This is What a 14-Year-Old McDonald’s Hamburger Looks Like

The famously indestructible Twinkie might have a competitor for the title of “most preservative-packed snack food.” This fourteen-year-old burger was first purchased by Utah resident David Whipple in 1999, who let the hamburger sit around for a month as part of an experiment in deterioration. When the classic burger failed to decompose, Whipple stuck it in his coat pocket and forgot about it . . . for two years.

(Check out the original receipt below.)

The coat containing the apparently immortal sandwich was packed into his closet, where it remained until Whipple’s wife dug it out and they were astonished to find his long-lost lunch good as new. The pickle that adorned the original burger had long since decomposed, but the rest of the burger — bun included — was completely intact and smelled like a fresh hamburger. Rather than throwing the burger into the bin, Whipple continued the experiment to this day in order to remind his grandchildren to eat healthy.

We’re pretty against eating anything prepared the same year that Toy Story 2 came out, but then again, we’re also pretty against stashing hamburgers in our outwear for months or years at a time. Maybe McDonald’s and Whipple can just call it even on the embarrassment factor and agree to never speak of this again.

H/T + PicThx Daily Mail