I was really planning to try that KFC Famous Bowl, but not after seeing these pics.
It's a funny experiment from The West Virginia Surf Report. They take several ads from fast food companies such as McDonald's, KFC, Arby's, Subway, Burger King, and Wendy's and compare the pics to the actual food they went and bought. The results are, while not exactly surprising, certainly interesting.
Most of the foods look really smushed and look like they were put together very quickly. But back to that KFC Famous Bowl. In the ad you can see all the individual items in there, the chicken, the cheese, the corn, the gravy. The actual product (above) looks like dog food sold on the planet Krypton. Gah!
6-01-2007 @5:26PM Adriane said... Uhhh, not much of a shocker there. That's why they have a whoooole crew for food styling and whole OTHER crew for photography.
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6-01-2007 @5:31PM thekevinmonster said... I don't think the famous bowl looks that gross. I've made some things that looked pretty gross. Make some nachos and cover the meat with cheese... just as gross.
But yeah, making food look good is a science.
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6-01-2007 @5:33PM chris furniss said... The KFC bowls only look like vomit. They taste like what a deep-fried angel might taste like.
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6-01-2007 @6:28PM slashfood.acc said... "Most of the foods... look like they were put together very quickly."
We're talking about fast food here, right?
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6-01-2007 @11:33PM H said... It makes me sad that someone went to the trouble of documenting this. Plus, did anyone bother to read the heading of the page?
"Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately."
So basically, someone let these food items steam in their wrappers for a few minutes before expecting them to look pristine?
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6-01-2007 @11:55PM Amanda said... I think the site is hilarious. It is totally reasonable to photograph it after it has been in the wrapper for a few minutes, a lot of people take fast food home to eat it. I doubt it would look any better if they took the picture right away anyway.
I think someone should do the same with frozen food - it never looks like it does on the box.
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6-02-2007 @12:12AM Silver_Potato said... KFC bowl is yummy, the picture for that one is going to look a lot different from what you get. Simply put, that gravy is going to melt the cheese and rundown into the potatoes.
I can't believe how bad that Arbys sandwich looks like.
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6-02-2007 @7:05AM D. Short said... Seriously, Bob, go try the KFC Bowl.
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6-02-2007 @9:55AM Fash said... Uh, no Bob - don't.
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6-02-2007 @3:57PM Christine said... That KFC bowl is HEAVEN. It's about a millions calories but it is sooo delicious.
Looks can be deceiving!
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6-02-2007 @6:48PM Sir Josh said... its fast food. i don't know what kind of gourmet meal you're expecting
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6-03-2007 @4:34AM D. Short said... Try it, Bob. Seriously, smoke a fat joint and just go to town on that thing, it's worth it at least once hehe
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6-03-2007 @6:43AM Kostika said... If you're jsut now discovering that food looks different from the pictures to when you buy it, then you may need to get out more. No food never looks like the pictures.
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6-03-2007 @8:32PM webby said... I was given a link to this story from a reader at http://www.noexcusebudget.com when speaking of ways to save on your food budget, specifically is saving money worth risking your health by eating these foods... interesting topics you have here! Keep up the good work!
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6-04-2007 @12:33AM Barry said... I've had the "bowl". Eat it and get ready to feel the sodium content surge through your system followed by a serious crash. As Patton Oswalt says, "I'll have a failure pile in a sadness bowl".
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6-04-2007 @7:56AM Earl said... Not that I ate a lot of “fast food” in general, but have not touched the stuff since I watched “Super Size Me”! Americans are obese enough already, there is no need for fast food in your diet.
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6-04-2007 @12:40PM Grant said... Those bowls do taste yummy, but you have to know going in that you're not going to be getting gourmet fare. KFC bowls are ideal if you're going to sit down by yourself to watch a baseball game, not having your boss and his family over for dinner.
Expectations, people.
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6-04-2007 @6:15PM K said... There is a Flickr group called "packaged foods, promise vs. reality" where you can have a laugh over what you see, and what you get. That's my exceptionally nasty Quizno's sandwich posted. That's what I saw, 5 minutes after getting to my desk.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/16811090@N00/
.
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6-13-2007 @4:00PM Drew said... I think the bowls are delicious, and look nothing like what this person recieved. Maybe it's your KFC?
I'm not gonna say it looks like the picture, but dude, mine is riddled with corn and gravy and chicken and cheese... yumms. Looks 10 times better than that mess.
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