Food Advertising vs Reality
 

A German website compares pictures of food in advertising to the actual food product.

Some are surprisingly accurate while others are like seeing a model sans make-up and PhotoShop.

Soups seem to have the hardest time.

Hmm I've eaten a few of those.

I've always known about the art of food photography, and how it has to look perfect and delicious ... and alas, often quite different than the actual food.

But recently I found out a client of ours has the odd (never before known to me) profession of fashion food chef.

She's the person who creates the food that's photographed. It's edible stuff, but not created for taste or even for good appearance in a restaurant ... but specifically for good appearance in photographs.

Apparently, it's an art in itself.



I never knew!

Oh no! Those bastards! They lied about the Kaiser spikes! I only bought it because of Kaiser spikes and now my whole day is ruined.

There was an article at Slate a couple years ago that went into what is allowed and not for food packaging photography. It was pretty interesting. Bowls of cereal never actually use milk, etc.

But I'm always upset when I have Japanese food that it never looks as plasticy as the window promised.

I knew that there were people who specialized in photographing food, but didn't really think about the people who make a living making the food to be photographed. Ah, the many facets of advertising.

I've found the art of food photography fascinating. I've known about it for years, I forget where I actually learned about it.

With some of those soups, I wonder if they had stirred the soup, would the pieces of meat and veggies have come to the top.

Along the same lines: Is the spoonful of Honey Bunches of Oats on the box a typical spoonful?

Makes me glad I consume very little in the way of packaged foodstuffs.

One or two of the tiramisu varieties looked rather good, though.