Scrolling on TikTok can sometimes feel like sifting through a sea of consumer products, from skincare to home decor to whatever the TikTok shop has decided to sell to you. Watching someone bite into a sandwich or sip a drink can feel like a satisfying break from that constant salesmanship. In reality, though, it’s just another version of it. Food items are constantly turning into viral micro-trends, from cookies to mozzarella sticks. However, the act of purchasing and consuming these foods is less about eating and more about participating in internet culture. Fast food companies engineer these items to grab the internet’s attention and somewhere in the process they stop being food and start becoming something else.