fast food nation book report review
...value meal at McDonald’s or Burger King. For me, I buy a cheeseburger at a local fast food place quite often not thinking that it is so unhealthy, just that I am not getting the “best quality meat.” I don’t think that my cheeseburger could contain E coli, or cow waste as I eat it. But after reading this book I may have different assumptions. As Schlosser describes the way the ground beef is processed, about one million pounds a day, the meat grinder could possible be containing manure from the cows. The book not only talks about the food of these fast food places, but the employees as well. This industry can be thought of as the most dangerous, and unrewarding workplace ever. When you think of it, how many people do you know that work at McDonalds and has benefits? They don’t, and the reason being is because they are usually scheduled to work less that the hours that would require McDonald’s to provide benefits. Fast food restaurants are also very likely targets to get hit by robberies. They always have cash, and are usually always doing good business resulting in a good “spot” for criminals to hit. Also, an employee only getting paid minimum wage is kind of ridiculous when you think of how much profit these restaurants are making. Doing some further research, I found out that the average corporate bonus was $131,000 in 1997. Schlosser says that a dollar raise in employee’s wages would only result in two cents raise in price of burgers. It goes to show you how these corporations have the best interest for their employees, and just how greedy they are. In my opinion, I feel they should be ashamed to sponsor events like the Olympics, and Ronald McDonald house when they can not even afford to give there employees above minimum wage. I highly doubt that a two cent raise in burger cost would affect there sales. Something I found to be very interesting in the book is the target market of the fast food industry and how that might have an affect later in that markets life. Schlosser says how children are being targeted at as early as three with the “happy meals.” There are advertisements in school, and billboards everywhere you look. In some studies, they have found that toddlers can recognize logos, such as the “golden arches”, before they an recognize there own names written down on a piece of paper. What is dangerous about this, Schlosser says, is that your eating habits are developed very early in your life. When you grow older your still going to have these craves, and habits, it’s just whether or not you give in to them. Obesity levels in the United States and fast food consumption go hand in hand for children over the past twenty years The flavors you taste for the most part in fast food restaurants are not natural, rather artificial. Flavorists, found right here on the New Jersey turnpike, make the flavors found in almost every processed food. The beef and chicken taste you recognize while eating is just an imitation made up in some laboratory. I mean how could a cheeseburger taste like ground beef when as Schlosser puts it “there is shit in the meat.” Now I know artificial flavors should obviously make a food taste better, but how can I say that “shit” with any flavor taste good. Schlosser studied one of these flavor factories that made chemicals such as colognes, as well as simulations of bananas,...