The Fast Food That Stands the Test of Time: A Viral Experiment

Ever leave a piece of meat on the countertop to defrost and then forget to put it in the fridge for hours? You come back home, worried that the scorching heat has spoiled it. But what if you left a hamburger out for an entire year? What would you expect it to look like, especially if it was store-bought?

Recently, a woman from the UK conducted an experiment that went viral on social media. She left a patty from a well-known fast food chain outside for more than a year. When she returned, she was stunned: the hamburger was virtually unchanged, and the bun was still soft and crunchy. Needless to say, it was clearly unsafe to eat, and she did not attempt to do so.

She claimed the bun remained soft without mold, the meat looked edible, and the lettuce was still green. She dubbed it "the fountain of youth for fast food."

"Unbelievable, the hamburger stood the test of time," she declared about the experiment she started in early 2023. The video also showed her plate of fries with no signs of mold. "As you can see, the lettuce is still very green." She peeled the lettuce off the patty, claiming it remained preserved and fresh-looking. "Look at the sheen on my gloves, there's still moisture in the lettuce. It hasn't dried out completely. It's unbelievable; the lettuce was not connected to roots, watered, or exposed to sunlight, yet it stayed the same color."

The audience was not indifferent. Some responded with sarcasm, while others commented, "Even bacteria won’t eat that." Some viewers questioned the video's authenticity, mentioning that their fridge-stored lettuce browns after a few days. The burger chain refuted claims of excessive preservative use, stating the lettuce is fresh and free of preservatives, as are the beef patties, which contain only salt and pepper. Either way, don't try this at home.