America: Fast-Food Nation - Essay Example

Fast Food Nation Introduction “Fast Food Nation (The Dark Side of the All-American Meal)” is a book written to Erick Schlosser, an investigative journalist. The book examines the local and global fast food industry in of United States of America. In 1999, the book was first serialized by Rolling Stone. (Schlosser 02). The book has two sections: “Meat and Potatoes” and “The American Way”. The section The American way draws its interests on the beginning of the Fast Food Nation interrogated in the context of events after the World War two. (Schlosser 02). On the other hand, Meat and Potatoes section examine processing and mechanization of Fast Food Industry in America. This included food chemical flavoring, working conditions of beef industry and production of chicken and cattle. This section also takes a look on the dangers of meat consumption and the global interest of fast food in America as a cultural export (Schlosser 12). Summary The assignment requires selection of one topic in the book explained above and its examination. In addition to that, the paper will craft an argument that will convince the readers to change the way they think, do things, or behavior as explained in the selected topic. What we eat In order to accomplish the requirements of the assignment, the paper is based on one topic “what we eat”. Fast food in America has become one of the most factors that drive the economy. At least over the last three decades, the American has been infiltrated by fast food. The fast food industry first began with the small quantity of fast food in the State of California. The influence of the industry has spread to every part of America and to a bigger extent all over the world. The industry is fulfilling the wants of its customers by processing a wide range of food stuffs with a purpose of reaching its market. The industry has taken a good distributing strategy where the food is being distributed in cafeterias, in school, bus stages and restaurants. The nation is known to spend more on fast food than what is spent in a combination of magazines, videos, newspapers, books and movies. According to Schlosser (2001), the fast food industry has a hygiene issue. One may find a person in the construction work just taking the packet of fast food without even washing their hands. People take the exercise of buying fast food as routine without any issue. However, fast food has a revolutionary force in the United States. The food is booth metaphor and a commodity to drive the economy of America. The influence of what people eat or do not is due to economic, social or technological aspects. If you visit America in a day, almost a quarter of adults eat on fast food. The fast food industry has not only helped to improve the diet of American but also the economy and cultural briefs. (Schlosser 212). This is why fast food has turn out to be so popular in that even if you are not taking it you will feel its consequences. Three decades ago, a lot of money was used to prepare food at home. In America, today most of their money is spent to buy ready fast food in America. Through this, fast food has proven to be a good economic drive. Fast food industry has gone further not only in America but also worldwide. (Schlosser 213) The writer has used MacDonald’s Corporation as an example. The corporation has become one of the high employment providers in America. The corporation has employed at least one out of eight citizen workers in America. As for today, MacDonalds Corporation operates more than twenty-eight thousand fast food restaurants in the world. (Schlosser 216). The corporation has employed many people directly or indirectly in the world. An example is in America where the corporation is the leading buyer of pork, beef and tomatoes from the farmers. The corporation is known to use the large amount of money in advertising and promotion than any other brand in the world. MacDonald’s Corporation has also franchised a number of small business fast food industries.(Schlosser 218).This has the ultimate result on the economy of the country where these franchised industries are located. Many, led by a farm activist Hightower Jim in 1970s were against emergence of food industry terming it to be a threat to most of the infant businesses. (Hightower 76). However, practically fast food industry has motivated other fast food dealers to emerge. This will however, has a positive influence on the “Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country”. For instance, the Americans famous streets and shopping malls are dominated by fast food business (Schlosser 227). Most of those people not well educated are believed to the one operating fast food sectors. In this case, it is understandable that the sector has reduced unemployment. As a result, the sector has a social influence in that it reduces the gap between educated and non-educated persons. Moreover, the sector has reduced a social gap between the rich and power in that one can just move into the restaurant and buy fast food regardless of the amount of money one owns (Guthman 213). Thanks to the fast food industry that fresh fries and hamburger in the 1950s became an essential food for American. However, it is good to note that fast food industry has its challenges. As explain above, it is clear how people enter into the restaurant or buy fast food brought to them without washing hands. This brings hygienic problem. It may result into complications that are brought by hygienic issues. In addition to that, fast food may be infected by toxins due to lack of good management in storage (Haber 68). There is also a speculation that fast food cause obesity and it is tasteless. The latter, as from the writer of the book, it is explained that he has tasted most of the fast foods and they taste sweet. My argument based on the topic examined in the book Fast Food Nation is that fast food business has become one of the mainly popular foods in the world. It is good that people should think otherwise rather than just be against the industry. According to the food industry has a lot of influence on the economic and social aspects. For instance, the industry has made it faster to prepare food. This spares time for economic activities. It is a high to me people should think ways on improving the industry rather than fighting it. The sector is an open place for individual economic growth. One does not require a huge amount of capital to start the industry. This point is in support that those people who are unemployed and less educated should worry not. They should try to invest on this sector. The same case applies to less economic fortune individuals. The fast food sector has reduced the economic gap between them and the rich. It is now easy for a poor person. He/she can gather money and enter into a restaurant and buy that food staff which is expensive to prepare at home. However, the industry is based with hygienic issues. As from the book in the topic of what we eat, most of the individual get out of their workplace, enter into a restaurant and maybe take the food without sterilizing their hands (Haber 74). Children are taking the same food in school without washing their hands. Based on this argument, it is advisable that people be washing their hands before taking fast food. I also urge the owners of the fast food sectors such as restaurants and cafeterias to be following world Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) protocols. The protocol means that any industry must provide healthy and safe service to people. The restaurant owners should implement a hand washing place for sterilization. In addition, it is good to note that the writer of the book touches on taste of the food. It is advisable that people should not believe on what other people say rather than know by themselves. The writer before writing the topic has tried to taste most of the fast foods and he confirms the food is sweet. Works Cited Guthman, Julie. "Fast food/organic food: Reflexive tastes and the making yuppie chow." Social & Cultural Geography 4.1 2003: 45-58. Haber, David. "Fast Food Nation." Family & Community Health 28.1 (2005): 103-105 Nation, Fast Food. "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal." Phakathi, Self-directed Work Teams in a Post 2001. Progler, Yusef. "Fast food nation." Journal Of Research In Medical Sciences (JRMS) 2007. Schlosser, Eric. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. . Read More