Preaching truth to packaging. Pictures of packaged food, cooked to specifications, compared to the photo on the box.
Looks: Using the shrimps as a measuring guide, the bowl they used on the packaging is only about 4″ (four shrimps) wide, and every shrimp in the meal is pictured on top of the noodles, implying the unkept promise of more shrimp below. (To be fair, the package clearly states “Shrimp Over Pasta,” not “Shrimp Uniformly Intermingled With Pasta.”) 3 out of 5
Taste: Small rubbery shrimp, soft overcooked noodles, bland watery sauce. Just like Mom used to make. 2 out of 5
Today’s “Comeback Fling Edition” post comes from reader April Hutter.
I did add some cinnamon to the top before I cooked it, and honestly, it tasted good and everything — the praline topping is naturally sweet and tasty, but it looks like shit. It doesn’t help I tried to add more plain sweet potatoes in hopes of making it less sweet and fattening.
Looks: 2 out of 5
Taste: Good and everything
To see your food comparison shot on FoodIRL, email it to food@foodirl.com, and you too could be moderately famous like April!
Looks: Oscar Mayer doesn’t specifically advertise the finished version of this product on the box, so you’ll just have to base the visual quality of this product on the picture in your mind when you think “Oscar Mayer Buffalo Chicken Deli Creation.” Not too far off, huh? 4 out of 5
Taste: The bread is soft and chewy, and the chicken is juicy if not a little over-processed. Those two ingredients make up the bulk of the sandwich; the cheese is just barely noticeable, and the sauce is a generic Ranch dressing. The bread really is good though, and in the end, it carries the meal. 3.5 out of 5
A few days ago, Punch Pizza was giving away free Mimis – sauceless Neopolitan-style pizzas with basil, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella. Did I get in on that action? Of course I did.
Looks: The pizza I got could very well have been photographed for the ad – except for the size of the basil leaves and normal variations in the char of the crust, it was exactly as advertised. 4.5 out of 5
Taste: When I first started eating it, I was skeptical – no sauce? What is this, Soviet Russia? Due to the lack of sauce or melted cheese to glue the toppings to the pizza, I resigned myself to eating it like a breadbowl salad – toppings, crust, toppings, crust. However, as I continue to work on it, I started to get the hang of grabbing tomato, mozzarella, and basil in each bite, and the more I ate, the better it tasted – something in the juice of the cherry tomatoes combined with the slightly salty crust to produce a delicious combination that was completely unexpected and completely awesome. (I think I would have appreciated smaller pieces of basil, but that could be because I have trouble cutting leafy food with my incisors – long story.)
While there are only six Punch Pizza locations (and they’re all in central Minnesota), their pizzas are the closest thing to authentic Neopolitan pizza I’ve had in the U.S. Definitely try them out if you have a chance. 4.5 out of 5
P.S. Punch regularly announces deals and promotions via their @PunchPizza Twitter account.