Thursday, October 14, 2010

Long Live McDonald's


This pair of photos, taken by Sally Davies, shows a standard McDonald's Happy Meal fare. The picture on the left was taken on Day 1 of Ms. Davies' experiment. The picture on the right is Day 180. Wowzah! I can't imagine how that meal is maintaining its good looks, but I need to know because imagine how well preserved I could be, too! Maybe McDonald's should take their secret to the beauty industry...

Just looking at this meal gives me the creeps. Granted, I usually order my kids the chicken nugget and apples meal, but still. I can't even begin to count how many Happy Meals I've eaten in my lifetime. What could that stuff have done to my insides???!!!

Now, I'm not going to blame McDonald's for making me fat. That's my own fault for not using up more calories than I consume...and that's the case for most people who are out of shape, no matter what they tell you. Getting in shape (use more calories than you consume) is as easy in principle as preventing debt is (spend less money than you earn).

But still...maybe whatever McDonald's is using in their "100% USDA-inspected ground beef" patties is not the healthiest thing for me to consume. Ah, organic meat is looking better and better, despite its cost (I bought 3 regular-sized, organic, free-range, etc. chicken breasts for $10.50 at Wegman's vs. 12 really large, mass-produced, "normal" chicken breasts for $8.90 at Sam's).

Maybe it's time for our little clan to finally go vegetarian...I doubt that would work very well. The kids don't eat any vegetables other than baby carrots and the occasional broccoli sprout. It will be a huge experiment, I'm sure. Maybe my consort and I can be the vegetarians and the kids can have organic chicken nuggets. Or maybe I'll be eating my salad or beans or quinoa while everyone else slices into a juicy steak without me. We'll see!

Today's challenge: Think about where your food came from and what you think it should look like in 6 months. If it's not completely decomposed in your mind's eye, then don't eat it! :D

-Domestic Goddess out.

3 comments:

  1. That is some really gross stuff. I try not to ever eat at McDonald's if I can help it. I cut them out of our lives a year or so ago. I don't regret a thing either. :)
    That really makes you wonder though. Is she going to continue the experiment??? I would like to see what it looks like in 1 year!

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  2. http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

    The mcdonalds burger doesn't rot.

    Neither does any ordinary burger put into the same circumstances. They dry out too fast for mold/rot to form, and all bacteria present in the meat are killed as they are cooked to an internal of 165.

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  3. Thanks for the link, Anonymous. It's kind of creepy to see all those burgers lined up in picturesque shape after two weeks of being exposed to the "elements." Sure, it's all scientifically sound, but you couldn't pay me enough to touch, much less eat, one of those.

    I still think it's a good idea for our family to eat less meat and more vegetables. That's scientifically sound, at least in the nutritionist world.

    Thanks again.

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