(mis)Truth in advertising

It happens to the best of us. You see a picture that makes your mouth water. Before you can blink, you give in to the incessant advances of an untold number of marketing execs and purchase the item, eagerly awaiting the bliss promised in the glowing, shiny picture. And then...

Blech. The real deal is a gray, smooshed, soggy version of its advertised self. For once, you're thankful that the actual portion is 1/3 of what is shown.

I was a victim today. I brought a Lean Cuisine (Sesame Chicken) in for lunch. I'm usually prepared for the way an actual product often fails to live up to the carefully crafted and staged photo. But the difference between the two was shocking... Go back to the link and take a good look at the picture. I'm a realist so I didn't really expect the chicken to be crisp, but I did hope that it would at least look a little bit like that. Not even close. Unlike the golden brown tenders you see on the box, mine were beige and soggy, not to mention 1/4 of the size. The green beans and peppers were decorative, but there wasn't even much decoration going on. I finally determined it wasn't worth the carbs, especially considering that it's the day before Halloween and I have a ceramic jack-o'-lantern full-o'-candy sitting in my foyer at home. I might as well eat a couple of baby Butterfinger bars. Oh well...

Hope your lunch was better...