Fast Food Ads versus Reality

– 6 January , 2011Posted in: Other

I don’t eat Western fast food* often perhaps once every 6 – 12 months. However, when I travel, I do like to go to different countries and see what their fastfood versions are like.

*McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, you get the idea. I consider Vietnamese pho, Middle Eastern shawarmas and all that stuff to be fast food as well.

For instance, in Paris, France, the McDonald’s cafes sold macarons.

They didn’t look anything like the photo below, although they were very tasty. Cake-like and blasphemous at the same time**.

Citron (Lemon) pictured below was my favourite. My mouth is watering.

**All Parisians swear up and down that that Ladurée is the best in Paris but my unsophisticated and plebian tastes preferred the McDonald’s version.

More like a cake. Less like whipped air. In my defense, BF is originally from France and says he preferred the McDonald’s version too.

So when I take a look at these following images of fast food advertisements versus reality, I’m slightly disgusted but fascinated at the same time:

Conclusion? We all knew this, but as is with all media, take anything you see, read or hear with a grain of salt.

Note: I said “media” because even watching the news can shape your world view. Television shows, movies, anything you watch and consume as a media consumer, has an agenda. Figure out what it is and then proceed.

These are images all taken from a fabulously documented site called: Fast Food – Ads vs. Reality. You can see more the site.

Update as of June 22 2011: I was sort of troll-ishly informed in the comments that the images come from a truer source site from someone named “Dario D”.

I googled his name and realized that I DID reference his site (see above link)

Again, the “fabulously documented site” is called Fast Food – Ads vs. Reality by Dario D.

Here are more from another site called Pics Roll:

Tags: Advertisements, Fast Food, Media, Reality

About everydayminimalist

I'm a 20-something year old girl who lived out of a single suitcase in 2007, and now I'm living with less, but only with the best. You don't have to get rid of everything to become a minimalist! Minimalism can help simplify and organize your life, career, & physical surroundings. You can read more about me as a minimalist. Or come and visit my other blog Fabulously Broke in the City where I got out of $60,000 of debt in 18 months, earning $65,000 gross/year.

Atuinstra

well, maybe its taboo , but I do eat at macdonalds sometimes. I get the mini meal chicken nuggets which is four nuggets and an extra small fry and a small pop. its 325 including tax and is a whopping 720 calories(the food is) and it keeps me from being hungry for at least three hours. It also doesn’t look smashed if that’s the problem with all this food. Personally my problem with all the aforepictured food is that its gonna be like bigger than your head even if it is smashed and you don’t need that many calories in a meal. I guess with food I’m a minimalist too
http://twitter.com/igotduped igotduped

I saw this blog post about fast food ad vs. reality and thought that
you might be interested in joining the revolution against marketing
lies. We are launching the mobile app I Got Duped in about 2 weeks for
the sole purpose of giving a voice to the consumers when they feel
like they have been duped by advertisers. The first version is built
specifically for restaurants and we intend to go after other types of
business in future, such as lodging, packaged products, and more.

You can see the feed from our months of intense testing on our web
site at http://igotduped.net. You can follow us on twitter to stay
informed about the status. @igotduped
Kate

Love this. I’m still unsure why people keep buying these products though…
Maddie542

Runs to toilet and barfs for 2 days straight… I’m already vegetarian so I won’t be seeing these up close. Ewwwwww
Chris

Anyone who thinks a value meal has any ‘value’ should take one look at these pictures. I started my own quest to stop eating fast food over six months ago and it’s been easier than I thought. I’ve started my own blog talking about the journey, so I hope people will check it out (ps – I’m not selling anything!). Thanks for the great post! http://www.fastfoodblues.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthieu-Claude-Bernard/100000265749215 Matthieu Claude Bernard

Wow, you STOLE this whole post, pictures and everything from Dario D without even mentioning his name. Blog fail.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com The Everyday Minimalist
  
  Correction, I actually got the photos from Fresh Pics or a similar site,
  which I’ve mentioned in the blog post.
  
  I referenced them, but in THEIR page, they never gave me a source to
  reference link back to nor a name.
  
  Please provide me with the source and I’d be more than happy to put it at
  the top and the bottom as a true reference.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com everydayminimalist
  
  DOUBLE correction. I was willing to be kind and eat crow for my mistake of NOT referencing Dario D, because I assumed I was immediately at fault.
  
  If you had bothered to read the post and scroll down to the end where I wrote:
  
  These are images all taken from a fabulously documented site called: Fast Food – Ads vs. Reality. You can see more the site.
  
  You would have seen that I ALREADY reference his site, telling everyone how amazing it is and that they can SEE MORE PICTURES THERE.
  
  You sir, Fact Checking fail.
Pingback: How Social Media Changes Everything* | chadlotario
Pingback: Link Love: January | hithatsmybike's Blog
Pingback: Another Reason To Stay Away From Fast Food « David Ruttenberg's Blog
http://www.ianmrountree.com Ian M Rountree

Seriously fantastic. I'm speechless – it's amazing how much discrepency we'll accept from "idealized" to "attainable" especially in food.
My recent post Obviousness Obviates Obfuscation
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  Agreed. But a lot of us don\’t eat fast food except once in a while, and to be fair, we know what we\’re buying when we eat it.
  
  That said… I prefer ethnic fast food.
- http://www.pickuplinesforguys.me Mark
  
  I agree. Although, to be fair, in general, people should realize that advertisements are advertisements and that there is a fine print to every advertisement in there somewhere. I guess this has been going on for so long and advertisers have gotten so good that we have forgotten we're in a dream world, a bit like Inception
  My recent post Funny Pick Up Lines For Guys Vol 1
thefrugalvegan

Oh wow I had fun reading this post! For one, I am off to Paris again in March and was planning on going to Laduree but now I might save some cash and go to McCafe for my macaroon fix! Thank you for the heads up! Also, thank you for posting pics of actual burgers alongside the advertising burger pics…wow, the real ones look SO awful. (and I'm not saying this because I am vegan). It's amazing to see these pics side by side. I also eat ethnic fast foods (thai noodles, ethiopian, rotis…) and am rarely seen in North American fast food places.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  You should go to LaDuree for the croissants, that nice chocolat et pistache croissant they make, and this little apple tart thing I\’ve been dreaming about since I flew back to Canada.
  
  I\’d try at least ONE macaron there, but save your EUR for the rest of their pastries.
  
  I guess it\’s a question of comfort food for many. I think it looks gross, others get a rumble in their tummy.
  
  It\’s not my comfort food, that\’s all I can say. My comfort food is mixed corned beef with rice, which sounds so weird but is so warm and delicious.. and utterly awful for me.
Pingback: BREAKFAST | Coeur d'Alene High School Photography Blog
avatar

just a little beat worse
Pingback: – FOTO: Cum arată în reclamă şi ce primeşti la fast-food « Stiri pe blog
Gene Villanueva

THIS IS SOOOO TRUE IN MAJOR MAJOR WAYS…
Andreas

The comparison reminds me of the Whammyburger scene in the movie Falling Down. Sadly all the clips I have seen on YouTube end just as his "make it like the picture" rant starts.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I don\’t know that movie, but I\’ll have to YouTube it.
Dlan

Glad I'm a vegetarian. In Hawaii, all the McDonalds have Spam on their menu as well as rice.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I\’d like to try that I am not a fan of Spam (my family is), but spam musubi SOUNDS like it could be interesting.
Volker

Today I stumbled again over the following link: http://www.funtasticus.com/2008/03/24/advertising-vs-reality-a-product-comparison-project/ (more on http://www.pundo3000.com/werbunggegenrealitaet3000.htm just click one one of the really small pictures in the middle).

There was also such a list of US products a few years ago. But couldn’t find it.

If you would get the product from the picture, you wouldn’t eat it. They use hairspray, so it looks more shiny, toothpicks so it don’t collapse during the shooting and batting to look bigger and fuller. That’s just a few tricks to get such nice product pictures.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  Great links! I\’ll have to check them out in detail.
Naro

I remember when I was a kid and didn't know how those ads vs reality played out I ordered a Cheddar McMelt solely from looking to the picture. Once I opened the box it felt really like that wasn't the one I ordered, so I went to check and well, it really was.

No need to say, that wasn't the happiest meal of my life.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  *laugh* I always stuck to the chicken mcnuggets until I saw the pink foamy stuff it actually is before they dye and flavour it. *shudder*
ron

Here is the one I like burger king chicken sandwich
ad: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wa5mfMtqQAQ/SoLnnhaau4I…

The real Deal http://photofoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/…
http://jamesbrett.wordpress.com JamesBrett

evryday, i’ll admit i’m with you on the lettuce bit — though i’d just as soon go without.

in asia, too, the fast food is much “cleaner,” fresher, hotter, and served with better presentation than in the states. mcdonald’s there is incredible. and so is kfc.

beans and rice is probably my least favorite food. and i do have a tv… though it only gets pakistani commercials.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I can\’t wait to go to Asia and try what you\’re describing. I\’m really excited to see real food in fastfood places, although in Japan or China I\’d be more likely to eat local street food rather than go to a Western restaurant to eat the food there.
  - http://jamesbrett.wordpress.com jamesbrett
    
    i lived in china from 2001-2004, and i ate street feed 6 days a week (never cooked there– the food was to delish). but a nice double cheeseburger from mcd's was really great on that 7th day (when i was resting…).
    My recent post prolonged adolescence
http://jamesbrett.wordpress.com JamesBrett

i guess i don’t understand why it matters so much to people how the sandwiches are presented? i mean do you guys really believe skillet-fried ground beef with bacon and cheese is going to taste any different if the bun’s less flattened or the patties placed more evenly?

[i suppose i do understand the wilted lettuce versus fresh stuff.]

i eat food for the taste, and i eat fast food for the taste, cost, and speed. presentation factors in very little. i’m not calling you guys silly, but i don’t understand the big deal with food appearances from greasy fast food joints. you pay a couple of bucks for a burger that was cooked before you walked in — what do you expect?

[i do understand, though, that you want advertisements to look more like what's served. but that's advertisements in general -- NOT fast food only. your new car isn't likely to come with the beautiful mountain road at sunset or with the gorgeous woman driving. and your corona isn't really going to make you feel like you're at the beach in mexico.]

by the way, i would kill for any of those burgers above. here in rural tanzania, there’s no such thing as a good burger. no such thing as a burger at all, for that matter. and fast food means beans and rice or beans and rice. no advertisements of photos.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  You make a good point but I guess where I\’d feel upset or cheated is that it looks like fresh lettuce, really good meat and a two pieces of real bread. Then when you get this mushy, soggy, flat mess you think: What? This is what is supposed to be in the picture?
  
  Misleading. I think in Europe, they would look at it and think it\’s slop. When I was in Europe, the fast food was not as bad as what it is here. It was still bad, yes, but not to this extent.
  
  I avoid that kind of fast food anyway, and I\’d rather have beans and rice to be frank. And no advertisements because I don\’t have a TV
therunningcpa

hilarious! maybe i should eat mcdonald's tonight just to be sure…
My recent post project365- day five
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  Give it a shot and post your results lol
http://twitter.com/Grake @Grake

i showed the photos above to my sister and we couldn't stop laughing!
but really true, once you get the burgers out of their box or paper wrap, they don't look appetizing sometimes.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I feel like they never look good enough to eat
Jaime

Check this out….
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/garden/25clean….

I love this lady's apartment, its so minimalist but functional, she also said it took her awhile to learn things weren't worth worrying about. Although I don't like how she throws away her books after she's done reading them. I love books and I hate it when people do that. :-/
Jaime

Yep that's why I don't usually like eating fast food. Its like they slap a bunch of food together. I like going to mcd's for their coffee drinks, they're just as good as Starbucks, their yogurt parfait is decent as well, and their smoothies. I like to go there to pick up those things as snacks.

As for burgers, I like to either make my own at home, or get them from restaurants. The burgers at restaurants are so much better than ones served in fast food. Of course it depends on the restaurant. Its fast food and you get what you pay for. I'm not wealthy or anything, but at times I think that middle class establishments such as Applebee's are bad too.

I'm not that impressed with them. Places like Applebee's, IHop, Olive Garden, etc. are average, one step above fast food, but nothing impressive. In fact, I'm sure you can make replicate the same food at home, which costs less, and will taste better, healthier, will be less fattening and less salty.

I don't mean to hate on eating out because my BF and I eat out every single week, several times. These places and fast food franchises want to serve the masses in the cheapest way possible and keep them coming back.

I find that after awhile I get sick of eating out and want to eat at home, but then if I eat at home 7 days a week, then eating out can be a nice break once in a while. I need a break from cooking once in a while. Although in the end I prefer home cooking because its much better. When I went to visit my mom and stepdad for xmas, I loved eating my mom's food again.

Speaking of the media, they study psychology and use it in their ads to get people to come in. A couple of years ago Applebee's had this ad and one of the ending lines was "if not now then when?" They use psychology in such a manipulative way. It just ugh.

I'm glad I don't have cable anymore. People don't think ads work on them but they do, they do work, through repetition, it gets to people.
She works retail

Sadly, this only made me crave Burger King for dinner tonight. Something I probably haven't eaten since I was about 12 (we didn't have one anywhere near where I went to college).

Not surprisingly, I was sorely disappointed by the presentation of my sandwich. However, the taste was exactly as I remembered it. Good for about four bites and then mildly bearable afterwards.

I don't think I'll be returning for quite a while.
Airam

These images are so disgusting…yet so funny at the same time!
Good thing I don't ever eat at any of those restaurants.
My recent post 2010 Financial Review
fabulouslyfrugirl

Ditto on those "glamour shots" of the hamburger. It rivals the Subway sandwiches. They look so sad.

On another note, when I was at McDonald's in Malaysia, they had congee on their menu!
My recent post December Recap
http://readyfireaimblog.com/ Michael Nelson

"I do like to go to different countries and see what their fastfood versions are like."

Reminds of the McKroket.
http://blog.jasonhanley.com jasonhanley

LOL. I love those comparison pictures. Thanks for giving a good dose of laughter today
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  Any time Jason.
http://applesandporsches.com Ellie Di

*giggles* I've always found this funny, myself. But I prefer the messy, gross versions from real life over the perfect versions in the adds. That Baconator, for example, looks MUCH more appetizing to me as a squished mess. That probably makes me a freak.

However, I do know that they hire very expensive people to do very weird things with injectors, tweezers, and lighting to make those greaseballs look tasty (to everyone else). It blows my mind how much money they must spend just to make sure a Whopper looks like it's outside the pull of gravity!
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com everydayminimalist
  
  Really??? I think the advertisement looks better. I’d want a burger like THAT.
- fatstupidamerican
  
  They are called food designers/stylist. I've worked with a few while as a budding commercial photographer. Some of the stuff in the photo isnt even food.
  My recent post Operation Sandwich
http://yuppieinthecity.blogspot.com/ Kim

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this because it is totally besides the point of your post (or so I think :p) – but I got SUCH A CRAVING for fast food after seeing those pictures! Sure the ad version of the pictures looked better, but the messy, real life versions had a ..messy, greasy, satsifying charm to them. Now I'm hungry!
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  OH no.. my stomach is turning
fatstupidamerican

Those messy mashed down burgers look fantastic. I am getting hungry.

My recent post Operation Sandwich
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  You and Ellie Di should get together with Kim for a pig out.
  - fatstupidamerican
    
    Who's kim? What you aren't going to join us?
    My recent post Operation Sandwich
Christina

Ugh, gross. I never eat McD's or most major fast-food burgers. I'd much rather go to a place where they have juicy, tender stacked burgers that don't look like a hot mess (as shown above). It's interesting how the media and advertising really does inspire some to think that because it's colossal and huge, you should eat it. Also, coming from a psychological perspective, it is also interesting that they show the advertised burgers as symmetrical with all of their dressings perfectly placed. Cognitive studies have shown that humans are more attracted to the opposite sex if their facial features are more symmetrical, so maybe they're using the same logic here. Hmmmmm….
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  The golden ratio! You\’re so right.
  
  They look appetizing to me (the ads) because they look REAL. But then I see the real version and I kind a bit nauseous
  - south
    
    It has the opposite effect on me, I think — the advertised ones look fake & plastic, but the real ones look like something I could sink my teeth into. And then chew with my mouth open, making contented munching noises as the grease dripped down my chin. Yum.
    - http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
      
      I definitely don\’t share that view Perhaps if it was KFC?
- http://liviu.blog.iacob.name/ Liviu
  
  I prefer classic restaurants where they serve real food, i.e. slow food: soup, steak, real desserts etc., since this is healthier than what any fast food may ever serve. Whatever the ads claim, you just can't make healthy food when your target is to prepare & serve it in under a minute. Maybe the replicators from Start Trek may do the trick otherwise no.
  My recent post Casa memoriala Muzeul Prof Dr Victor Babes Bucuresti
  - http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
    
    Oh yes. Slow food. That is definitely more up my alley. Even a simple soup is better.
shortystylee

I don't eat "Western" fast food almost at all anymore, but I remember this most with Taco Bell when I was in university (built it up and built it up just to be let down, each time) and the least with Wendy's. I'm picky and I always got plain chicken sandwiches, so I wasn't going to be too disappointed by appearance.

I totally agree with fast food in other countries though! Every time I've been in Japan I try to check out McDonald's to see what they have that is new (Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich! Parmesan Chicken Sandwich!) The Happy Meal toys were a lot better too

Jessica
My recent post 52 weeks-52 letters- Week 1
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I can\’t wait to go to all over Asia and try their different varieties.
  
  When did you go to Japan, where and did you like it?
Tiffany

I enjoyed the post, but think you meant to say as is with all advertising, not the media. They’re not interchangeable. Thanks!
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com evrydaymnmalist
  
  I said \”media\” because even watching the news can shape your world view. Television shows, movies, anything you watch and consume as a media consumer, has an agenda.
  
  I meant to draw the analogy between the two.
http://twitter.com/joshuamillburn @joshuamillburn

I don't eat meat (haven't for a few years now) and generally the site of most meat is a real turn-off for me now (e.g., the meat in all of your "reality" pics). BUT, the fake meat in the ads you posted actually looks good to me. Oh, the power and influence of marketing. Beware.

Take care,

Joshua http://theminimalists.com
My recent post Minimalist New Year Resolution

Advertising
In a Nutshell

other blog: fabulously broke in the city
minimalist since: 2007 -- why minimalism?
talk to me: contact me here!
current location: canada/usa
home: hotel room
owns: 3 suitcases 2 carryons of stuff
# of items: more than 100!
furniture: 1 japanese futon
works: business consultant
gadgets: macbook pro, ipod touch (pda)
drinks: earl grey cream tea
practices: rebel yoga and de-cluttering
loves: minimalism, $$ management, traveling
quirk: must prep my food before eating
Most Recent Posts

Fast Food Ads versus Reality

*McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, you get the idea. I consider Vietnamese pho, Middle Eastern shawarmas and all that stuff to be fast food as well.

**All Parisians swear up and down that that Ladurée is the best in Paris but my unsophisticated and plebian tastes preferred the McDonald’s version.

More like a cake. Less like whipped air. In my defense, BF is originally from France and says he preferred the McDonald’s version too.

About everydayminimalist

Advertising

In a Nutshell

Most Recent Posts

Categories

Archives by Month

Advertising

Contact Me