[ CYPHER CODE #1343 ]
Not all decay looks like rot.

[ CYPHER CODE #1344 ]
The way something breaks down matters more than how it looks.

[ CYPHER CODE #1345 ]
What looks preserved is often just dehydrated.

BRIEFING

Grant here. McDonald's and their burgers are facing some serious heat after their CEO took one bite on camera and basically looked like he was ready to gag directly after. Then, to throw more gas on the fire, a video of a McDonald's burger that's sat in a box for over 20 years has resurfaced. But after injecting some science, this two-decade-old burger isn't as "disturbing" as it may seem. Let’s break it down.

A TikTok video shows a woman opening up a shoebox from the mid-90s and pulls out a McDonald’s hamburger and fries that have been sitting in there untouched for decades.

And at first glance, the entire fast food meal looks literally frozen in time.

The fries look dry but recognizable. The bun hasn’t collapsed, the beef patty looks fairly normal, and there’s no visible mold or obvious signs of the kind of decay people would expect when food is left alone that long.

It literally still looks… intact. And to boot, the woman still has the receipt from 1996 just in case you didn't believe her.

SOURCE

@foodporn

What happens when you leave a McDonalds hamburger in a bag for over 20 years? 🍔🍟🤷🏽‍♂️ With @aly.sherb #fyp #foryou #mcdonalds #hamburger #foodporn

♬ original sound - Foodporn

It's disturbing to say the least, and that's definitely reflected in the comments.

"I’m just wondering what made her decide to put a whole meal in a box 24 years ago"

"That’s why that CEO took that tiny bite lol"

"And no bugs tried to eat it"

"That’s how processed it was 24 years ago, now think of how processed it is now"

"I love a good science experiment, but I fear I could not sleep at night knowing that hamburger was in my closet." 

"the paper bag is more decomposed than the food"

"This. Should. Be. Illegal."

DEBRIEFING

Okay so yeah, seeing a 20-year-old mostly intact meal from McDonald's definitely makes you start to really question some things. But before we all get too worked up, let's inject some science into it, because what we're seeing isn't quite as eerie as it looks.

When people think of food going bad, they picture mold, smell, and definitely some bugs. But that kind of decay depends a lot on moisture levels, because bacteria and mold need it to grow and spread.

So, when you take moisture away, the process changes.

Let's start with the patty. A fast food burger is thin, cooked at high heat, and relatively low in moisture to begin with. Then if it’s left in a dry environment, like a shoebox in a closet, it doesn’t stay soft long enough for that typical rot to take hold. It just simply dries out.

Then the fries lose what little moisture they have and harden, and the bun stiffens and stops changing.

Of course, modern preservatives still play a role, but in this specific situation, they're not the driving force.

This is just a very unique situation where a dry environment, time, and fast food converged. It's basically a very looong dehydration process.

NOW YOU KNOW

What you’re seeing isn’t preserved food. It’s dehydrated food.