Fast Food Nation : The Dark Side Of The All American Meal

When most people think of the 1950’s or 1960’s, they think of Elvis, Greasers, jukeboxes, Woodstock, and rainbow peace signs and hippie love. Although these symbols are somewhat accurate (and very popular), not many people think about the changes society and culture went through. The 1950’s and 60’s were a time of great change and freedom for many Americans. Everything from World War II, to the gay liberation movement, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to change society. Many of the views American’s had on topics such as war, gender roles and sexual preference were changed greatly after these events and have led to our culture being what it is today. The 1950’s and 1960’s were a time where great changes took place that helped to

“Fast food is popular because it's convenient, it's cheap, and it tastes good. But the real cost of eating fast food never appears on the menu.” – Eric Schlosser --

World War II had just ended. Women that were working because their husbands were out fighting in the war came back home when the war ended. The 1940’s ended and it was time for a new decade. The 1950’s were looked as a state of mind or a way of living instead of another time in American history. The 1950’s were the most influential decade in American history because the civil rights act began, fashion was completely new and trendy there were more much advancement in entertainment and medicine, and suburban life was much more functional than any other decade in America.

In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser talks about the working conditions of fast food meat slaughterhouses. In the chapter “The Most Dangerous Job,” one of the workers, who despised his job, gave Schlosser an opportunity to walk through a slaughterhouse. As the author was progressed backwards through the slaughterhouse, he noticed how all the workers were sitting very close to each other with steel protective vests and knives. The workers were mainly young Latina women, who worked swiftly, accurately, while trying not to fall behind. Eric Schlosser explains how working in the slaughterhouses is the most dangerous profession – these poor working conditions and horrible treatment of employees in the plants are beyond

The United States has changed immensely since 1950. Americans were worried and anxious about a post-WWII depression that never occurred. 1946 was the year that saw the most marriages. Families started to grow, the economy boomed, people began to own cars and televisions, and much more.

Post World War II America was a society full of anxiety. In the late 1950s Americans were deeply troubled by so many social shifts. Major changes were occurring both internally and externally. They were in the midst of the Cold War, and were vastly approaching the atomic age. There was a communist scare and fear of Russian expansion. Joseph McCarthy was hunting down major celebrities for their communist involvement and the 'Red Influence' seemed to be everywhere. The move toward suburbia and the growth of multinational corporations were flourishing. People seemed to be pulled in every direction. Another change that would have a major impact on society for years to come was the

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print. While I was looking at the cover of the book, I noticed that it included the words “All American Meal”, and I wondered what that meant. For me when I hear those word I picture a McDonald’s, or any other fast food restaurant. Why is that? Is it because the United States comes in at 12th for the most obese country, with 35% of the population in overweight (Worldatlas). Or is it because we have made a name for ourselves, by being the country that consumes the most fast food (Economist)? In the first chapter of the book The American Way, Schlosser is disscussing various fast foods we eat such as McDonald 's, Domino 's, and describes how fast food has impacted American lives, such as obesity in all age groups due to the appeals to younger children. He talks about the McDonald brothers and Carl Karcher and how they established McDonald 's and Carl 's Jr.

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

Fast Food Nation: The Darker Side of the All-American Meal is very interesting and stimulating. The author, Eric Schlosser, makes excellent points in all his chapters, for example in the epilogue he describes how we can make a difference and that is by not buying fast food and by going somewhere else to eat. Also is chapter ten, he explains how the fast food industry is like a circus. However, not every chapter is as critical for people to read as chapter one. Chapter one is the most important chapter because it describes how fast food originated (the founding fathers), the chapter shows how corrupt and back-stabbing the fast food industry has become, and how gullible Americans can be.

The 1950’s and the 1960’s was a time of change and evolution. It brought on the Civil Rights Movement. This was a very influential time period were these new ideas were incorporated into everyday life and they

How did mass production and targeted advertising shape the development of the fast food and processed food industries in America in the 1950s and 1960s? This question is extremely significant because investigation provides insight on the roots of the American consumer culture and growing conformity that mark our country today. It is also fascinating to understand the political and social impetuses behind the mass economy that gave rise to new corporations. Revealing the inspirations and inventions that spawned a revolution in the American diet can help us understand the multifaceted forces that created changes in our society.

Although fast food make kids fat, some people say that kids need more nutrients, but i say we should because good and school food is nasty and make my stomach hurt. Kids always say that school food is nasty i agree but we have to stay healthy. I still think that we should have fast food because we still have to pay if you don’t have free lunch.

Fast food has become a major phenomenon here in America. According to Eric Schlosser, he writes in the New York Times, on average $301,369,863 is spent a day on fast food. As Schlosser shows, American people are abusing fast food. In accordance with fast food binging, obesity has become a widespread epidemic.

The fast food industry in America has many drawbacks at the cost of supplying food to the American population. Since many people are ignorant of the process their food goes through in order to become the edible meal they consume, American companies easily take advantage of them. In class, we discussed a “Food Bill of Rights”. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep the food industry safe for the American public and environment. The main focus of my “Food Bill of Rights” is to ensure the fast food industry has the American population’s best interest in mind when producing their food.

A fast food meal may not be so simple after all considering the ingredients that go into a meal. We aren’t fully aware of what all the ingredients are in our food. We just see either a short or a long list of words that is just scientific jargon to us. We do become more concerned of what we are eating if there is a long endless list of contents. One ingredient that we all know if high fructose corn syrup. There are high amounts of it in our fast food which explains why we can get so addicted to fast food. Earlier I said most of what a fast food meal is comprised of is sugar, carbs, and sodium. Sugar and fat are the leading ingredients that give us an energy boost. They make energy-dense foods which is what fast food is-an energy-dense food. Energy-dense foods are inexpensive to produce. Pollan says “one reason that obesity and diabetes become more prevalent the further down the socioeconomic scale you look is that the industrial food chain has made energy-dense foods the cheapest foods in the market” (107). Sugar is pretty cheap and it makes sense to price a meal at a low rate. We can’t forget that most of a meal is also comprised of corn which make it cheaper too. Because they are inexpensive, their price isn’t sky high which makes it ideal for low-income families. They are able to afford a high calorie meal at a low price. This explains why obesity tends to be more prevalent in low-income households. As we can see, the low price of fast food contributes to the weight gain