Am I Expecting Too Much For A Cheap Frozen Meal To Look Edible?

Image courtesy of Would you say that this looks like an open-faced sandwich if you didn't know?

Erica likes to bring frozen meals to work for her lunch, and thought that she would try a new entrée from discount brand Michelina’s: an open-faced beef and mashed potato sandwich. Anything involving frozen bread and gravy would give some people misgivings, but Erica thought it sounded promising. What she got after she opened the package and microwaved it was… whatever the opposite of “promising” is.

Would you say that this looks like an open-faced sandwich if you didn’t know?

I buy a lot of frozen meals for work since it’s easy to go shopping once a month, throw them in the freezer, and not have to worry about packing a lunch every day. I love Michelina’s mac and cheese meals and thought I’d give their open-faced mashed potatoes, gravy, and beef on bread a try. But perhaps the order those ingredients were listed in should have been a warning to me.

I realize nothing ever looks like the picture, and no one buys frozen meals expecting a gourmet experience, but 4 tiny pieces of beef? Really? I have trouble even believing that could add up to the 10g of protein listed on the nutrition facts. Is this really as ridiculous as I find it, or am I just expecting too much out of a cheap frozen meal?

This looks sort of like a beef Pop-Tart, only less appetizing. If you don’t find the prospect of a beef Pop-Tart appetizing, at least.

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