1940, Pendleton Herring, Presidential Leadership: The Political Relations of Congress And the Chief Executive, Transaction Publishers (→ISBN), page 32
Watching Congress work and rework the president's legislative agenda is much like watching sausage being made — the end product probably tastes better than the production of it warrants.
1991, 1992 NASA authorization, U.S. Government Printing Office (→ISBN), page 333
I was frequently told that watching legislation being produced is like watching sausage being made. It is a very unappetizing process, but usually the result is quite pleasing to the palate in the end.
1993, Beverly Hills Bar Association Journal, The Association, page 106
It is a lot like watching sausage being made — you will not want to eat it afterwards.
1995, James O'Toole, The Executive's Compass: Business and the Good Society, Oxford University Press (→ISBN), page 114
At almost all other times, watching democracy in action is like watching sausage being made, an unpretty process indeed.
1999, T Nielsen Hayden, Re: Research books, rec.arts.sf.composition, Usenet
I've edited reference books. It's like knowing how sausage gets made. And the day I found out how unreliable the =Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature= is, I was literally dizzy with surprise and dismay.
2002, Pat Mcneill, The Tables All Were Broken: Mcneill's Take on the End of Professional Wrestling as We Know It, iUniverse (→ISBN), page 97
Sometimes it's like watching sausage get made. Once you see what goes into it, you lose your appetite for it.
2003, Donald Watson, Alan J. Plattus, Robert G. Shibley, Time-saver standards for urban design, McGraw-Hill (→ISBN), page 55
At Harbor Point, some residents speak of the decision-making process as being "like watching sausage get made," while others embrace the process as the key to "empowerment and care giving."
2004, Greg Holden, Internet Babylon: Secrets, Scandals, and Shocks on the Information Superhighway, Apress (→ISBN), page 269
Like watching sausage being made, watching government in action can be somewhat disgusting.
2006, Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation: ALI-ABA Course of Study Materials, American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education, page 302
Going through a trial or a protracted lawsuit is a little like watching sausage being made.
[...] says Thomas Bergan, AIA program manager for federal legislative affairs. "What can I say? Politics is ugly. It's like watching sausage get made."
2010, Leonard Balsera, Jim Butcher, et al., Dresden Files Rpg: Core Rulebook - Your Story, Evil Hat Productions LLC (→ISBN), page 238
Not to mention, it's sort of the cognitive equivalent of seeing how sausage gets made—best left as something you don't see and don't think about too much.
2011, Harry Grafton, Blandtrap: Letters to the Editor of the Tiskilwa Bureau Valley Chief, Author House (→ISBN), page 240
Watching Brimstone work was like watching sausage being made. I had to stop looking if I was ever to enjoy fishing or church again.