Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Adele Walker

Nonfiction Report

8/27/2015

Introduction

I read “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser. It was published in 2001 by the Houghton Mifflin Company. Fast Food Nation consists of three main sections: The American Way, Meat and Potatoes, and the Epilogue. Each of these sections are broken down into different chapters, which are further broken down into many subchapters. The novel is organized this way so that the author can take the reader from understanding how the process of starting the fast food industry changed over time and how it transformed from a friendly business full of potential, to one that is solely determined to make money fast without caring about the corruption it causes. The main purpose Schlosser wrote this book was to educate Americans how dark the fast food business really is. He uses a lot of research and detail to further emphasize his point.

The American Way

Within this section, there are 4 different chapters. Those chapters are Founding Fathers, Your Trusted Friends, Behind the Counter and Success. In the first section, Founding Fathers, Schlosser talks about some of the pioneers of the fast food industry. This includes Carl N. Karcher and the McDonald brothers. This chapter acts as a historical backdrop for the entire book. This chapter also reflects a lot on the post World War II economy as well. It also briefly goes over the racism still existing in the United States by mentioning the Ku Klux Klan. This section is set in the period where Carl Jr’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, Domino’s and KFC were started. In the second section, Your Trusted Friends, the author talks about the complicated relationship between Walt Disney and Ray Kroc. He also goes over the different methods that started to be applied to advertise to children, which was a big step for the fast food industry. This chapter starts to highlight the real reason why Eric Schlosser wrote the novel, to expose the shrewd businessmen behind the fast food industry. The relationship between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney was based on a lot of similarities, one of which becoming geniuses at marketing their products to children. Schlosser also talks about how the fast food industry manipulates young minds to keep themselves in business. A big point to be made in this chapter is the movement of fast food into public schools. The third chapter in this section is Behind the Counter. This chapter goes over the workforce that keeps the industry alive, which is teenagers. This chapter is also mainly set in Colorado Springs, CO. At the beginning of the chapter, a brief history of Colorado Springs is shared, saying it was a sleepy town before World War II. The author exploits another flaw in the industry; the millions of dollars they get to train employees is spent on other operations, making training less common. Minimum wage is also explored in the chapter. Robberies are happening more often, not by gun point, but by employees sneaking money out of drawers. Overall, this chapter shows the enormous mindless workforce that keeps the industry going and the major impact fast food has on student employees. The last chapter in this section is Success. The chapter starts in Pueblo, CO, which the author says is a much different town than Colorado Springs. This chapter develops a contrast between old and new franchisees. In earlier chapters, Schlosser describes the industry as “anyone can get rich”. Once the nineties hit, Schlosser becomes more hesitant to say anyone can be a millionaire. He talks about the unfair business practices that have developed over the years. He begins and ends the chapter by talking about Dave Feamster, who doesn’t get as rich as the pioneers of the industry, but still does well. Overall, this section mainly gave the reader some background on where the industry started history-wise and started diving into the main thesis of the book. Without this section, the reader and story would be missing critical information that may support future claims throughout the rest of the book.

Meat and Potatoes

This section consists of 5 sections. The sections are Why the Fries Taste so Good, On the Range, Cogs in the Great Machine, the Most Dangerous Job, and What’s in the Meat. The section begins with Why the Fries Taste so Good. This section starts in Aberdeen, Idaho with J.R. Simplot, who grew to be one of the largest shipper of potatoes in the west. Schlosser dives into his concern about the food itself, which is the main topic of this entire section. He goes over what is actually in the potato, how it is processed and what contributes to its flavor. This chapter really goes over the nuts and bolts, or the details, on how the industry really started to take off. The second section is On the Range, which starts again in Colorado. However, the vision of Colorado is much different than discussed earlier. This chapter starts going over the beef and chicken industries. It also talks about new trusts and acts that had to be established because of this booming industry. He tells the readers the shocking growth of the beef and chicken industries, and disturbing new statistics about these companies. Another important fact explored in this chapter is the rise of suicides in the farming or ranching fields. The third chapter is called Cogs in the Great Machine. This chapter is intended to give the reader a solid location to observe the confusing changes in the beef industry. This change is described to improve the lives of those employed in the beef industry. Politics play a big role in the development of the industry as well. In this chapter, it becomes clear that Schlosser is on the liberal democratic side, which makes the story even more