HW 7

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser 

Intro-

There is a military base inside Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, the only food close are fast food restaurants which is what the workers eat mostly,  if it were all to be bombed the only thing people would find would be remains of fast food.  Fast food has become a huge part of American society.  Hundreds of millions of people buy fast food every day without thinking about it and what that really means. 

"A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 precent could i denitrify Ronald McDonald.  The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus."

I agree with everything that was said in the intro but I don't know myself about all the bad things associated with fast foods.  I think that this book is going to teach me about how fast food has turned into a really bad thing.  I have a feeling there will be many scary statistics relate to fast foods.  

Chapter 1-   

Carl N. Karcher was one of the founding fathers of fast food.  He was a regular guy who grew up on a farm, he started with his restaurant and traveled around the country with his ideas.  The people that started fast food were just regular people trying to make money and spread this idea of getting people food fast and conveniently.  Then fast food's progress exploded.

"Thinking that he'd misunderstood the question, I rephrased it, asking if he ever missed the old Anaheim, the ranches and citrus groves.  'No,' he answered.  'I believe in Progress'."

I think it's interesting that the people who started fast foods had no idea on how it would expand and become such an important thing.  They just had the intentions of selling their foods and spreading the idea of convenient food.

Chapter 2-

Fast food restaurants often target towards children which introduces fast food's to their life styles.  The fast food restaurants have commercials all over TV and give children toys with the food and advertising with cartoons and characters.  The fast food chains are brainwashing as many people as possible to buy their food. 

"The chains often distribute numerous versions of a toy, encouraging repeat visits by small children".

I think this chapter is disturbing because the food that fast food places sell often is unhealthy.  They're using methods that they know will lure children into asking for the food, and then if they keep getting fast foods it becomes part of their lifestyles.  It's one thing if you're trying to get adults to buy your food but children don't understand as much and are lured in just from bright colored toys.  

Chapter 3-

All around America places are starting to look almost identical with tons of fast food restaurants side by side.  Colorado Springs is a place in America that doesn't quite have an identity yet, it is open to new things and it is often used as a place to test fast food ideas, problems that were in California where fast food started are now showing up in Colorado Springs.  The fast food restaurants employ so many people, they employees are not paid very well or trained, they base who they chose for employees based on obedience.  

"The three corporations now employ about 3.7 million people worldwide".

I think this chapter is scary.  To me it seems like the fast food companies have a whole system where they lure people into buying there food in many ways and there a strict system to it.  It seems like an art of brainwashing people and getting people to buy your product.  They find out where the best places for the restaurants are, how to draw in different groups of people including children and how to keep people coming back more and more.