The Fast Food Industry - Essay Example

?Thematic Review of “The Food Nation” Introduction The Fast Food industry has sped up the malling of our cultural model, extended the gap between theopulent and the poor, stimulated outbreak of increasing weights, and boosted the American domination of food culture around the world. That is an extensive array of accusations; nevertheless, Eric Schlosser had them combine with a crafty fusion of unparalleled exposure, sardonic intellect, and critical analysis. Eric Schlosser’s myth-busting investigation extends from Western sections – the part in which the idea of fast food commenced – up to the industrial halls of New Jersey Turnpike1, where most of the fast food’s experimentation of tastes is invented. Down the way, the author reveals a load of thought-provoking and disturbing realities – the unscrupulous tie between fast food and the giant of Entertainment Industry and the transformations in the industry that have formed in the production of food products and the standard of culture. While the book is divided into two sections – “The American Way” and “Meat and Potatoes”, there is one theme that really that is showing up: convenience. As aforementioned, The Food Nation is divided into two sections. In “The American Way”, the author looks at the beginnings of the fast food industry within the framework of post World War II America. This describes how the idea of fast food cropped up and began to transform the food culture of America. In the “Meat and Potatoes”, the author investigates on the particular procedures of the fast food industry such as the development of the chemical flavoring, combination of spices and the livestock production; the working conditions in related industries such as the poultry and the beef industries, and the worldwide perspective of fast food as an American way for imperializing the fast food industry. Also, the author points to a general claim that “you are what you eat”2 The book starts with a dialogue between Karcher and the McDonald’s brothers that looked at their functions as “Founding Fathers” of the fast food industry in the West3, particularly in the Southern California. Following this dialogue is the thought of integrating the gigantic worldwide influence of the entertainment industry, particularly Hollywood, in raking more partakers of the industry; hence, a conversation between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney took place, pointing towards creating an integrated business model that would profit both industries. In this section of the book, the author also places a significant emphasis on the ideal and most effective methods of commercializing the food industry, that is, by targeting the kids’ population through Walt Disney’s advertisements.4 The Food Nation also touches on the role of the food industry in providing jobs to the American People: the fast food industry provides work for a large proportion of the American population (although most jobs pay low wages). Many fast food companies around the world are employing more employees than any other industry in America. This somehow implies of the growing fascination not just the American people but of the world population to the fast food industry. The contention of this review is the observation that the increasing attention to the food industry by the American people is driven by the deficiency of time. With the advent of the industrial era comes the continuing tightness and increasing workloads in the workplace, causing more time constraints on the part of the American people. In various sectors of the American society, the concern for time is much on an upward slope: there is a greater need for convenience in terms of eating and relaxation. Considering the fact the deficiency of time is already an issue, many people already prefer to eat outside; nevertheless, there are restaurants that are even worse in time consumption than cooking your food in the comfort of your own home. Some restaurants would take customers considerable amount of time before they can be served. This is the concern that the fast food industry is trying to resolve by providing speedy and excellent service. The theme of convenience in this review does not necessarily point toward physical pampering or a means of relieving stress but refers to time convenience. Fast food restaurants do offer pre-cooked meals and most of the food items can be served instantly at the counter table. The trending make-up of America’s cultural landscape, especially in terms of job-related time issues, is the fact that people are looking for faster way of getting food – fast food industry takes care of that. In fact, the increasing fascination of the American people to the fast food industry is manifested by the significant increase on the nation’s obesity rate. The Food Nation talks more than just the historical background of the fast food industry but it intimately explores on the developments and transformation that it has caused on the overall cultural landscape of America: providing speedy service for time-constrained Americans. Apart from the history and the thematic linkage to time deficiency and convenience is the book has tessellated importance on other industries such as the entertainment industry, which turned out to be a huge factor in the commercialization of the fast food industry by resorting to Walt Disney characters and themes to captivate the attention of the kids; apart from the entertainment industry is the contribution of various other industries like the livestock industry and the workforce. In a nutshell, The Food Nation is an absolute account of the dominant figure of the fast food industry today in the lives of many people all around the world: the fast food industry employs the largest proportion of low-wage workers; it is the focal point to American imperialism of the food industry; and most importantly, its positive benefits to the time-constrained Americans. The book is a perfect epitome of neutralism, that is, it discusses both the good side - providing convenience for Americans – and the bad side – increasing obesity rate – of the Fast Food Nation. Bibliographic Entry Adamson, Rick. “Fast Food Nation.” Salon Media Group, Inc. 4 May 2002. http://www.salon.com/2002/05/03/schlosser_2/ Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001. Schlosser, Eric, “The Bitter Truth about Fast Food,” Guardian News and Media Limited. 7 April 2001. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/apr/07/features.weekend Read More