Comments on: Retouching a Quarter Pounder

By: Robert Wall

Robert Wall — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:16:00 +0000

When I worked at McDonald’s (1995 to 1997) the burgers came in frozen (and raw), were cooked, and put in a heated, somewhat humid cabinet until needed – with a maximum holding time of about 25 minutes.

Everything else was then either assembled to order, or assembled a bit ahead of time in the case of a lunch or dinner rush (as Danbo noted)

But then after they were assembled, we wrapped (or boxed) them and put then in something called a Q-ing oven. You’d punch in the sandwich code (a Big Mac, for example, was “32” – at least at our location), enter the quantity (up to six for Big Macs), and hit the button to start. Anywhere from five to thirty seconds later the device would make a noise, and you’d remove the food.

The net effect was pretty much identical to a microwave – the “Q-ed” product felt very much as if it had been microwaved.

So….there were definitely microwaves (or something pretty much indistinguishable from microwaves) in the McDonald’s kitchens for awhile.

I think they’ve gone away from using these things in recent years, but they’re definitely a part of McDonalds history.

By: finette

finette — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:38:00 +0000

Have you ever done anything about the infamous blue liquid used in menstrual pad and diaper ads? I think it would be interesting to look at when that started, how advertisers universally agreed on that as the visual euphemism, etc.

Perhaps more closely related to the topic here: I remember being fascinated as a child with the shape in which toothpaste always comes out of the tube in commercials. It’s got perfect little up-and-downturned points, and a slight wave in the middle. I may have wasted a lot of toothpaste trying to attain that shape…

By: minuteye

minuteye — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:58:00 +0000

I saw a video on Haagen Daas ice cream photography a few years ago (part of a reality show on trying to find a new flavour), and they were definitely cutting actual containers in half and scooping out actual ice cream. They had to work pretty fast to get a shot or two before it started melting, but it was real.

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:27:00 +0000

I’m fairly certain that the U.S. has a law that the actual products must be used in advertisements – I guess that applies to food as well? Of course, what you end up seeing is a hyper-meticulous effect of using the product and a hundred other factors that make it look perfect. The model advertising haircolor might have her hair colored five times to make the color that vibrant, and has ten stylists hovering over her between takes. The model in the mascara commercial has a makeup artist combing and curling her every individual eyelash. So it is still misleading advertising, though perhaps not 100% false.

By: Tusconian

Tusconian — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Because the food in advertisements is fake, and we know it. It’s actually fairly surprising to me that McDonald’s only uses the type of food it sells, because many food advertisers don’t even use food. But customers are very familiar with fast food. It takes one trip to McDonald’s to know that even the most carefully crafted quarter pounder doesn’t look like the picture. I work in a restaurant that sells burgers of much higher quality than any fast food place, and burgers can’t just maintain such an attractive appearance. I’ve never actually heard anyone ask in seriousness why their food doesn’t look like the picture. I HAVE heard girls ask why their hair isn’t as shiny as the model in the ad even though they bought the product, or why they aren’t as thin as a model even though they diet and exercise. People are much less familiar with the actual looks of models and celebrities, and they aren’t really supposed to know.

By: Tusconian

Tusconian — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:53:00 +0000

This. People think that since it’s popular to dislike something that it’s okay to say absolutely anything about it (Disney, McDonald’s, Barbie) but tend to avoid, you know, actual criticisms. I know for a fact that McDonald’s doesn’t use a microwave and isn’t made of ground-up worm meat like the urban legends say, so if people start spouting that off, all I want to do is ignore them and eat more McDonald’s. If a person wants to convince someone that something bad should be avoided, why not use the plethora of facts available?

By: Hierophant2

Hierophant2 — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:25:00 +0000

Why is this post labeled “food/agriculture”?

Ba doom tish

By: analog2000

analog2000 — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 22:26:00 +0000

You should see the "Dove Evolution" video. It was part of Dove's "Campaign for real beauty." The whole idea that Dove, makers of anti-aging and anti-cellulite creams, as well as a gazillion other things that exploit women's insecurities, is concerned about "real beauty" is absurd. But the video is fascinating: Dove Evolution.

By: Danbo

Danbo — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Uh, that’s not how the McDonald’s I worked at as a teen ever made their food. The patties are cooked on the grill from frozen and placed in a warming drawer until use. Then the rest is assembled on order. During lunch rush they might make up a few standards of the most popular sandwiches ahead of time, but the turnover was so high at that point they never stuck around for long. Any special orders are too much work to anticipate so those were made to order.

I’m not saying it’s good by any means – it’s not – but it’s not half-made and popped in a microwave. Criticism should at least be correct.

By: Richard Burgess

Richard Burgess — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Reminds me of this example of a sandwich

http://imgur.com/gallery/ehrRT

By: Miss_Led

Miss_Led — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:50:00 +0000

There are videos about retouching models, but never made by the fashion magazines. Here’s one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD_wp7BSyQo&feature=related

By: Lisa_Wade

Lisa_Wade — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:36:00 +0000

It’s also a great example of a company trying to craft a response to a common criticism. This seems to me to be a proactive form of brand management. Notice that they’re careful not to sound defensive, but also claim that everything they’re doing is designed to produce a *truthful* photograph.

By: MD

MD — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:18:00 +0000

this was the subject of an entire scene in the bell jar in the 1960s, so let’s not think this is remarkable.

By: Mel B. Sherman

Mel B. Sherman — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 19:49:00 +0000

I do understand the confusion some customers may experience when their burger looks puny compared to the model burger but there isn’t a “food stylist” designing every component of the burger in 3-5 minutes for you as you wait. There is someone pulling a half-way, pre-made burger out of a container, changing it as you request (no pickles, no cheese, etc), shocking it in the microwave, and serving you as fast as possible to get you out of the line.

By: Dianna Fielding

Dianna Fielding — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:52:00 +0000

I find it very interesting that they made this video at all. I have not seen a similar video about retouching a person in advertising. (If one exists, I would love to see it.)

This practice of making food look better on camera than in real life is very common. Every good cook book practices this. I’ve heard stories of photographers propping up bits of meat in soup with toothpicks so the soup looked more robust.

I feel that I wouldn’t want to eat the touched-up burger in real life. All the pickles and onions would be on one side and there would only be a squiggle of ketchup and mustard. Very disappointing.