Fast Food Never Forgives
Throughout the 20th century, the United States grew to be a superpower. They won two world wars, overcame racial persecution, and spread capitalism around the world. Paralleling this success, fast food expanded exponentially and grew to control our nation. Today, the United States develops and evolves at the will of the fast food industry as it has grown to dominate the most powerful country on earth. From practically hiring children to caring about profit margins more than their consumers, fast food has taken advantage of the American population. Beginning in 1921, through the explosion after World War II, and into the modern age, fast food has developed into a multibillion dollar industry that the lives of millions of Americans across the country.
In 1921, the first fast food restaurant opened in Wichita, Kansas (Pirello). At the time, the name White Castle, referred to a small yet innovative burger joint deep in Kansas instead of the multibillion dollar corporation and chain that White Castle is today. When the restaurant opened, hamburgers cost only a nickel (Pirello). The restaurant had instant success. It was able to efficiently cook food and distribute it to the customers without waiters therefore reducing the costs of operating dramatically. Although the fist White Caste had pronounced success, it was not “until after World War II when we became a nation of fast food nation” (Pirello).
After World War II, fast food began to take over
The investigative journalist, Eric Schlosser, has written a book to illuminate an epidemic that started in America and is now becoming one of the world’s largest problems. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser frames today’s Fast Food giants in history,American entrepreneurialism, and over consumption in respect to consumer and employee wellbeing. The power of all modern Fast Food giants combined have eclipsed the power of any one government. Marketing has become a key component to luring consumers to fast food. Schlosser makes the argument that a once AllAmerican ideal, fast food has grown too big to control.
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.
“In many respects, the fast food industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism at the start of the twenty-first century – its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gulf between gulf between rich and poor” (Schlosser 6). In 2001 Eric Schlosser published “Fast Food Nation.” Eric Schlosser’s early 21st century muckraking text, “Fast Food Nation,” attempts to shed light on the consequences of the fast food industry on American society. The rise and growth of the fast food industry, like the meatpacking industry, illuminates the evolution of the American dream in post-World War II America. “Fast Food Nation” is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world
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
In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to
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
“OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society”, Schlosser writes. Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser, includes topics about fast food chains impact on the community, jobs relating to fast food, and health issues. Fast Food Nation uses logic to appeal to the aspects of fast food chains by giving relatable examples from the devastating effects on the communities to the millions of jobs offered for our country. Moreover, fast food chains have contributed positivity to society, but with dire consequences.
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.
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.
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.
We live in a world that is in a continuous process of transformation, considering that progress manages to control all the aspects of individual's life. Being part of a society which is always changing makes it essential for people have to adapt to all these aspects. One of the biggest problems for the American society is that it has no time to eat, since it is always on the run. Fast food came as the greatest solution for this problem. Since the process of modernization of the American society is accelerated day by day, the fast food industry has gained its place on the market. Even if individuals are well aware of the problems they can and will encounter if they eat fast food, they are forced by the circumstances to fall back on it.
The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food
America has been encountering many different types of cultures since it was first founded. These distinct types of cultures lead to the development of various types of food options. However, fast food productions stood out to be the top meal choice. The reason for this expansion of encounters with fast food has to deal with the American desire to gain more material wealth and become more prosperous. Americans expanded their encounters with fast foods by means of franchising, advertising, and processing of foods to help them acquire the wealth that they desire.
Fast Food has been a prominent global industry since the beginning of the 20th century. The term ‘fast food’ is defined as “food that can be prepared and served quickly” (Miriam-Webster Dictionary). Although any meal with low preparation time is technically fast food, usually the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for takeout. During the past century, Western culture has had a shift in the values of everyday life. “The 1920s is often called the “roaring” twenties, a time when America underwent dramatic changes in its lifestyle, values, and technology” (Hogan, pg. 24).
The fast food empire is one of the largest and highest earning industries in the world. Yet even with the lime light constantly on it, fast food organizations continue to poorly treat workers, serve unhealthy food and find ways to carry out corrupt business. This paper will discuss these hidden secrets and also compare and contrast the differences in the book “Fast Food Nation” and the movie “Fast Food Nation”. The book and movie follow the same ideas but both uniquely describe and display the workings behind the fast food business, thus giving the widest possible perspective on the industry. By examining the images of the movie and the descriptions of the book, we can truly see why the United States has become a fast food nation.