A US man has shown off a 14-year-old McDonald's hamburger
that looks the same as the day he bought it.
The Telegraph, By James Brooks 1:52PM BST 24 Apr 2013
David Whipple, from Utah, had originally planned to keep the
burger for two months in order to show friends how its preservatives would
maintain its appearance.
But, after accidentally leaving the product in his pocket
for two years, Mr Whipple decided to keep the burger for even longer to see how
long it could continue looking normal.
"It wasn't on purpose," Mr Whipple told US
television show The Doctors.
"I was showing some people how enzymes work and I
thought a hamburger would be a good idea. And I used it for a month and then
forgot about it.
"It ended up in a paper sack in the original sack with
the receipt in my coat tossed in the back of my truck and it sat there for, I
don't know, two or three months."
However, Mr Whipple's experiment was then forgotten after
the coat was tossed in a closet.
"My wife didn't discover it until at least a year or
two after that. And we pulled it out and said 'oh my gosh, I can't believe it
looks the same way."
Doctors on the CBS show noted that aside from the pickle
disintegrating, the burger showed no signs of mould, fungus or even a strange
odour.
Mr Whipple admitted that at one point he had considered
selling the burger via online auction site eBay.
But, despite bids reaching close to $2,000 (£1,300), he and
his family decided to keep the product for educational use.
He now admits he uses the burger to convince his
grandchildren not to eat junk food from restaurants such as McDonalds.
"It's great for the grandkids to see. To see what
happens with fast food," he said.
