# I Pit Fast Food Commercials
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [October 18, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824 "2005-10-18T23:39:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/1 "2005-10-18T23:39:22Z")
Whether its a Big Mac, a Whopper or whatever Arby’s calls its main sandwich, it appears twice its normal size in TV commercials.
I can’t think of any other imarket that can get away with that and can’t understand how they can pull it off!
Are government officials getting paid off in winning Monopoly pieces?
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/2 "2005-10-18T23:44:03Z")
> [@What the .... ?!?!](#):
>
> Whether its a Big Mac, a Whopper or whatever Arby’s calls its main sandwich, it appears twice its normal size in TV commercials.
Your television must be **tiny**!
Daniel
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### Author:  [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/3 "2005-10-19T00:06:06Z")
There are actually people who make a living at making those hamburgers look as good as possible in the ads. They don’t exactly lie, they just show what the hamburger would look like if it was prepared and presented perfectly.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/4 "2005-10-19T00:07:51Z")
> [@What the .... ?!?!](#):
>
> Whether its a Big Mac, a Whopper or whatever Arby’s calls its main sandwich, it appears twice its normal size in TV commercials.
It’s easy - use half-size people!
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### Author:  [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/5 "2005-10-19T00:27:26Z")
Twice its size? Hope you haven’t looked at any billboards lately.
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/6 "2005-10-19T00:59:20Z")
> [@mks57](#):
>
> They don’t exactly lie, they just show what the hamburger would look like if it was prepared and presented perfectly.
Not exactly _perfectly_ – in fact, if you received a burger that was prepared the way they are for advertising purposes, you’d probably send it back, or at least assume that the person who fixed it for you was either drunk or half-witted.
Advertising standards require the photographed food products to contain the same amount of ingredients that are presented to the consumer.
Food photographers obey the letter of the law by using the right _amount_ of goodies, but arranging the food so that more goodies are actually visible. So a burger in a fast food ad has the meat and fixings all pushed toward the camera. Lots of lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, and other good stuff, bursting outta the bun.
Naturally, we imagine that the burger is symmetrical – but the far side of the burger is liable to have bun-to-bun contact. 😃
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/7 "2005-10-19T00:59:51Z")
They say the camera adds 10 lbs.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/8 "2005-10-19T01:41:40Z")
The only thing I don’t like about fast food commercials is when the actors pretend to eat (to avoid spitbuckets I guess, or maybe the food is cold and clammy by then) and it just looks so FAKE!
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### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/9 "2005-10-19T02:08:17Z")
> [@What the .... ?!?!](#):
>
> Are government officials getting paid off in winning Monopoly pieces?
Winning Monopoly pieces? Dear _god_, has McDonald’s figured out a way to rig up the game so that the little dog always wins?
(No, seriously: I can’t begin to imagine what you’re referencing.)
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### Author:  [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/10 "2005-10-19T02:20:04Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#):
>
> Winning Monopoly pieces? Dear _god_, has McDonald’s figured out a way to rig up the game so that the little dog always wins?
>
> (No, seriously: I can’t begin to imagine what you’re referencing.)
It’s a reference to the Monopoly game that McDonald’s been running every year or so for about a decade.
[It’s probably best not to mention it with the word “rig”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s_Monopoly_scandal)
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/11 "2005-10-19T02:28:58Z")
> [@mks57](#):
>
> There are actually people who make a living at making those hamburgers look as good as possible in the ads. They don’t exactly lie, they just show what the hamburger would look like if it was prepared and presented perfectly.
Discussions like this always make me think of that great scene in the movie \*_Falling Down_, where Michael Douglas’s character makes a similar observation to the manager of a fast food restaurant while holding the staff and customers up with a machine gun.
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### Author:  [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/12 "2005-10-19T02:54:42Z")
Ages ago, _Zillions_ magazine (a kid-oriented spinoff of _Consumer Reports_) did a feature on how food in commercials is “dressed up” for the camera. For example, your typical TV-commercial hamburger is actually raw–it’s just been given a coat of brown dye so it looks cooked–and slit in the back so it can be spread out in order to look bigger than it actually is.
It gets worse… did you know that in most cereal commercials, the “milk” they pour on the cereal is actually Elmer’s Glue (or a generic equivalent thereof)?
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/13 "2005-10-19T03:06:55Z")
Isn’t most food in commercials all pinned together, and some of it’s actually plastic and rubber? I would imagine some foods wouldn’t hold up very well under all those hot lights.
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### Author:  [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/14 "2005-10-19T03:15:24Z")
I saw a show on this once - sorry no cite - but yeah, the lettuce was pinned on, the ketchup put on with syringes (to make the drips right). Even the sesame seeds are carefully arranged on the bun.
Worse was a turkey. It’s painted brown (raw inside) one slit is cut (that piece that folds over) and that part is steam cooked.
Yuck!
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### Author:  [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/15 "2005-10-19T04:31:42Z")
Anyone else think of that scene from “Falling Down”?
[William “D-FENS” Foster picks up the flat hamburger he just ordered, comparing it to the picture behind the counter]
Bill Foster: Can anybody tell me what’s wrong with this picture?
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/16 "2005-10-19T04:44:47Z")
> [@DarrenS](#):
>
> Anyone else think of that scene from “Falling Down”?
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that the thought _may_ have passed through **mhendo** ’s mind.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/17 "2005-10-19T05:07:32Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#):
>
> Advertising standards require the photographed food products to contain the same amount of ingredients that are presented to the consumer.
Really??
> [@](#):
>
> Different special effects are used to enhance the look of the food during photography. **Glycerin or oil is used to put shine** on fruits, vegetables, lobsters and crabs. Hamburgers are propped up with toothpicks and cardboard. Plastic ice cubes are used in place of the real thing. Meat is “cooked” with a blowtorch. Tobacco smoke is used to make it look like steam is coming from food. Food may be sprayed with hairspray to keep it in place.
Source: [http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/teachersguide/foodadvertising.html](http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/teachersguide/foodadvertising.html)
> [@](#):
>
> A small propane blowtorch can be used for quickly melting butter on waffles, creating grill marks on meat, or reheating a skillet or wok without returning it to the stove. I once requested a turkey prepared for a photo shoot and the food stylist painted the turkey with kitchen bouquet—a brown gravy base sold in grocery stores— **and brown shoe polish** , then browned the legs with a blowtorch, and varnished it. It was photographed raw, but looked beautifully cooked and glossy, ready for Thanksgiving dinner!
>
> – snip –
>
> There is a law in the U.S.A. regarding truth in advertising. It requires that advertisements about food show the actual food item that a consumer would be able to buy and eat. However, the food surrounding the item being advertised can be artificial, and food used to illustrate cookbooks or magazine articles can be bogus as well. It is often easier to work with imitation food than with the real thing.
>
> For example, **ice cream base is often made with mashed potatoes** , or with Crisco and powdered sugar. Fruit pieces, chocolate chips, and food coloring are added to make various flavors. Cereal can be photographed with **white glue instead of milk** , because the cereal does not get soggy quickly and the flakes stay where they are placed. Whipped cream might have thickener added, pies have glue holding them together, and vegetables that appear to be cooked are raw and touched with a blowtorch and coated with glycerin to make them appear cooked.
Source: [http://www.shutterbug.com/features/1204insider/](http://www.shutterbug.com/features/1204insider/)
> [@](#):
>
> Current law mandates that food advertised in the photo must be of the real product. Accompanying garnishes, props and side dishes, however, can be fake or real.
>
> For example, if the photograph advertises a cherry pie, the pastry used must be exactly like all the other cherry pies the company sells; it cannot be larger or more filled or made from fake products or even a different recipe. However, if one of the cherries doesn’t look so good, the stylist can substitute that individual cherry with another one. If the pie is photographed with ice cream, the ice cream can be fake, since it’s not the product being advertised. Conversely, if the ice cream is the product on sale, then the pie can be artificial.
>
> – snip –
>
> Some tricks are controversial because they use non-edible or even toxic products. While many food stylists believe using these is unethical and sloppy, others disagree. To keep syrup from being absorbed by pancakes, waffles and French toast, some stylists spray the breakfast goods with **Scotchgard**. Cheese can be **sprayed with antiperspirant** to slow down its natural sweating; however, the now-inedible cheese still will not last long at room temperature or under studio lights.
Source: [http://www.saucecafe.com/article/1/5](http://www.saucecafe.com/article/1/5)
So while the food product being advertised must be the real McCoy, everything else often is not.
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### Author:  [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/18 "2005-10-19T05:10:05Z")
Wait, wait… you’re saying that businesses exagerate things to help sell their products in advertisements?
I’m shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!
Here all this time I thought every advertising claim was 100% verifiably true. Alas, how shall I ever know _what_ to believe now!?
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/19 "2005-10-19T13:56:06Z")
> [@AugestWest](#):
>
> Wait, wait… you’re saying that businesses exagerate things to help sell their products in advertisements?
>
> I’m shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!
I find it rather amusing that people are so scandalized by this. “They made my hot fudge sundae out of mashed potatoes and shoe polish! And they expect me to eat it?!?” No Einstein, they _photographed_ mashed potatoes and shoe polish, because the real food they’d serve you is essentially unphotographical. I challenge you to whip up a delicious gourmet meal and photograph it in a way that even remotely looks appetizing.
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### Author:  [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-fast-food-commercials/326824/20 "2005-10-19T14:59:32Z")
I remember an anecdote from some actor, who had an early gig in a fast food commercial (I’m thinking Fred Savage in a McD’s commercial, but I could be wrong).
He said the shot called for him to take a bite out the burger. The burger itself was put together such that one side was edible, but the other was glued together to prevent any fillins from falling out during the bite.
Anyway, the poor boy had the burger turned the wrong way during the shoot & got a big ole mouthful of glue.
[bit-of-a-hijack]
Also, if you listen to the commentary on the Spider-Man movie, during the thanksgiving scene they talk about how absolutely vile the turkey was. It had been sitting around for a long time…
[/boah]
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