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Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

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Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#161
"Food stylists" have a fascinating but somewhat tedious job. I have watched one insert a cocktail stick into thousands of flakes of individual oatmeal in order to "plump them up" for a video shoot.

Food in commercials is treated like an actor. It is styled, staged, and post-produced to show it at its best. Food stylists are just as talented as traditional cosmetic artists, but few people seem to know they exist. It was good to see McDonald's revealing a little of their work here.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also their burgers are pretty gross. Some people must think they taste "good enough", given their popularity. Convenience and price obviously play big roles here, but they are also likely choosing McDonalds over other options on at least some basis of taste. > But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a company wh…

In Australia (and Canada for that matter), McDonald's food is far better than it is the the US.

I can't eat at McDonald's in Canada, but I really like to go there when I'm in Eastern Europe. It tastes so much better there.

UPDATE: And I didn't like it in the US either.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#164
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add insult to injury, there's a McDonald's within a few blocks of Bongo Burger (at Center St.) that's enormous and always packed. I'm not sure if we see this behavior because Americans are addicted to empty calories, or just don't want to venture outside their (dis)comfort zone to try something new, or what. It's sad.

If I walk into a McDonald's, I know that $5 will get me a cheeseburger, some fries, and a drink. I know what it'll taste like, and I know the food will be ready in about 2 minutes. I'm sure Bongo Burger is amazing, and now that I've heard of it I'll have to try it next time I'm in Berkeley. But for all I know, a Bongo Burger might cost $10 and have a half-hour wait before they get my order cooked; that's not always w…

Actually a menu with bacon burger, drink and fries was something between $6-$7 and ready in 5-10 minutes.

I also experienced some great burgers in New York, ones with truffles and Kobe meat. They were already pretty expensive, but also tasted amazing.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#165
post #96
post #50

My own amusing anecdote: I grew up in rural Jamaica, where there was no fast food, but I came to the capital city (Kingston) twice per month, where we would always eat at KFC. So I'd never had a burger before (KFC dominates every fast food chain in Jamaica). When I was maybe 12 or 13, we had a class trip to Kingston, and after the outing, we went to a McDonalds. So I'm standing in the line, and looking at the ad susp…

You had me until "YOLO."

He said "you only live once", not "YOLO".

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#166

I once saw a TV segment showing some starlet being photographed for a print clothing ad campaign. The stylist used metal clips (the sort one can buy at an office supply store for holding 50 sheets of paper together) to tighten the garment around her torso. From the front, the dress looked like it fit her perfectly. However, the back exposed a bunch of black metal clips holding back fabric. How does such an ad compare…

Not sure about in the US, but in the UK you often see store mannequins "dressed" the same way.

In the US as well. Typically shirts and suits to give a "slimmed" appearance.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, I don't believe most of the urban legends about McDonalds, and there are things they do that I can even respect (for instance, their contribution to french fry science [really], or their [very, very, very, very] gradual adoption of humane farming guidelines.) But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a com…

> Also their burgers are pretty gross. Some people must think they taste "good enough", given their popularity. Convenience and price obviously play big roles here, but they are also likely choosing McDonalds over other options on at least some basis of taste. > But make no mistake that McDonalds is a business that is, if not as harmful as Philip Morris, gradable on the same scale. For the most part it's a company wh…

The ones I've had both in Romania and the UK have been excellent.

Can't comment about US ones.

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#168
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Australia (and Canada for that matter), McDonald's food is far better than it is the the US.

I can't eat at McDonald's in Canada, but I really like to go there when I'm in Eastern Europe. It tastes so much better there. UPDATE: And I didn't like it in the US either.

I only have experience with McDonald's in Western Europe, and here the food is not good. The pattys seem like the meat was thoroughly grinded to a smooth paste. The bread doesn't have any flavour, and because it's in a closed package with the rest it becomes soaked and soft from the steam. The worst part is the cheese (if you can call it that -- it doesn't look or taste like cheese at all). The fries are okayish. On the rare occasion that I'm with a group of people who want to eat something at McDonalds, I usually take a salad with the sauce in a separate package, because even the salad sauce doesn't taste good.

This was surprising to me. You can make a much better burger than McDonalds in 10 minutes with standard equipment. Just take some minced meat, form it into a flat cylinder, rub some olive oil salt and pepper, cook it in a frying pan, after you turned it around add (real) cheese on top and cook the other side, slice a bread in two and roast it a little in the same pan, and stack up the burger with some lettuce, tomato and some mustard and/or ketchup. Why can't a company whose primary purpose is to make burgers not make a burger half as good? It's not like the ingredients here are more expensive. Or do people really prefer McD's burgers?

Don't get me started on restaurants that use canned peppers and mushrooms that make the whole pizza wet and acidic. Also: http://popsop.com/wp-content/uploads/kraft_cheese_snack_befo... WTF? "Natural cheese made with 2% milk no added growth hormones"

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#169
post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Australia (and Canada for that matter), McDonald's food is far better than it is the the US.

I think it's better in most of the world than the US. It's almost considered classy in Thailand, and to me, it seems to taste better, too.

Obviously you've not tried them in the UK. We've been to Vegas in the US and thought the burgers there were amazing. Like, "oh my god, this actually looks a bit like real beef!"

Re: Why Your McD's Burger Doesn't Look Like the One in the Ad

#170

I once saw a TV segment showing some starlet being photographed for a print clothing ad campaign. The stylist used metal clips (the sort one can buy at an office supply store for holding 50 sheets of paper together) to tighten the garment around her torso. From the front, the dress looked like it fit her perfectly. However, the back exposed a bunch of black metal clips holding back fabric. How does such an ad compare…

I do a bit of a photography on the side and know a few working fashion photographers. Generally when you're supplied clothing from a company it'll come as a specific size, say size 8. You put out a casting call for a size 8 model that meets your specific requirements, and find that the clothes are too big for her due to sizing being weird. You then have to style it so it looks perfect and go from there, it's not so much about fake it to make it look more perfect (that's what gratuitous liquify is for) but to Get The Job Done.

Someone with the exact same measurements generally has the benefit of being able to try the different sizes on, photographers often don't unless working with a company rep on hand, or they've sent multiple sizes which often only happens at the higher end.

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