The level of world-building packed into this made-up response about Japanese food advertising, is god-tier. Whoever wrote this needs to drop everything and start writing books.
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi(侘び寂び) centers on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.[2] It is often described as the appreciation of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".[3]It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art
Yeah, ozymandias doesn't actually know if wabi-sabi has anything to do with the skewed buns, and neither do I, but the info is otherwise all accurate and seems like a decent guess to me. I'm big fan of the idea, and make a point to look for the beauty in the imperfections in everyday life.
Not a requirement, just an accepted norm. There's plenty of counter-examples on supermarket shelves, too (and why they all have 写真はイメージです (photo is an illustration only) on the box).
Even if that's all bullshit, there has to be some genuine reason this came to pass in Japan, and not in other places.
McDonalds are far from the only one. Native chain Mos Burger are doing it on their menu too, even leaving the top bun almost fully off with just the suggestion of being a sandwich.
The tradition of wax display food seems like it could honestly have traction, because the customer is looking 'down' on that in restaurant windows or display stands, and it's pretty useless just showing the undifferentiated top of a burger bun. You need to show off what's inside.
And if you're accustomed to that, then the side-shot we are used to in the west just doesn't seem to do the job very well in comparison.
The McDonald's menu feels like a compromise between the McDonalds global standard and the fully native Mos-style, as if they are putting as much flair on the menu as is allowed without going completely renegade.
My first thought was maybe Japan has strong consuner protection/advertising laws. For a standard side shot they tilt the buns back and push ingredients to the front, which one could argue is misleading, but by showing the bun obviously askew they can show more filling while shielding themselves from litigation. Anything they do will be the result of regional focus groups and lawyers.
I mean, I do find the American burger chain food aesthetic rather unappetizing. The food looks like it's made out of plastic and rubber.
With the offset bun, it's not massively better, because it's still the same food, but at least you get the impression that it didn't fall out of a 3D printer.
If they want a burger that looks like a human hastily assembled it, they should come to the US. The pictures on the menu show a perfectly crafted burger, but that’s not what you get.
I assume it happens elsewhere too, but I wouldn’t know. When traveling abroad as an American, fast food burger joints aren’t exactly my first choice compared to whatever local foods the place I’m visiting has to offer.
The trouble for me was that i was right (or right enough) most of the time so then people would believe me when i had no idea and get mad when i was wrong. Learned pretty quick to double check lol
Somewhere in the world, SpongeBob has a csi type theory board on his wall and hes posed in the Always Sunny meme explaining this concept to a completely disinterested squidward.
Ah yes, offsetting buns to spare us all from the ubiquitously relatable annoyance of being unable to see all the sandwich layers because we're in a cramped storefront or train station depot. Also fuck you too.
Doesn't Japan have really strict food advertising laws, so the item you receive needs to VERY closely resemble the picture you saw on the packaging/advertising?
God dammit, I did not see that coming. 😂😂😂
I somehow knew it was coming but still read it all like a dumbass
Are you new to the internet? Very fun times ahead.
For once me being lazy actually saved me, right the last line after seeing the post length.
This is where ChatGPT gets all its facts
The 'haha fuck you' part is also still there at the end, just silent
Can confirm, the AIs all have a chuckle in the server room when they think we're not looking
I asked ChatGPT this question and it almost entirely repeats what's in the screenshot here.
At this rate, current & future generations are doomed.
I can definitely tell you that food pictures look more appetizing if they don't look like the food was exported straight from Blender into the ad.
Amusingly, smoothie shops don't have nearly as many pictures and it's the food that is "exported straight from blender."
masterful. perfection. 5/7, a perfect score
7/7 is too "American showroom", which is why 5/7 is a perfect score.
That you Brendan?
On rice?
Dude got me hook, line, and fucking sinker.
Gimme back my sinker
The level of world-building packed into this made-up response about Japanese food advertising, is god-tier. Whoever wrote this needs to drop everything and start writing books.
By the end I was convinced. From now on I will be giving my burgers a "living tilt"
Damn, my brain already commited that to its eFuse region.
That was as smooth as a shark.
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi(侘び寂び) centers on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.[2] It is often described as the appreciation of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".[3]It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art
You ain’t getting me twice today.
Yeah, ozymandias doesn't actually know if wabi-sabi has anything to do with the skewed buns, and neither do I, but the info is otherwise all accurate and seems like a decent guess to me. I'm big fan of the idea, and make a point to look for the beauty in the imperfections in everyday life.
Yeah, the BS answer is less off than it seems. Still pretty off, but touching on the likely reality.
Mine's just a guess too, no idea what the reality is
I read that as wassabi* and was thoroughly confused for a moment.
*Yes I know it's actually wasabi, that's just how I read wabi-sabi wrong. As wassabi. Not wasabi.
https://youtu.be/JJmqCKtJnxM
I'm sorry but wassabi made me think of this
They're just posing for real estate billboards.
Lmao I'm not even mad. Bravo.
Good fucking god there needs to be a rule against lying on the internet
There already is!
Yeah. It's rule 34
It was actually pioneered by Thatcher in the 80s, if you don't believe me google Margaret Thatcher Rule 34
straight to jail, don't pass go, don't collect $200
They got me in the first half
Then they got me in the second half
Gosh darn it, ya got me.
Fuck you. Just fuck you.
... back in nineteen ninety eight...
And plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table!
Running across those in the wild used to be so fun.
And here I was RIVETED
seriously though it's probably related to how Japan requires food packaging to look exactly like the food
Not a requirement, just an accepted norm. There's plenty of counter-examples on supermarket shelves, too (and why they all have 写真はイメージです (photo is an illustration only) on the box).
Even if that's all bullshit, there has to be some genuine reason this came to pass in Japan, and not in other places.
McDonalds are far from the only one. Native chain Mos Burger are doing it on their menu too, even leaving the top bun almost fully off with just the suggestion of being a sandwich.
The tradition of wax display food seems like it could honestly have traction, because the customer is looking 'down' on that in restaurant windows or display stands, and it's pretty useless just showing the undifferentiated top of a burger bun. You need to show off what's inside.
And if you're accustomed to that, then the side-shot we are used to in the west just doesn't seem to do the job very well in comparison.
The McDonald's menu feels like a compromise between the McDonalds global standard and the fully native Mos-style, as if they are putting as much flair on the menu as is allowed without going completely renegade.
This sentence on their flagship "burger"
"The chilled tomato slice goes perfectly with piping hot meat sauce and freshly grilled patty."
Makes me think of this
Oh Lego Robot
Dutch jumpscare
Mos burgers look terrific and somehow very Japanese at the same time.
I wouldn't call the top buns "askew", though. They're off.
Mos burger genuinely is the best fast food burger I've ever had, they are delicious
My first thought was maybe Japan has strong consuner protection/advertising laws. For a standard side shot they tilt the buns back and push ingredients to the front, which one could argue is misleading, but by showing the bun obviously askew they can show more filling while shielding themselves from litigation. Anything they do will be the result of regional focus groups and lawyers.
I mean, I do find the American burger chain food aesthetic rather unappetizing. The food looks like it's made out of plastic and rubber.
With the offset bun, it's not massively better, because it's still the same food, but at least you get the impression that it didn't fall out of a 3D printer.
Plastic and rubber probably slightly healthier.
And more appetizing.
If they want a burger that looks like a human hastily assembled it, they should come to the US. The pictures on the menu show a perfectly crafted burger, but that’s not what you get.
Do you think that's a US thing?
I assume it happens elsewhere too, but I wouldn’t know. When traveling abroad as an American, fast food burger joints aren’t exactly my first choice compared to whatever local foods the place I’m visiting has to offer.
It sounds good if you don't know most Japanese burger ads look like this
What is even on that? Is that all some sort of sauce under the tomato, because that's all gonna squish everywhere on the first bite..
That's from MOS Burger. They add a red meat sauce (like you'd put on pasta) to some of their burgers
Why does Mos burger make their Hokkaido beef patties ovals wider than the buns? It makes it really difficult to eat for no reason.
Looks like it could be chicken parm burger? Maybe a chicken patty with patmesan cheese and the sauce...
Possible some sort of breaded chicken patty dipped in sauce... ?
I feel fucked :(
This is what my thoughts used to look like as a child. Just speculating until corrected.
The trouble for me was that i was right (or right enough) most of the time so then people would believe me when i had no idea and get mad when i was wrong. Learned pretty quick to double check lol
I was shenaniganed!
This comment has mad nineteen ninety eight mankind undertaker hell in a cell vibes.
Some real shittymorph material there
Anyone else just skip to the end to see if it was a troll?
I just kept thinking, yeah right 😅
No. I'm a sucker and I already started telling people about this to sound smart before I even got to the end.
Yup, I know the Internet too well.
What a delightful little journey that was. A+
Somewhere in the world, SpongeBob has a csi type theory board on his wall and hes posed in the Always Sunny meme explaining this concept to a completely disinterested squidward.
Ah yes, offsetting buns to spare us all from the ubiquitously relatable annoyance of being unable to see all the sandwich layers because we're in a cramped storefront or train station depot. Also fuck you too.
I believed
Is this a post about not believing convincing-sounding LLM output?
This is what bad people do. Madness awaits them.
It's called style, look it up
Made it all up, and yet, it sounds plausible. heh
Doesn't Japan have really strict food advertising laws, so the item you receive needs to VERY closely resemble the picture you saw on the packaging/advertising?
Just curious, where does the double beef-n-cheddar from arby's weigh on this...answer needed soon.