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I used to work in food photography (in an admin role). Sprayed on glycerine for condensation on cool things. cigarette smoke for steam. It was super nasty, bu

I used to work in food photography (in an admin role). Sprayed on glycerine for condensation on cool things. cigarette smoke for steam. It was super nasty, but the photos looked good.

Barbing 6mo ago
I was told once everything in those food photos in the United States had to be edible. You could substitute sour cream, but not glue, for whipped cream. I wonder if that was true.
- riffraff 6mo ago
  I remember reading a book in the '80s where one of the characters was a food photographer and mentioned that some kind of plastic had to be used for the cheese in hamburgers or it wouldn't be realistic. But also many post 2000 claims that it was all actually real food because of various "truth in advertising" regulations around the world. The linked Canadian McDonald's video would be one example.
- roncesvalles 6mo ago
  Elmers glue is edible.
  - seanhunter 6mo ago
    Surely all glue is edible, you just have to commit a bit more to some glues than others. It's like that saying about mushrooms: "All mushrooms are edible. It's just that some mushrooms you only get to eat once."
    - goodcanadian 6mo ago
      I recently watched a video about death cap mushrooms (the deadliest, supposedly), and apparently about 80% of people still survive (requires prompt medical treatment), not that they would want to repeat the experiment. Apparently, the mushrooms even taste good. Anyway, edible normally means "safe to eat," not just "possible to eat." (As you are no doubt aware). IIRC, Elmer's glue is considered safe to eat though not necessarily appetising.
      - guidedlight 6mo ago
        We had a mass murder in Australia a few years ago involving death cap mushrooms. 3 of the 4 victims died, and the 4th required a liver transplant. Surprisingly the doctors involved quickly identified mushrooms as the culprit, despite that the 75% died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leongatha_mushroom_murders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leongatha_mushroom_murders It was a super interesting court case.
        mrguyorama 6mo ago
        When that incident first happened and was on the news it was so weird. Did she really expect to get away with that? It seemed so obvious and her attempts to not be culpable were terrible. Reading that, there's a strong implication she tried to poison her husband once already, and that information was not allowed into this case! Also, apparently she inherited $2 million?! Actually it's a little weird that she gets a page long "Early life and background" style section. Lots of public people have shorter ones. That's somewhat uncomfortable.
    - implements 6mo ago
      I was taught “Edible (fit to be eaten as food) vs Eatable (capable of being chewed up and swallowed)” but modern usage seems to treat them as synonyms (the former just being more pleasant to eat than the latter).
      - doubled112 6mo ago
        Hah, old memories unlocked. As a kid I remember using “eatable” to mess with people because it “wasn’t a word”. Is it edible? Yeah, it is eatable. Here I am, years later, learning I was right all along.
      - Clamchop 6mo ago
        That's backwards, eatable is the stronger claim that means fit as food while edible just means safe to eat.
        IAmBroom 6mo ago
        Pedantic difference; most people would reasonably assume either meant "OK to eat".
        Clamchop 6mo ago
        No more pedantic than the comment I was replying to. My advice would be not to use "eatable" at all because others will just think you're saying edible incorrectly.
  - ButlerianJihad 6mo ago
    Elmer's white glue is "non-toxic" but today, it is made with synthetics. Since my youth in the early 80s, Elmer's has never been particularly appetizing or appealing to put in my mouth. I believe that the stereotypical "craft food" is actually paste, which is often based on starches like corn or wheat. Children are very likely to put paste in their mouths and try eating it, because it is indeed based on food products. I've frankly never been in a school that provided a lot of paste, and the switch to Elmer's glue may have been a strategy to stop kids from consuming the food-based stuff. However, I was in a summer science course where we crafted "Oobleck" which is also sort of "edible" if you like eating clay that's been squeezed between the filthy little hands of 8-year-old boys.
    - PaulHoule 6mo ago
      I ate so much paste in elementary school, was probably one of the high points for me.
- Clamchop 6mo ago
  In the US, photos of food must depict the actual product being advertised. So all the photos of burgers on the McD's menu are what is being sold, albeit with carefully selected "hero" ingredients skillfully assembled for the best presentation. For a product that is only advertising one thing in a photo, e.g. an ice cream cone with ice cream on a package of just cones, I don't think there are any restrictions on what the "ice cream" can be made of. (It's probably mashed potatoes, though.)
vjvjvjvjghv 6mo ago
When I had a contract with a company that makes machines to mass produce spaghetti and also stuff like pudding I watched a photography session. They used motor oil as chocolate sauce.

I used to work in food photography (in an admin role). Sprayed on glycerine for condensation on cool things. cigarette smoke for steam. It was super nasty, but the photos looked good.

Barbing 6mo ago

I was told once everything in those food photos in the United States had to be edible. You could substitute sour cream, but not glue, for whipped cream. I wonder if that was true.

riffraff 6mo ago
I remember reading a book in the '80s where one of the characters was a food photographer and mentioned that some kind of plastic had to be used for the cheese in hamburgers or it wouldn't be realistic. But also many post 2000 claims that it was all actually real food because of various "truth in advertising" regulations around the world. The linked Canadian McDonald's video would be one example.
roncesvalles 6mo ago
Elmers glue is edible.
- seanhunter 6mo ago
  Surely all glue is edible, you just have to commit a bit more to some glues than others. It's like that saying about mushrooms: "All mushrooms are edible. It's just that some mushrooms you only get to eat once."
  - goodcanadian 6mo ago
    I recently watched a video about death cap mushrooms (the deadliest, supposedly), and apparently about 80% of people still survive (requires prompt medical treatment), not that they would want to repeat the experiment. Apparently, the mushrooms even taste good. Anyway, edible normally means "safe to eat," not just "possible to eat." (As you are no doubt aware). IIRC, Elmer's glue is considered safe to eat though not necessarily appetising.
    - guidedlight 6mo ago
      We had a mass murder in Australia a few years ago involving death cap mushrooms. 3 of the 4 victims died, and the 4th required a liver transplant. Surprisingly the doctors involved quickly identified mushrooms as the culprit, despite that the 75% died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leongatha_mushroom_murders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leongatha_mushroom_murders It was a super interesting court case.
      - mrguyorama 6mo ago
        When that incident first happened and was on the news it was so weird. Did she really expect to get away with that? It seemed so obvious and her attempts to not be culpable were terrible. Reading that, there's a strong implication she tried to poison her husband once already, and that information was not allowed into this case! Also, apparently she inherited $2 million?! Actually it's a little weird that she gets a page long "Early life and background" style section. Lots of public people have shorter ones. That's somewhat uncomfortable.
  - implements 6mo ago
    I was taught “Edible (fit to be eaten as food) vs Eatable (capable of being chewed up and swallowed)” but modern usage seems to treat them as synonyms (the former just being more pleasant to eat than the latter).
    - doubled112 6mo ago
      Hah, old memories unlocked. As a kid I remember using “eatable” to mess with people because it “wasn’t a word”. Is it edible? Yeah, it is eatable. Here I am, years later, learning I was right all along.
    - Clamchop 6mo ago
      That's backwards, eatable is the stronger claim that means fit as food while edible just means safe to eat.
      - IAmBroom 6mo ago
        Pedantic difference; most people would reasonably assume either meant "OK to eat".
        Clamchop 6mo ago
        No more pedantic than the comment I was replying to. My advice would be not to use "eatable" at all because others will just think you're saying edible incorrectly.
- ButlerianJihad 6mo ago
  Elmer's white glue is "non-toxic" but today, it is made with synthetics. Since my youth in the early 80s, Elmer's has never been particularly appetizing or appealing to put in my mouth. I believe that the stereotypical "craft food" is actually paste, which is often based on starches like corn or wheat. Children are very likely to put paste in their mouths and try eating it, because it is indeed based on food products. I've frankly never been in a school that provided a lot of paste, and the switch to Elmer's glue may have been a strategy to stop kids from consuming the food-based stuff. However, I was in a summer science course where we crafted "Oobleck" which is also sort of "edible" if you like eating clay that's been squeezed between the filthy little hands of 8-year-old boys.
  - PaulHoule 6mo ago
    I ate so much paste in elementary school, was probably one of the high points for me.
Clamchop 6mo ago
In the US, photos of food must depict the actual product being advertised. So all the photos of burgers on the McD's menu are what is being sold, albeit with carefully selected "hero" ingredients skillfully assembled for the best presentation. For a product that is only advertising one thing in a photo, e.g. an ice cream cone with ice cream on a package of just cones, I don't think there are any restrictions on what the "ice cream" can be made of. (It's probably mashed potatoes, though.)

vjvjvjvjghv 6mo ago

When I had a contract with a company that makes machines to mass produce spaghetti and also stuff like pudding I watched a photography session. They used motor oil as chocolate sauce.