Pareidolia is the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. And we've known about it for quite a while.
Leonardo da Vinci, for example, described seeing characters in natural markings on stone walls, which he believed could help inspire his artworks. And in the 1950s, the Bank of Canada had to withdraw a series of banknotes because people saw a grinning devil leaping from the curls of the Queen's hair.
However, pareidolia can be really fun, too. Just look at this list of photos from Bored Panda. At first glance, it looks like a seemingly casual batch of veggies and fruits. But a closer examination will reveal they have "become" something else. Enjoy!
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After Stewing In His Emotions, Emo Veg Comes To The Conclusion That The Root Of The World's Problems Is That People Don't Seem To Carrot All
This Tomato Looks Like A Duck
Sometimes, an abnormal look can make fruits and veggies land in the bin. Of course, food waste exists across the food supply chain due to pests and mold, poor climate control, and household waste, but imperfect produce is often turned away by grocery stores for not meeting strict cosmetic standards as well, making up around 40% of total food waste.
Philip Behn, the CEO of Imperfect Foods, a company that is on a mission to eliminate food waste, told Forbes that there are many reasons this could happen: "It could be a small quirk in appearance based on shape, size, or color that has no impact on flavor or nutrition. Beyond produce, perfectly good grocery items often go to waste for similarly illogical reasons. Grocers won't purchase or stock goods that are close to expiration or going through packaging changes, regardless of quality."
Alien Pickle
Reducing food loss has been identified as one of the most effective ways to improve food security – an increasingly important challenge as the global population continues to grow. Plus, food waste also hugely contributes to global warming and our carbon footprint.
But ugly food is fighting back. More and more companies are selling ugly produce and using it in their products, reversing the fate of discarded monstrosities to delicious, perfectly edible, and nutritious food.
The ugly produce movement also has the potential to pass lower prices onto customers.
So if you stumble upon a radish that resembles a foot — buy it. You'll be doing your part.
Going To Have To Eat This Chicken As It Hasn't Laid A Single Bloody Egg Yet
This Incredible Carrot Hand Was Found While Digging Juice Carrots At Our Farm Today
Baked Potato
She Thought He Did Not Carrot All, But He Bought Her 21-Carrot Ring
Foot Shaped Radish Goes On Display
Naughty Pears
Farmer: 'So I was walking in the orchard and kept hearing moans but there was nobody there except me. No idea what was going on".
Kawaii Gourd
This Banana Looks Exactly Like My Mom's Dog
The Goddess Lives
That's A Sweet Beartato
This Onion Looks Like An Angry Bird
F**k You Too, Broccoli
This Tomato That Grew In Our Garden Is Shaped Like A Butterfly
This Yam Looks Like A Human Hand
Are you sure it's not?! I'd be pretty freaked out to dig that up!!
This Pumpkin In Our Garden Split And It Looks Like It Has Teeth
An Exceptionally Suave And Sophisticated Daikon Radish
This Potato Looks Like A Seal
This Strawberry Looks Like A Butterfly
Let Us Out
Hmmm
Best Eggplant Ever
The Skin On My Apple Kinda Looks Like The Silhouette Of A Camel
I Thought This Gourd Looked Like A Snail
when you ignore the green part, and look at the yellow one, it looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice age.... or is it just me? https://images.app.goo.gl/EFXnb2GoJF35dbiA7
This Purple Carrot Looks Like A Bartender Ready To Take Your Drink Order And Listen To Your Troubles
I Thought There Was A Severed Finger In My Fruit Bowl. It Was Just Some Ginger
You can't fool us! I know how a severed finger looks like when I see one! .... *cough* cause I've seen them in movies. In movies, yes.
My Carrot Looks Like A Person
This Eggplant Has A Face
So Aparrotly This Is Milkweed
This Small Red Potato Looks Like An Anatomical Heart
I Don't Think I Can Eat This Potato
My Friend Found A Lemon Shaped Like An Elephant
Pear That Looks Like A Kiwi (Bird)
A Rather Sinister Onion
My Wife's Bell Pepper Looks Like A Big Nosed Grumpy Old Man Smoking A Cig
We Grew An Eggplant That Looks Like The Poop Emoji
My Potato Looks Like It's Trying To Escape Itself
This Jalapeño Looks Like A T-Rex
The Happiest Potato I've Ever Seen
My Sister Grew A Carrot That Looks Like Arnold
It Looks Exactly Like Larry Bird
This Carrot Wants To Be An Astronaut
This Cucumber Looks Like A Swan
My Friend’s Smoked Cauliflower Looks Like An Explosion
This Pepper Is About To Sneeze
Tomato My Wife Grew vs. One Our Friends Bought
My Celeriac Scared The Devil Out Of Me
I feel as though this celeriac root may have been planted on top of an ancient Indian burial ground.
My Apple Looks Like Its Still Loading
This Strawberry I Found Is Shaped Like A Perfect Flower
My sisters and I were cutting tomatoes when we found one that had a perfect flower shape inside.
Brilliant Spider-Man Homecoming Cosplay
How did they get such a high resolution photo of my willpower holding my brain together 🤔
This Strawberry I Found Looks Like Mario
This Vegetable Looks Like An Ood From Dr. Who
Grumpy Cat Apple
I'm Seeing Tomato Elephants
Scary Figure Inside This Cabbage
The Tomato We Grew Looks Like Sauron’s Eye
My Dad Found This Little Guy While Peeling Some Vegetables
A timely reminder that vegetables can be funny without being pornographic
Oh The Horrors
Buff Carrot
This Peanut Looks Like A Duck
My Ginger Has A Gnome Growing From It
The Sad Mr. Ugly Veg
This Pumpkin Stem Looks Like A Dragon
This Potato Looks Like An Evil Sloth
This Pumpkin That Looks Like A Swan
Work In Food Production, Found A Baby Carrot We All Thought Was A Human Finger At First
This Blueberry Looks Like An Owl's Head
This Carrot Looks Like It's Walking
"I'm walking away / From the troubles in my life I'm walking away / Oh, to find a better day"
My Wife's Potato Looks Like Admiral Ackbar
I Sliced Open This Green Pepper To Reveal A Smiley Face On Both Halves
Finally a smiling bell pepper, as opposed to the screaming zombie ones X(
My Mom Cut Into Her Carrot And Found A Smiley Face
This Beet That Is Perfectly Shaped Like A Human Heart
This Stem Looks Like A Person Who Stepped In A Tomato
Both The Banana Slice And My Dog Just Thinking Right Now - What The Hell Is So Funny Steve?
Maybe dogs and bananas have some sort of connection? My doggo will bug the heck outta me until I peel and feed her any banana she might see or sniff out.
The Devil Is In The "Ugly" Fruit And Veg
Usually They're Pretty Freaked Out
I Found A Man’s Face In My Watermelon
Vegetable Looks Like A Giant Foot
The Way This Tomato From My Garden Looks Like A Giant Ant Is Eating It
This Gigantic Potato That Looks Like Sid From Ice Age
This Tomato From My Garden Is Shaped Like A Bunny Head
My Ginger Root Looks Like A Lobster
My Dad's Onion Looks Like Strong Bad
Creepy Piece Of Fruit
Inside Of This Tomato Looks Like A Perfect Strawberry
Probably A Good Listener
My Boyfriend’s Homegrown Potato Looks Like The Reddit Icon
This Piece Of Ginger Looks Like A Rabbit
I Present To You A Buddha's Hand Fruit, Looks Like An Octopus
My Homegrown Cucumber Slices Into Happy Faces
Oh No, I Grew An Evil Bell Pepper
Sliced Green Pepper In Half And It Decided To Smile Back At Me
This Bell Pepper I Cut At Work Looks Like Happy And Sad Faces
This Sweet Potato We Got That Looks Like A Bird
There’s Small Pepper Growing Out Of Our Larger One Which Ironically Looks Like A Baby
Found This Happy Kiwi In My Lunch Yesterday
This Tomato Looks Like A Rubber Duckie
This Deformed Apple That Looks Like A Big Nosed Smoker
Piece Of Ginger Looks Like A Disembodied Finger
This Potato Looks Like A One-Eyed Canadian From South Park
This Berry In My Drink Looks Like A Little Octopus
The Veggie Wars Have Begun
It's What's On The Inside That Counts
This Japanese Eggplant Looks Like A Bird
This Potato That Looks Like A Lobster
This Sweet Potato That Looks Like A Human Heart
Half-Human Half-Carrot
This Onion Came With A Happy Face
This Sweet Potato Looks Like A Happy Little Whale
My Ginger Root Looks Like A Sitting Elephant
A Cherry Tomato That Looks Like It Has Horns Like Satan
This Giant Beet From My Garden Looks Like A Heart
This Strawberry Looks Like A Little Guy
I Found Two Blueberries Fused Together. It Looks Like A Pair Of Eyes
This Vegetable Sort Of Looks Like Snoopy
I Grew A Rare Bell Pepe
The Rare Dragon Pepper - Guaranteed To Breath Fire And Spice Into Your Meal
Hotter peppers seem to be on the small side. Thai chili peppers are deceptively hot.
Potato Man
