31 January 2010

McDonald's: The illusion of the perfect Big Mac, Randwick (31 Jan 2010)

73 Belmore Road, Randwick NSW 2031
http://mcdonalds.com.au


Lazy Sunday Lunch

So hands up those who have ever had a Big Mac that actually looks like the advertising menu. Anyone? No one?

I actually used to work for McDonald's when I was a young one for about 5 and a half years and even when I cooked a Big Mac for myself with much care and attention to detail I still couldn't make it look like the advertising photos — hence the power and illusion of advertising aka Photoshop and Food Stylist. As I'm sure most of you know the celebrities are also reliant on having their photos retouched too — no wonder we have so many self-esteem problems in our society. And now that my Big Mac has provided 44% of my daily saturated fat intake along with 50% of my protein and 42% of my sodium I think I'll go for a nanna nap while my sugar rush subsides to normal levels.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Cheap, Quick, Easy, Childhood memories
CONS: Waistline, High in saturated fat and sugar
MUST TRY: Not eating it too often

The way it will never look when you get one

Reality – Big Mac and French Fries.


% Daily intake — I'm now halfway through my protein for the day.


Before and after photoshop — if only magazines showed the truth.


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8 comments:

Gummi Baby said...

I can't believe that you worked there for 5 years and you're still hoping for one to turn up looking like its promotional material! LOL!

Anonymous said...

True! The picture perfect big mac picture is just an illusion. I have never seen or eaten one that looks like that. BTW, is that Madonna?

foodwink said...

Reminds me of what Bridget Taylor said on Gruen Transfer :)

"Well, I always laugh because people get their burger and go, 'Oh, it doesn’t look like the picture'. Let me tell you about the reality of the picture: on the top of the bun, the sesame seeds are all glued on and then that’s propped up with lots of toothpicks so that it doesn’t squash the lettuce below, which is real.

“Then the patty is sort of cooked, a little bit, and then sort of torched, blow torched to make it look charred and then sprayed with something like glycerine, so it looks juicy, and the fries, they are hand painted Styrofoam, then glued together into the perfect fan formation and stuck in a box.

“So if you ever do get a burger and it looks like the picture, that’s when you should worry."

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

I love reality.

Simon Leong said...

hi gummi baby, hehe i know. i guess it applies to all food advertising. that's why i like food bloggers photos because most of the time it's shot as it's presented so what you see is what you get.

hi ellie, yep, i believe it's madonna. a little scary isn't it.

hi foodwink, i've heard a lot about the Gruen Transfer but unfortunately have never had the chance to watch it. that's such a great statement and so true. it probably would be a worry if my Big Mac did look like the advertising hehe

hi joey, honest down-to-earth reality is always a good thing :-)

Anna said...

Yeah false advertising.. Grrr!

Simon Leong said...

hi ladybird, yep, it's all around us isn't it. buyer beware :-)

Anonymous said...

You should visit a McDonalds in Tokyo, they actually look like the picture, freshly made, within a minute, every single time. If only McDonalds treated the rest of the world as well.

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