Ackee]

Bigger

Frankly, I am surprised that no one has complained that the burgers are not as big as in the picture yet. But I am sure someone somewhere will....

[Argabarga]

The reason the burgers look rounder and larger in the pics is because they don't thuroughly cook them, the just grill them enough to brown the outside, then then use heated rods to put fake grill marks on them, if you cut one of those prop burgers open, it's completely raw on the inside

As mentioned, they do this so it looks larger, rounder and less shriveled up than the real thing, as when you grill it, you cook out a lot of water.

Look closesly and there's legalease on most "quarter pound" burger ads advertizing that the 1/4 lb portion is prior to cooking for that reason.

[ringflinger]

The reason the burgers look rounder and larger in the pics is because they don't thuroughly cook them

These days, if a photograph is advertising food, it must show the food the customer can buy. It even has to be cooked the same way (albeit with more care, and then assembled to seem more appealing).

Food that isn't being advertised can be doctored as much as you like. Crisco "ice cream", anyone?

[wildcatgrrl]

And all those gorgeous depictions of families carving turkeys at Thanksgiving. They basically paint the outside of the turkey brown, and use a heat gun to cook only the portion of meat that shows when the actor carves it. I saw that on tv.

[CRXPanda]

These days, if a photograph is advertising food, it must show the food the customer can buy. It even has to be cooked the same way (albeit with more care, and then assembled to seem more appealing).

Food that isn't being advertised can be doctored as much as you like. Crisco "ice cream", anyone?

it doesn't *have* to be cooked, the veggies are often raw, sometimes blow-torched...read:
http://www.shutterbug.com/features/1204insider/

personally I thought most was fake anyway...now I know it is mainly real, but rather inedible.

it's 3 pages worth, I love the story "An Ice Cream Adventure"

[zzapp the witch]

Haven't had the stomach to eat at McD's in about 5 years.

When I worked as a butcher, my boss decided that since it was a nice day, and slow, that we'd have a small employee BBQ. But one of the cleaning guys (who is still an asshat after 10 years) pretty much said, "Ick, poo, I'm going to drive through McD's." Mike smiled evilly and told him to bring back his quarterpounder, he wanted to show us all something.

So while the kid was off getting his drive through heart attack, Mike had me on the scale with some hamburger, just regular burger, not lean or anything, just average stuff that we grind instore. He had me weigh out 1/4 lb balls to make the burgers with.

We had em going when the kid got back. Mike cooked em well done, and put em on a plate right next to the McD's burger. Guess which one was bigger? And also tasted better. Yep, the homemade ones. Better texture, more meat, I know for a fact no one spit on them....yeah, I'm anti-fast food. And mayo, ketchup, and horseradish make a spot-on special sauce.

[Kusanagi]

Does anyone else go into the non-chain restaraunts where they take actual pictures of the food for display, and although it looks messy, makes you drool more than anything that's ever shown at a fast food restaraunt?

[Argabarga]

Does anyone else go into the non-chain restaraunts where they take actual pictures of the food for display, and although it looks messy, makes you drool more than anything that's ever shown at a fast food restaraunt?

I have a little hidden appreciation for places that do that, if one of the fries in the pile is visibly burnt, or a bit soggy-looking, I know it was REAL FOOD and that they've got the guts to tell it as it is.

[ahanix1989]

I always lived in fear that someone would demand food at Fazoli's to be picture-perfect.
"James, how the hell do I make this little piece of lasagna look like it has 20 layers, and have an undersized breadstick conveniently Photoshopped onto the plate at an impossible angle?"

[FemmeAnime]

This "lord" is having dinner with his "family" (I personally think he has to pay people to be with him) After getting his food he reams back up to the counter tosses the fries supreme at us and starts his ranting....
"My son (spawn of satan) didn't get his toy in his meal (we're not McDonalds Ass-hat, never have their been toys in our meals) and these fries supreme don't look like the picture."
My IC (In-Charge) educates him on how everything is measure when it's put on and thats handed down from coperate who like to confuse ass-hats like yourself.
Guy gets even more irrite and says "I can't believe I paid $3 for that!" Continues to pick up fries and toss it down. Careful it might bite! "I want at least a snacker or something, this is riducluous!" Shoves the fries at us. So during the whole conversation I had been eavesdropping and his precious snacker was ready and waiting for him as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
The sad thing is, is that the fries supreme were in a meal which means he paid less than a $1 to make them supremed. He arraived near closing too....and they stayed forever and left a gaint mess. I guess he was finished with Ass-hat school with his son for the day....

[draggar]

Why am I thinking of the movie 'Falling Down' right about now?

[BusyBee]

Food goes in mah belly.
So long as it doesn't look vomit-inducing before then, I'm happy to at least try it. It's not like it'll keep looking nice after I've taken a bite or two

Oh and the day I get a burger/BLT/toasted sandwich/salad/steak that looks like the picture, I'm saving that thing. That thing will go on my wall.