We may like food to varying degrees, but it is certainly true that we all have a favorite dish, a specific way of cooking, or a comfort food we turn to when we need to brighten our day a little. However, not everything that looks like food actually is, just take a close look at these food illusions shared by Reddit users!
Busted Golf Ball
Reddit user guntycankless posted this picture of a golf ball that doesn’t appear to be one. When the golf ball cracked open, it looks as though as though it’s made of meat. A reply from user AcosticDan mentioned: “Ahh, the ol’ smoked salmon in the golf ball trick.”
Broccoli Tree
Reddit user Bdogg was passing by on a bus and couldn’t help noticing a weird-shaped tree, that looked exactly like broccoli. A reply from user bigbowlowrong mentioned that the tree is a very common species in the suburbs of southern Australia, that are often lining suburban streets like these.
Not Pork
Reddit user fuzziblanket mentioned he ran out of food coloring and this was how the dough looked. This dough looks like a piece of food, perhaps pork, but it is actually cookie dough. It isn’t edible yet because it hasn’t been cooked, but it has an odd color and shape.
Looks Like Orange Juice
Reddit user kappadevin mentioned that he found this shampoo in Italy, that could be one of those convincing food illusions. It looks so much like orange juice that it has a label on it that advises people not to drink it. As if the color and shape wasn’t enough, it says “papaya” and “food” on the label. It is totally confusing.
Burger or Cake?
In this case, the image is indeed of food, but not the kind you think of at first glance. If you don’t read the price tag underneath or don’t pay much attention, you could easily mistake it for a hamburger, making one of the perfect food illusions, when it’s actually a cake. Reddit user [borrado] added: “This Whole Foods local sells cakes that look like cheeseburgers.”
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It’s Actually Palm Oil
Palm Oil is used for cooking, making personal care items, and producing industrial biodiesel, but most people use it for frying and baking. Even though the product bottle says “palm oil,” if you don’t pay close attention, it can look like chili sauce instead of oil. It’s just one of many surprising food illusions.
Take a Close Look
Reddit user pooshins revealed that this photo is from a library, but it’s a little more confusing than that. He added: “My town’s library is under construction, so they are using an old grocery store as the temporary library.” And sure, it looks like that was the frozen food section, but don’t expect to see any food. In fact, we doubt anyone would want to add a ‘B’ to the beginning of that ‘Read’ sign in the background just to make a joke.
Not Cereal Pillows
Reddit user acryingnidoking revealed that those in the package are his new chewing gum, but they look like dog food to him, creating one of those funny food illusions. But some others could argue that they look like cereal pillows, the ones that come either with fruit filling or some sweet filling.
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Those Are Leg Warmers
Even though the package looks like a food product, it’s actually leg warmers. The image, featuring peaches, would fool anyone. A reply from Reddit user DontBogartThat commented: “I was legit staring at this trying to figure out what in the world it was to eat. Like mini hot dogs? Peaches? Hot peaches?” This leg warmers are one of those clever food illusions.
Erasers That Look Like Food
Reddit user yuzucrzy revealed these erasers that look like food but they are not. A reply from user UnicornTheUniduck mentioned: “Maybe they are food but taste like an eraser?” And another reply from pizzarolls135 pointed out that he had those erasers but didn’t work well for the task they are meant to.
Wrapped Pineapple?
Reddit user [borrado] was in a fast food chain called “Del Taco” and noticed he stepped on something, and when he looked down he saw this. It would seem that on that piece of brown paper there is a pineapple wrapped somewhere, because of the shape on the left of it. But don’t be fooled, it’s just the footprint of that sneaker blending in with the design on the paper bag. The footprint blending with the paper bag is another of these food illusions.
Melted Medicine
These two red pieces could be treats if you find them near the kitchen or in a colorful package, but in reality they aren’t food. Reddit user arwyayen revealed that it’s his daytime cold medicine that melted in his car and ended up looking like elf shoes. A user reply from [borrado] mentioned: “Just admit that you bought some little red elf shoes.” They aren’t food despite one of these food illusions.
All Soup!
In another scenario where the image actually shows food, though not the kind you might expect, a wide variety of possibilities appears. It looks like there’s vanilla coffee, cream, coconut mint, and even bath bombs, but none of it is what it seems. It’s all soup, just as the sign says.
Not Ramen
Reddit user [borrado] mentioned that when he opened this can, it looked like ramen, but it’s one of those food illusions, and it’s not supposed to look that way. Also, we don’t know any local food that sells ramen in a can. What it really is, is cat food. He added: “It smells pretty much like canned chicken, not really a bad smell at all.”
Pie Crust?
Reddit user [borrado] revealed that he was eating his morning cereal when he stumbled into this, which looked like pie crust in his box of bran turned out to be something else among these food illusions. When he called the company, they replied that it looks like a food product from the process of making the cereal. He confessed: “I was tempted to have a nibble but then I didn’t want to have to go to the doctor.”
Shrimp and Dog Flavor
Reddit user dasrockness mentioned that when he went to get the dog food for his pet, he noticed that in the bag it appears to be a dog and a shrimp superimposed, creating one of those food illusions. That leads us to consider the interpretive possibilities. Perhaps the bag contains shrimp-flavored dog food? The only thing we want is for no human to taste it.
Bottled Caviar?
Anyone seeing that violet color and that darker shade might think it is caviar in one of these unusual food illusions. Reddit user [borrado] revealed that this is a collection of the tiny balls in pen ink cartridges that he has been keeping since middle school. He even has the note where he keeps track of how many of them are in there.
Not a Banana
Reddit user phantomplayerone revealed that he has a lemon tree in the backyard of his house, and today he found that oddly shaped lemon, creating one of the food illusions. It looks like a carrot or maybe a banana, or something in between them to be honest. He added: “That lemon came from the top of the tree, I think it’s just a mutated one because other lemons on the same branch were completely normal.”
It Seems It Wasn’t Just a Single Case…
It seems it wasn’t just a single bookstore – grocery store case. Reddit user bumtheben revealed another library that was relocated to an old grocery store just north of Indianapolis, Indiana. He also mentioned that the restrooms looked like the same as those in any grocery store, but the cash registers zone was replaced with regular checkout desks. That relocated library created one of the unexpected food illusions inside the former grocery store.
Conclusion
After seeing all these strange cases of foods that weren’t really food, or items that look like one thing but are actually another, don’t be fooled by first impressions or these memorable food illusions. Or go ahead, either way, you’ll have a funny story to tell.
