Everybody has a secret. Do you have a secret? Are you keeping someone’s secrets?
Do you know who else has secrets? The food and beverage industry.
They have so many secrets to make their food delectable and they also have secrets you never want to know. Like what, you ask?
Takeout food boxes contain a carcinogen
The main component to create styrofoam boxes – styrene – has been declared a carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Plus the styrofoam releases styrene when it’s exposed to heat, which is what our hot food has.
Maybe next time you can bring your own takeout containers so you can avoid this dangerous product. You’ll be able to contribute to lessening waste, too!
What other takeout food secrets do you want to know? Continue reading!
Nugget’s four shapes
Did you know that the McDonald’s Nuggets are not randomly shaped? The nuggets are always made using four specific shapes, boot, bell, bone, and ball.
The nuggets go through a special cutting machine that cuts the nuggets into these shapes before they are deep fried. Check the shapes the next time you order nuggets!
Fluffy omelets
Want to order pancakes AND omelets at IHOP but can’t because that’s just too much? Then get the omelets! Because did you know that the chefs at IHOP add pancake batter to your omelet to make it sweet and fluffy?
It’s true! So if you’ve been wondering why you’re also pumped and full of energy after eating their omelets, now you know why.
How long is it?
Do you get the 6-inch sandwich or the footlong? Well if you’re always getting the footlong, it turned out it wasn’t exactly twelve inches. A customer measured the length of this famous sandwich and it came up short.
The customer sought legal action and the case went viral. Subway had to settle out of court. Unfortunately, it looks like the plaintiff still lost because his lawyers charged him with extremely high legal fees, which the judge called them out on.
They won’t rot
Have you ever had a burger from McDonald’s? You probably loved the soft buns and juicy burger patty. Did you know that these burgers are made with so many preservatives to make them last a long time? We all knew that deep down but decide to ignore it except for a guy named David Whipple.
In 1999, he placed a McDonald’s burger inside a paper bag and left it in his trunk for a month to show his friends that it was loaded with preservatives. Well, David forgot about it for two years and when he discovered the burger, he found it looked exactly the same and hadn’t decomposed at all. David wondered how long it’ll really take before the burger decomposed so he left it in the car again. He came back to it 14 years later looking exactly the same.
It wasn’t Subway at first
When Subway was launched in 1965, it wasn’t called Subway. It was called Pete’s Super Submarines, named after its co-founder, Dr. Peter Buck.
When the marketing department complained that it was the least catchy name, the company made changes. In 1968, they officially changed it to Subway and have now become one of the largest fast food chains in the world with almost 40,000 locations.
A special menu
There are several food establishments with secret menus and foodies are having a grand time discovering which ones have their secret menus. Let’s scratch one off the list. Chipotle has its own secret menu.
Just ask for the Quesarito, a burrito made with a cheesy quesadilla wrap. Remember, secret menu costs extra so be ready to fork over a few more dollars.
From bagels to ice cream
Subway wasn’t named Subway at first (refer to the earlier slide) but Ben & Jerry’s wasn’t initially intended to be an ice cream company.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders, initially thought of starting a bagel company and call it United Bagel Service or UBS. Producing bagels were too expensive though so they went with another choice. They bought an ice cream-making machine and the rest was history.
That wrapper could be deadly
It’s a harmless container for your fries or a wrap for your burger. Researchers found out that though 38% of the containers and 20% of the wrappers from 400 places contained fluorine.
Fluorine has been associated with fertility issues, a weakened immune system, and even cancer. One more reason to stay away from fast food places.
Ice isn’t spared
Are you eating at a fast food place and want a cold drink? Better to get a bottled drink instead. The ice machines at fast food places are prone to microbial contamination.
In fact, fecal bacteria was found at several McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King stores all over the United Kingdom. ‘Tastes like c**p’ takes on a whole new meaning.
Fake grill marks
Ever notice those grill marks on your burgers or steaks? They’re there to make it look like you’re eating at a fancy-ish place.
Yes, they’re fake and placed there to make you believe your food is made-to-order and not mass-produced.
They see you
We think they can only hear us but these drive-thru kiosks have cameras and the staff can see you. Making fun of them, cursing, mooning, and other unfunny acts that you make, yeah, the staff sees them.
And if they get mad or annoyed or frustrated, well, remember who’s packing your food.
Real eggs?
Do you like your breakfast sandwich in the morning? Unfortunately, the egg that comes with it isn’t usually made with eggs.
It’s made with Premium Egg Blend, which contains glycerine. Glycerine is an ingredient used in soaps and toiletries.
Goeey, eewy cheese
The ultimate comfort food is a cheeseburger. If it comes with stretchy melted cheese, that’s a big plus. Sad to say, this type of melted cheese is only about 50% real cheese.
The rest is a whole lot of chemicals, additives, and fat.
What’s in your milkshake?
Milkshakes are usually just made with milk and ice plus fruits, chocolate, or Oreos. Now it’s just loaded with so many additives and artificial flavors.
Strawberry is not strawberry anymore but artificial flavors. Plus it’s loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. Yikes!
Honey, I shrunk my brain!
We all know junk food is not good for us but we still crave it. We know it makes us gain weight and can give us a lot of physical health problems.
Those leftovers
When you have too much food you cooked at home, you’ll have leftovers and that’s okay because they were freshly cooked anyway.
What about leftovers from restaurants? Unfortunately, some restaurants, especially fast-food chains serve yesterday’s leftovers and just reheat them on the present day. Talk about nasty!
Expired meat
This is really gross. Apparently, some undercover reporters discovered that an American-owned Shanghai factory changed the dates on their expired meat.
Then they shipped them off to different fast-food stores all over China. That is gross. Good thing this was discovered and the practice has been stopped.
Not really meat
An Alabama law firm sued Taco Bell because apparently, their meat isn’t exactly beef. According to their studies, it contained more oats, seasoning, and fillers than beef.
Taco Bell had to reword their marketing terms to describe their food accurately.
Fly pizza, anyone?
Well, it turns out your pizza has another ingredient besides the sauce, cheese, and toppings. If you’re getting your pizza from a fast-food place, chances are you’ve been eating insects, too.
The FDA reported that tomato sauce has around “30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams” and “one or more maggots per 100 grams.” Would you still eat that pizza?
Outback isn’t quite Aussie
Outback Steakhouse is an American chain with an Australian theme. Do you know what’s funny though? The food served is still American dishes.
In fact, the owners have never been down under and have not researched Australian dishes because they don’t want to be too influenced by Australian culture. Such a bludger!
Sprinkle with salt
Salt is a major ingredient when cooking because it brings out the flavor in your food. You only need a pinch or so to make it work.
Your takeout food will contain more than a pinch. In fact, the amount of salt they add to each dish is enough to season your food for a whole month! Yikes!
Upselling is the new selling
The goal of any restaurant is to make more money. How do they do it? They upsell. They always do what they can to convince the customer to order more and spend more.
Sometimes it works and sometimes, it just makes the customer very angry.
Chinese cookies aren’t from China
Fortune cookies are a staple when going to Chinese restaurants. We always look forward to reading our “fortunes” even if they’re not real. When you go to China though, you won’t be given fortune cookies at the end of your meal.
Fortune cookies started in Japan and were popularized by Americans. It eventually made its way to Europe as well. Wherever it came from, we still look forward to getting these cookies with our orders.
News matters
Are you watching a high-speed police chase and can’t tear your eyes away from the TV? Is it Super Bowl Sunday or the Oscars or the National elections? Takeout places profit a lot from these cant-tear-eyes-away-from-TV news events.
Since they want to know what’s happening and how it’s unfolding, they can’t be bothered to cook in the kitchen. Next best thing? Order takeout. Problem solved.
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