Fast Food Nation examines the history of the fast food industry as the world began to consume the idea of quick and easy cuisine. This piece of investigative journalism really gives it 's readers a look at the fast food industry and its development over time. This book is divided into two sections. The first section delves into the beginnings of the industry and how it developed into the large corporational business it is today. The second section examines the business behind the scenes. The book opens with the examination of one of the fast food 's pioneers, Carl N. Karcher. Carl N. Karcher was originally from a farmer from Ohio before moving to California. When he moved to California, he started out a Feed and Seed Store but later got a …show more content…
Eisenhower had really pushed for this bill because he saw success in Hitler’s “Reichsautobahn” (the world’s first superhighway system). (Fast Food Nation, page 22) Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway Act helped to develop many business and also helped businesses accrue a significant amount of revenue because of the easy access consumers had to many businesses. Because of the new highways, entrepreneurs were able to witness the success of McDonald’s and Carl Jr.’s, and decided to develop their own businesses. During this time period we saw the birth of many fast food restaurants, such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s.
Now, in 1954, a man named Ray Kroc joined McDonald’s and helped create it into a fast food empire by spreading the idea of the Speedee Service System nationwide. He had originally went to McDonald’s to convince the brothers who owned to by his milkshake machine, but fell in love with their Speedee Service System. He convinced the brothers to let him buy the franchise and helped developed the business nationwide. After finalizing the agreement, he wrote to his old friend, Walt Disney to ask if he (Kroc) could place a McDonald’s in his amusement park, Disneyland. Disney forwarded the idea to the executives over the park and in return the executives demanded that Kroc raise the prices on the food so that they could make a profit off of it. Kroc refused. In order to help better sales at McDonald’s, Kroc started gearing the advertisements toward
Fast food marketing is a dirty political game. Marketing is a tool of power, more specifically money power. Successful marketing strategies propelled fast food and beverage companies to some of the most stable corporations in the world. But how did these mom and pop shops dominate the competition? They created a commodity through marketing. Cool people drink coke not pepsi. Ronald and his friends hang out at McDonalds, and so should you, were the implications. Marketers went as far as advertising in schools. Coke or Pepsi for lunch instead of water and milk. Big Cola poured Millions of dollars into the struggling public education system. This accomplished a cradle to the grave type of marketing for beverage and fast food companies. Things changed so fast and the public made huge illogical leaps in the name of saving time. And in doing so, endangered our children.
Fast food has turned into a genuine fundamental of our everyday life and made a religion of establishments that reaches out to the millions of Americans across the country. The Fast Food industry in a few eyes has been one of the sharpest developments this world has seen. It has been driven by our stomachs and our wallets for 40 to 50 years it's as yet developing to this date. The man who make-believe it can be known as the best representative, this nation has ever observed. The Fast Food Industry is big to the point that it has influenced our wellbeing, changed our way of life, and misshaped our territory as far back as the very first moment.
Eric Schlossers book Fast Food Nation is not only an expose of the fast food industry but also shows how the fast food industry has shaped and defined society in America and other nations as the fast food culture spreads globally. He connects the social order of society to the kind of food it eats and the way it eats that food, and relates fast food to other social processes and institutions. His facts are based on years of research and study, and are presented in and easy to follow narrative. Schlosser is so thorough and convincing in his argument, it's impossible to
Fast Food Nation is a good literary nonfiction book as a result of Schlosser using relevant anecdotes that allow the reader to connect with the working conditions associated with fast food, and by providing a new perspective on the topic
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, is a stark and unrelenting look into the fast food industry that has ingrained itself in not only American culture, but in culture around the world. There is almost no place on earth that the golden arches has not entered. Aside from Antarctica, there is a McDonalds on every continent, and the number of countries that have fast food restaurants is growing on a daily basis. Schlosser describes in detail what happens behind the scenes, before the hamburger and fries come wrapped in environmentally safe paper and are consumed by millions of people daily
Fast Food Nation As stated by Eric Schlosser, "Fast food has had an enormous impact not only on our eating habits but on our economy, our culture, and our values"(3). Over the last four decades fast food has become an American necessity. There are fast food restaurants on every corner. Whats not to love about fast food? It is nearby, cheap and ready in a matter of minutes.
When thinking of America most people tend to think of baseball and football games, apple pie, barebeques on the weekends and most importantly fast food. The fast food industry since it started in the early 1900’s has taken America by storm and forever altered the fundamentals of American society, as seen in Eric Schlosser’s informative novel Fast Food Nation. In his novel Schlosser gave his audience a behind the scenes look on how the fast food industry takes his viewers into the dark side of the fast food industry by exposing the greed of larger companies and its impact on smaller companies, and the injustices of the meat packing industry. It’s clear that throughout the whole novel Schlosser’s is against the giant fast food industry franchise.
The story of the fast food industry and its effect on the world is well told in the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Schlosser makes the claim that, what started out as a special treat for the kids eventually ended up defining a way of life. During a brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped transform not only the American diet, but also our countryside, economy, workforce, and popular culture. The book thoroughly describes how important the two factors of money and power are in today's society. The book clearly establishes the broader thesis that as consumers, we should know what we eat even if it makes us uncomfortable by the knowledge.
Schlosser also focuses about how the fast food chains market their products. "A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus. The impact of McDonald 's on the way we live today is hard to overstate. The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian Cross" (P.4). By this quote you can see who fast food chains marketed towards. They did this because if children went they also
Knowing what is in your fast food might make you think twice the next time you devour it. As the rise of the fast food nation in America has increased to an all-time high, so has the weight and waists of Americans all around the country. Not only has the United States grown to love the acquired taste of greasy golden fries and juicy burgers, it has also grown ignorant to the way their food is prepared. In the novel, “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”(2002), by Eric Schlosser, he makes compelling points in his position against the fast food industry.
Chapter one opens with discussion of Carl N. Karcher, one amongst quick food’s pioneers. Carl was born in 1917 in Ohio. He quit college once eighth grade and spent long hours farming along with his father. once he was twenty years recent, his uncle offered him employment in his Feed and Seed store in urban center, CA. Carl bumped off to CA, wherever he met his woman Margaret and commenced his circle of relatives. Margaret and Carl bought a hotdog cart; Margaret sold hotdogs across the road from a inventor industrial plant whereas Carl worked at a bakehouse. throughout this point California’s population was quickly increasing, as was the car business. Carl eventually opened a facility Barbeque building. The post-WWII economy provided him with
One of the most shocking books of the generation is Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. The novel includes two sections, "The American Way" and "Meat and Potatoes,” that aid him in describing the history and people who have helped shape up the basics of the “McWorld.” Fast Food Nation jumps into action at the beginning of the novel with a discussion of Carl N. Karcher and the McDonald’s brothers. He explores their roles as “Gods” of the fast-food industry. Schlosser then visits Colorado Springs and investigates the life and working conditions of the typical fast-food industry employee. Starting out the second section, Schlosser travels to the western side of Colorado to examine the effects presented to the agriculture world in the new
Eric Schlosser’s novel Fast Food Nation provides a deep insight into the systematic and unified world of the fast food industry. From the title alone, readers develop a clear sense of the author’s intention for writing this book. Schlosser’s purpose for writing the novel is to raise awareness about the impact and consequences of fast food industries on society. The purpose of the novel is achieved by the author’s use of personal stories, and by relating fast food to various aspects of society.
Eric Schlosser is one of the authors who describes the fast food phenomenon in his book Fast Food Nation. According to him, the biggest problem is the fast food industry that is increasing day by day. Fast food has affected not only the restaurants and the market, but also all the sectors of people's life, from the professional life to the personal one. This affirmation is sustained by Schlosser's statement: "Fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society. " ( Schlosser 3 ) The fast food industry has got into institutions and parts of the world that no one believed would be affected. Moreover, the power of fast food can be seen by taking a look at the American individual, who gives fast food different
The development of fast food was revolutionary; however, this revolution was corrupted by big business and the desire to maximize profit. With fast food as a staple for society, due to its convenience, the consumer fails to realize what is inside the burger they are eating. The customers are eating foods which are filled with additives such as cellulose and L-cysteine. Additives are good for the bottom line, but bad for the well being of the consumer. Cost effective additives may be justifiable from a businessman’s perspective, but what about the consumer?