Fast food nation is a 2006 comedydrama film directed by richard linklater and written by linklater and eric schlosser. First serialized by rolling stone in 1999, the book has drawn comparisons to upton sinclairs 1906 muckraking novel the jungle. Eric schlossers bestseller from 2001 remains a landmark piece of investigative journalism. Fast food nation was on the new york times bestseller list for more than two years, as well as on bestseller lists in canada, great britain, and japan. Fast food nation is the kind of book that you hope young people read. When he was twenty years old, his uncle offered him a job in his feed and seed store in anaheim, ca. Fast food nation is as relevant today as it was a decade ago. The book is very well sourced, well researched and has stood up to scrutiny. Usa today fast food nation is the kind of book that you hope young people read because it demonstrates far better than any social studies class the need for government regulation, the unchecked power of multinational corporations and the importance of our everyday decisions. Eric schlossers expose revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of america, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. Fast food nation is a complete text that covers not just the food industry, but what has been happening in the last few decades to our jobs, our government, corporate irresponsibility and greed, changes in laws and regulations for both food and employment, and the cost to.
Eric schlossers expose revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of america, widened the gap between. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. He discusses fast food s impact on americans bodies, economy, and way of life. Sep 19, 2016 the most serious thing about fast food nation is that it was written 15 years ago and not much has changed. Fast food nation is a book by eric schlosser, which uncovers the fast food industrys greed, unsanitary conditions, and almost criminally low wages.
Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. The taste of mcdonalds french fries, for example, has long been praised by customers, competitors and even food critics. In his book, fast food nation, schlosser examines the social and economic consequences of the operations of one particular segment of the american food system. The fast food nation community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Eric schlosser begins his book by explaining why he chose to focus on one group of cities in america and the reason behind this is that he. Filled with long and poorly connected anecdotes and unnecessary backstory, the book falls short on painting a clear picture of the perils of fast food. Fast food nation is a book by eric schlosser, which uncovers the fast food industrys greed, unsanitary conditions, and almost. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Fast food web sites no longer ask children to provide personal information. The dark side of the allamerican meal, published by houghton mifflin. Fast food nation is an informational book that lets readers in on the actual food process. This study guide for fast food nation by eric schlosser looks at the key concepts and main ideas to help you get a deeper understanding of fast food nation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of fast food nation by eric schlosser. In this video you will learn the 3 key ideas from the book fast food nation by eric schlosser fast food nation summary eric schlosser 3 key ideas. How do the five themes of geography apply to fast food nation. Jan 17, 2001 fast food nation is a fascinating and very readable book. The first time i tried was a few years back, after reading eric schlossers nonfiction work, fast food nation.
He visited fast food restaurants, he visited meatpacking plants, and. Its not only a critique of fast food, the chemicals we are ingesting and the health problems we are facing, it is also critical of a system that allows exploitation of young, old and immigrant workers, and of the suburban sprawl. Eric schlossers compelling new book, fast food nation. Eric schlosser describes command and control as a cold war book told through the eyes of ordinary service people, not. The film, an international coproduction of the united states and the united kingdom, is loosely based on the schlossers bestselling 2001 nonfiction book fast food nation.
That is one of the main reasons people buy fast food. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in fast food nation, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Harry ramsdens fast food restaurant chain opened its first fish and chip shop in guiseley, west yorkshire in 1928. Fast food nation study guide chapter 3 behind the counter this chapter takes us to colorado springs, cowhere academy boulevard is the main artery running through pervasive urban sprawl.
In doing so he presents numerous statists and information concerning injury rates, pay, employees in the fast food business, etc. Apr 06, 2001 during my research for the book, i ate an enormous amount of fast food. Sep 19, 2010 the movie fast food nation and the book of the same title are very different. Fast food nation describes how the fast food industry has reduced the overall food quality worldwide, created poor. Cite your book in modern language association 8th edition format for free. Both the author and his book have attracted a great deal of media attention. Main ideas and takeaways about eric schlossers fast food nation. The dark side of the allamerican meal kindle edition by schlosser, eric. A dramatic feature based on material from the incendiary book fast food nation, a noholdsbarred exploration of the fast food industry that ultimately revealed the dark side of the all american meal. What could have been excellent turned out to simply be mediocre.
Colorados front range, or a group of cities including denver, colorado. Here, schlosser sees californias suburbanization as a process that catches on elsewhere in the country, with colorado springs as just another example of a region exploding with highways, cars, and housing developments. What began as a twopart article for the magazine turned into a groundbreaking book. Fast food nation describes how the fast food industry has reduced the overall food quality worldwide, created poor working conditions for. The book inspires readers to look beneath the surface of our food system, consider its impact on society and, most of all, think for themselves. In 2001, fast food nation was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. It would be wrong to portray schlossers book as just another antimcdonalds diatribe.
It started to turn public opinion against fast food. Ten years after his seminal book fast food nation, eric schlosser reflects on how little has changed in the production, safety, and consumption in americabut why hes still hopeful. Fast food nation summary eric schlosser 3 key ideas. Fast food nation will not only make you think twice before eating your next. Schlossers first book, fast food nation 2001, helped start a revolution in how americans think about what they eat. The author appeals to logos throughout the entire novel. Storytelling and eric schlosser eric schlossers 2001 book fast food nation. Fast food nation essays are academic essays for citation. The dark side of the allamerican meal is a 2001 book written by investigative journalist eric schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the united states fast food industry.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fast food nation. In 1998 schlosser wrote an investigative piece on the fast food industry for rolling stone. After our ancient old post when will there be a mcdonalds on mount everest. Fast food nation author will return with book on nuclear weapons. Greg kinnear plays don anderson, an advertising executive responsible for the big one, the latest burger success at mickeys, the fictional fast food chain at the center of the film. The book fast food nation provides valuable information regarding the popularity of the fast food products in america especially amid the populaces of both the kids and the youths. On a single day in 1952, the shop served 10,000 portions of fish and chips, earning a place in the guinness book of records.
Valuable information, but nothing hippies and liberals havent known for years. Cogs in the great machine in eric schlossers fast food nation. This tale serves as a backdrop for schlossers real projectwhich is to illuminate the machination of the contemporary fastfood nation. Eric investigates on the different locations where food is prcessed and learns how everything started in the business or in the world. Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened th. These questions are designed to stimulate class discussion as your students demonstrate their. Almost every facet of american life has now been franchised or chained. In the book fast food nation, by eric schlosser he talks about how fast food affects american society. This allows him to explain to the reader how the fast food industry got started as well as its negative effects. Eric schlosser says that many americans spend more money on fast food then they do on cars and education. Throughout the book, he uses storytelling as a way to convey thousands of facts and figures he. Fast food nation examines the history of the fast food industry as well as its impact on society. The dark side of the allamerican meal from the worlds largest community of readers. Fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in american life.
Fast food nation tells different stories to show the wide reach of how many are affected by the fast food industry. The introduction describes how the fast food industry has taken precedence over our lives over the years. Sclosser sets up the theme for his book this way by showing that america has begun to depend on fast food. Schlosser effectively demonstrates how fastfood companies, which offer little in terms of nutrition, manipulate young minds in an effort sell their products. This is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made. Citation machine helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. Fast food nation by eric schlosser professional moron.
The dark side of the allamerican meal looks at americas obsession with fast food an obsession that schlosser says is killing us. In the book, the author discusses a number of critical issues and their impact on the fast food industry, workers, and consumers. Schlosser is skilled at finding and constructing analogies, such that the book is linked by a chain of arguments from fast food products to food production to farming. Fast food nation, by eric schlosser essay 1928 words. The purpose of this book, about the fast food industry, is best summarized by. It thoroughly explains what happens at the slaughterhouses all over the country. The book looks at fast food with a view of detailing its values and the impacts it has made in the world. He vows to trace the impact of fast food companies both backward and forward in the food chainfrom the farmers who raise steer and grow potatoes, to the agribusinesses that process the food, to the restaurants like mcdonalds that sell it, to the consumers who eat it. He has received a national magazine award and a sidney hillman foundation award for reporting. The book is about the industrialization of food and how it has changed.
The film is horribly sourced, and doesnt provide 110th the background or factual data, and is far to speculative. Learn the important quotes in fast food nation and the chapters theyre from, including why theyre important and what they mean in the context of the book. Intro to political science 51220 fast food nation the investigative journalist, eric schlosser, has written a book to illuminate an epidemic that started in america and is now becoming one of the worlds largest problems. The dark side of the allamerican meal tells the story of how the united statesand, increasingly, the worldhas become shaped and defined by the fast food industry. Fast food nation by eric schlosser books the guardian. In some ways it reminds me of upton sinclairs the jungle. Dec 18, 2017 schlossers fast food nation concentrates on the fast food industry in the united states of america.
Its not only a critique of fast food, the chemicals we are ingesting and the health problems we are facing, it is also critical of a system that allows exploitation of young, old and immigrant workers, and of the suburban sprawl that resulted from the eradication of efficient and. Fast food nation is a fascinating and very readable book. The title of the first chapter sums up the purpose of what eric schlosser. Jul, 2017 ten years after his seminal book fast food nation, eric schlosser reflects on how little has changed in the production, safety, and consumption in americabut why hes still hopeful. Many books have taken on the topic of fast food, and while they all emphasize different aspects, they share one unanimous message. Eric schlosser begins his account of the american fast food industry by focusing on one region of the united states in particular.
The servers, farmers, ranchers, and factory workers have little power or control. Melissa sweeney introduction taking place in the many different fast food franchises, chicken and cattle farms, and factories around the united states, fast food nation, by eric schlosser, teaches the world the untold story of fast foods. Fast food nation is the kind of book that you hope young people read because it demonstrates far better than any social studies class the need for government regulation, the unchecked power of multinational corporations and the importance of our everyday decisions. Introduction fast food nation libguides at eastfield. Since the food item takes less time to get prepared, it further enables people to expend less time in cooking or waiting for food in different outlets. Organization of fast food nation point of viewtone i thought that the author made a good choice in his point of view because it seemed very credible because he has done all the research and then wrote about it. Schlosser writes that this is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made. The book demonstrates how americas fast food system resembles an empire more than a republic. It has been translated into more than twenty languages and remained on the new york times bestseller list for two years. This mythshattering book tells the story of america and the worlds infatuation with fast food, from its origins in 1950s southern california to the global triumph of a handful of burger and fried chicken chains.
The dark side of the allamerican meal eric schlosser on. In a new afterword for this edition, schlosser discusses the growing interest in local and organic food, the continued exploitation of poor workers by the food industry, and the need to ensure that every american has access to good, healthy, affordable food. Fast food nation is a groundbreaking work of investigation and cultural. From its origins in the new suburbs of california in the 1950s, fast food has spread across every corner of the nation and profoundly altered the way american food is produced, sold, and consumed.
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