The Difference Between Slow Cooking and Fast Cooking Food - Coursework Example

Fast food vs Slow food One of the differences between a fast food meal and a home cooked one is the quantity of calories and fat the former carries in one meal. The US Department of Agricultures recommended daily intake for a normal adult male is 2800 kilocalories and a maximum of 93 grams of fat. A fast food outlet can deliver all of that in a single meal (New Scientist). Kummer (2002) summarizes this effect in a quote, “if fast food is the culinary equivalent of a sound bite, then slow food is an honest, thorough declaration of intent.” Eating habits are determined by a complex interplay of social, economic and technological forces. A nation’s diet reveals more about its culture and values than its art or literature (Schlosser, 2002). According to Belanger (1998), the attitude towards fast food mirrors the American society: “industrialized, impersonal, dominated by big business, advertising driven, hectic, anti-environmental, and not very satisfying.” In today’s hectic world, where there is simply no time for relaxation and pleasure and the society is driven by convenience and speed, fast food seems to be the answer. Fast food requires no grocery shopping or cooking, thereby saving the labor required to do both. The slow food movement directly opposes every concept that fast food represents – blandness, uniformity, conformity and the blind worship of science and technology (Krummer, 2002). In his article, Vinci (2007) propagates the concept of slow food as eating healthily and responsibly. Although critics of slow food claim that it is elitist and unaffordable by ordinary people, Kummer uses a different range of adjectives to describe the same. According to him, they are mainly peasant foods that have been prepared the same way for centuries. They are time-tested and spring directly from regional cultures and cuisines (2002, p.12). The affinity towards industrial standardization and mass production is another reason for the increasing popularity of fast food. Fast food stems from an entirely different sort of mass culture and mass production, says Krummer (2002). One Taste Worldwide, the slogan of one of the largest fast food chains, McDonalds, perfectly sums up the homogenizing and standardizing effect that seems to have captured the taste buds of many. Savoring genuine tastes together with saving the environment is the new trend that is taking the world by storm, declares Vinci (2007). The slow food brigade is also spreading the message that food should not only be tasty but also nutritious and healthy, which consecutively serves good for the planet and the people who produce such food. Other aspects of fast food include the ubiquitous advertising, competition with locally run restaurants that infact have individualistic menus and atmosphere, and the loss of culture and community due to these. Belanger (2002), in an attempt to compare the differences between fast and slow food, takes the example of a fast food tycoon and a homesteader. Tyson Foods, one of the largest pork producers in the country, raise their hogs in what is referred to as hog-concentration camps. They pay no heed to environmental issues caused due to such a huge concentration of hogs. The consumers of Tyson are unaware of the ways the hogs were treated or the methods involved in processing the bacon they consume. The homesteader, on the contrary, knows exactly how his hogs were raised, how they were treated, and how the bacon was made. This is in every way healthier than consuming bacon that the consumers are clueless about. A typical example of a fast food chain would be Subway, whose strategies transcend the fast food market and appeal to many other markets and products. Subway promotes healthy food habits all the while mass producing sandwiches and all other fast food items. They offer direct competition to the market saturated hamburger establishments by offering fresh baked breads and specialty sandwiches. Sales of sandwiches reported a 15 percent annual growth, outpacing the 3 percent growth rate for burgers and steaks (McCarthy, 2007). An example of slow food, according to Irving (2006), is the Sooke Harbor House on Vancouver Island, a Philip’s certified organic restaurant. The cooks at Harbor House grow their own organic produce and herbs, raise their own pork, serve local organic vines, and buy fish from nearby fishermen. They promote healthy eating habits and reduced habitat destruction. Slow food promoters make food a priority and try to buy local, fresh organic ingredients and prepare food in unique ways that cater to individual tastes. Fast food, on the other hand, aim at mass buying of ingredients and mass production of food that cater to the masses without demarcation. Comparing menus Slow food – Chez Panisse was opened in 1971 by Alice Waters, serving a single fixed price menu that changed daily. An upstairs café was opened in 1980 with an open kitchen, a wood-burning pizza oven, and an a la carte menu. Over the course of three decades, Chez Panisse developed a network of mostly local farmers and ranchers whose dedication to sustainable agriculture assured a steady supply of pure and fresh ingredients. The restaurant atmosphere is one of a dinner party held in a home. The menu is changed every night designed to suit the season and composed to show off the finest ingredients obtainable including fish, meat and poultry. An example of a day’s menu includes items such as Steamed asparagus with toast, brown butter, egg, and Parmesan, Warm frisée and asparagus salad with preserved lemon and olives, Marinated mackerel and spring leek salad with Meyer lemon and so on (Chez Panisse website). Fast food – McDonald’s Corporation is one the largest fast food chains in the world. Operating worldwide through franchisees, they have a standardized menu altered only to suit a country’s religious laws when needed. The popular items on its menu includes Hanburgers, Cheeseburgers, Double Cheeseburgers, Quarter Pounder, Big Macs, Filet-O-Fish, Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich, a variety of desserts and so on (McDonald’s website). Fast food industry in the US Schlosser (2002) attributes the extraordinary growth of the fast food industry in America to the fundamental changes in its society. In 1973, the hourly wages of the average US employee peaked and then steadily declined for the next twenty five years. Driven by the need to earn for survival, large numbers of women entered the workforce. In 1975, about one-third of American mothers with young children were employed outside their homes and the trend continues even today with two-thirds of such mothers still employed. The entry of such women into the workforce greatly increased demands for services that were otherwise rendered by them such as cooking, cleaning and child care. A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants - mainly at fast food restaurants. Over the last three decades, fast food has permeated every nook and corner of the American society. An industry that originated with a handful of modest hotdog and hamburger joints in Southern California has now penetrated every cranny of the nation selling a variety of dishes wherever paying customers may be found. Fast food is now served at restaurants and drive-throughs, at stadiums, airports, zoos, high schools, elementary schools, and universities, on cruise ships, trains, and airplanes, at K- Marts, Wal-Marts, gas stations, and even at hospital cafeterias. In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food; in 2000, they spent more than $110 billion. Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music – combined (Schlosser, 2002). Even though evolution of the fast food culture has a sense of inevitability about it, Schlosser (2002) argues that far from being inevitable, America’s fast food industry in its present glory is the logical outcome of certain political and economic choices. In a relatively brief period of time, the fast food industry has transformed not only the average American’s diet but also the nation’s landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture (Schlosser, 2002). McDonalds is a typical example of the revolution that the fast food industry has brought about. The chain spreads across nations with an estimated twenty eight thousand restaurants and is the largest owner of retail property in the world. It is responsible for about 90 percent of new jobs in America; the company hires over one million people every year. It spends more money on advertising and marketing than any other brand and is the leading distributor of toys in America. Effects of fast food industry on economy and population Schlosser (2002) presents his view of the emerging fast food industry as a threat to independent businesses. The fast food culture has brought with it standardization and homogenization of food consumption and an economy dominated by large corporations. The demands of these giant corporations for standardized products have resulted in the concentration of power over the country’s food supply in a few hands. The outcome of the popularity of fast food has encouraged many other industries to adopt similar concepts. Thus the concepts of fast food has become the operating principles of the present retail society in America and as a consequence has successfully wiped out individualistic and independent businesses and spread the nation with identical stores and tastes. The dominance of fast food conglomerates over American agriculture has driven farmers off their land and into the hands of agribusiness giants. Fast food has played a major ole in issues relating to the rise of franchising and the spread of obesity. Fast food is today, one of the most prominent cultural exports of the US. (Schlosser, 2002) Recent insights by some scientists prove that obesity need not necessarily be the outcome of lack of self-control. On the contrary, indulging in food that is excessively high in fat and sugar can cause changes to the brain and body that encourages more than normal intake of food. Modern biologists are pointing out that consumption of such food can trigger physiological changes which mute the hormonal signals that normally control overindulgence. Research also suggests that children who are fed kid’s meals at fast food restaurants are more likely to grow up to be burger-scoffing adults. This is because early exposure to fatty food could reconfigure children’s bodies so that they always choose such food even when grown up (New Scientist). Research has shown that obesity among and children and adolescents are caused by more energy intake than energy expenditure over a long period of time. In less than thirty years, the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in America has more than doubled. In the 1963-1970 period, 4 percent of children aged 6 to 11 years and 5 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 19 were defined as being overweight. The percentage of children who are overweight has more than tripled by 1999, reaching 13 percent. For adolescents, the incidence of overweight has nearly tripled in the same period, reaching 14 percent. Such a huge proportion of America’s population being obese can be attributed to environmental factors such as the availability of highly palatable and calorie-dense fast food to promote high energy intake as well as the appeal of television, video games, and computers to discourage energy expenditure (Chou, Rashad and Grossman, 2006). As if availability of high-caloried food in not enough, fast food corporations also indulge in persistent advertising on television. These advertisements visually create the effect of consuming a burger or a steak, which in turn churns the appetite of the audience. Moreover, being exposed to food advertisements on television, children and adolescents are more prone to developing unhealthy dietary habits that are likely to carry over into adulthood. Children are easily molded by what they see in television commercials. Studies indicate that the more children watch television, the more they specifically request the brand-name products that are advertised on television when at the grocery store (Chou, Rashad and Grossman, 2006). Future trends The fast food market in the US has seen a healthy rise in growth in recent years and is expected to maintain this trend in the future as well. It is forecasted to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.3 percent for the five year period 2005 to 2010. In 2010, the United States fast food market is forecast to have a value of $57.6 billion, an increase of 12.1% since 2005. It is also estimated to have a volume of 37 billion transactions by 2010, a 5.3 percent increase since 2005 (McCarthy, 2007). References Belanger, J. D. (1998). Slow Food: A Celebration of Life. [Electronic Version]. Countryside & Small Stock Journal. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/85/85-2/J_D_Belanger.html Chez Panisse website Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from www.chezpanisse.com Chou, Shin-Yi, Rashad, Inas and Grossman, Michael. (2006). Fast-Food Restaurant Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity. [Eletronic Version]. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2007/0106_1015_2004.pdf Irving, Pamela. (2006). Slow Food. Alive: No. 287. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://www.alive.com/4800a12a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=186 Kummer, Corby. (2002). The Pleasure of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors and Recipes. Chronicle Books. McCarthy, Michael. (2007). Fast Food Market Forecast – The Subway Example of Strategic Product Positioning. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Fast-Food-Market-Forecast-The-Subway-Example-of-Strategic-Product-Positioning&id=735770 McDonald’s website. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from www.mcdonalds.com New Scientist. (2003). Burgers on the Brain: Can you really get addicted to Fast Food? The Evidence is Piling Up, and the Lawyers are Rubbing Their Hands. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://banzhaf.net/docs/newsci.html Schlosser, Eric. (2002). Fast Food Nation. The Dark Side of the All American Meal. Harper Perenniel. Vinci, Alessio. (2007). Fast food passe, time for slow food. [Electronic Version]. Moneycontrol. Retrieved on April 10, 2008 from http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/lifestyle/fast-food-passe-time-for-slow-food-/287179 Read More