I find it interesting that the book will jump from one thing, like Ray Kroc (McDonald's expander/franchiser) to Walt Disney. It somehow stays on task, but I don't really see the need for that jump in topics.
Not only does this book focus on the way advertising towards kids is carefully molded to draw children in, but it is also focused on the quality of food that is served there. After reading some of the information, it makes me feel ill about ever eating there.
This book makes you wonder if it was ever a good idea to follow the well formulated commercials and spend your money at McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy's.
I am only halfway through this book, and though it is packed with great and useful information, I am finding it extremely hard to follow. I agree with Ana, this book does jump from topic to topic. Sometimes there are so many facts being thrown at you that it can be difficult to understand what point the author is trying to get across. I realize that this way of writing is to have people see how corruptive the fast food industry is, but sometimes it can be annoying to read.
So far though, this book has made me dislike fast food even more. I was already a strong opponent of it, but Schlosser has openend my eyes to things I would never have even thought could be associated with the fast food industry. I believe that if everyone knew the history and business behind these restaurants, more people would begin to oppose it. And, more parents would realize the health risks they're putting their kids at when feeding them fast food as toddlers. If more people had the information, maybe our country wouldn't be so unhealthy.
After re-reading the first section in order to better understand the information, there were a few topics that really bothered me. First of all, I found it symbolic that the McDonald's flag and the American Flag were both flying outside the Ray A. Kroc Museum. To me, it symbolized the image other countries have of the United States and how many of those countries associate McDonald's with America. It also shows how the restuarant has actually become quite "American". It's a familiar sight that almost everyone living in the United States today has had a sample of.
In that same section of chapter two, I was thwarted by Ray A. Kroc's philosophy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value (QSC and V). Have you ever thought of McDonald's hamburger meat of being high quality? Or, have you ever imagined the playgrounds at the restaurants to be clean? Well, I definitley have not and to compare what Kroc was hoping for when he created that philosophy to what McDonald's is today seems almost ironic.
Another topic that bothered me in chapter two, was the fact that McDonald's corporations were so concerned with the image children had of their food. It is one thing to advertise on T.V. and the radio, but spending millions of dollars every year to make sure children will be lifetime consumers of your product is desperate and one thing that is corrupting America's health. Without much choice, children are being brainwashed at an early age to buy and eat what is advertised. Regarding the story of the highschool senior who wore a Pepsi shirt instead of a Coca-Cola one like the rest of his school and was suspended for it, one person can barely be an individual without getting some type of punishment for it. This is not the only example either. Just go to any highschool and see what everyone is wearing; it's all pretty much the same. In the introduction on pg. 5, Schlosser explains how "the tremendous success of the fast food industry has encouraged other industries to adopt similar business methods." If this is true, it explains why nobody tries to be an individual. We as a nation are constantly bombarded with advertisements of this mainstream product or that one. What does this say about American culture? And, why can't McDonald's and their advertisements back off and let children actually decide whether or not they want a lifetime of health problems or not?
I agree with Ana and Tori that the book is very jumpy, but I agree more with Ana that it’s easy enough to follow. I never liked fast food, and I also agree with these two that the book made me like it less.
I never would have picked up this book on my own, but I'm definitely grateful that I did. The information provided is both intriguing, and increasingly crude.
My favorite section was Chapter 5 "Why the Fries Taste Good" under the section "Food Product Design". I was surprised to read that there were so many different artificial flavors. A whole paragraph spreading half a page listed just a small portion of them. There's also different artificial scents, in their examples "hexanal (the smell of freshly cut grass) or 3-methyl butanoic acid (the smell of body odor)." (page 126) No one wants to be ingesting all these useless, possibly harmful, chemicals, and yet more and more fast food places are using them. And reading about how the fries were prepared? One of the few things I would eat at McDonald's is now off my list.
Referring back to the previous comments, Ana brought up a very valid point of the book drastically skipping around. Once a reader engages their attention in the novel, it's amost as if Schlosser is rapidly vomiting up fast food information and throwing it in the reader's face. He is trying to repress his feelings about the fast food industry by targeting valuable teenagers and incorporating them in his writing. Schlosser states, "About 200,000 teenagers are injured on the job every year," (pg. 83). This information was recorded back in 2002, so the numbers could have increased steadily through the years. At this rate more and more of our teenagers are becoming unprotected at a "safe and environmental" job. Who decides this anyways?
In regards to Gloria's post, I agree that having teenagers as the main candidates for this job is not very smart. Being unskilled, teenagers are more prone to accidents and injurys. Why would anyone want unskilled workers cooking their food anyway? McDonald's should either spend money buying machines that are easy to operate, or hire workes who've had training and are able to use the harder machines.
Even though it seems like the fast food industry is corrupting America, I found the lengths they went to to secure customer loyalty interesting. On page 68, Schlosser explains how impulsive buying fast food is. What I found interesting was that McDonald's would use commercial satellite photography in order to predict sprawl from outer space. In doing so, they could more easily know where the best place was to place a new McDonald's for the most customers.
Overall this book was extremely eye opening. Like Amanda, I don't think I would have ever picked it up myself. My favorite line from this book was from chapter ten when Schlosser stated, "Nevertheless, it seems wherever America's fast food chains go, waistlines start expanding". I'm glad that I am now concious of what dangers lie behind the fast food industry.
I had actually selected the same line from chapter ten as Tori did. To me, this just bluntly says that with more food chains comes more weight gain, as well as more influence.
I find it particularly sad that this lifestyle is not only just in the United States, but has spread and caused expanding waists throughout the world. ". . .today it [McDonald's] has about seventeen thousand restaurants in more than 120 foreign countries" (pg. 229). People all over the world have caught on to our habits and are now unconsciously following them. I just can't help but think that if this could have such a high influence on other countries, what would happen if we actually tried to spread something helpful to the world?
I agree with Gloria in her last post - if something as sickening as fast food can catch on around the world, why not try to start something good? But in regards to Gloria and Tori's post about hiring teenagers, it's quite obvious why they do so: McDonald's is an expansive corporation, and like most, they aren't worried about their clients. They're worried about the money they can make. Hiring teenagers allows the company to fork out only minimum wage to its employees. Poorly made and easy-to-operate machinery is also cheaper. This book just proved how irrevocably deranged the world’s economy is.
I agree with Amanda. McDonalds is too caught up in its growing business to worry about its clientel, thus allowing them to hire inexpensive and untrained employees. It is a very sad thing to see something that started out small, simple, and charming turn into something large, complex, and unfeeling towards the people they serve.
This book was a very interesting read. the book was very insightful into the world of fast food and how we've grown overly accustomed to it. It was also a little too informative at times, but I'm still glad I read it.
I like how Ana pointed out that we have become "overly accustomed" to the fast food surrounding us. Future generations as well as current ones are being thrown into unhealthy habits, barely having a chance to think on their own. I believe the advertising industry is mostly at fault here. When the entrance of a school reads, "You've reached Grapvine-Colleyville school district, proud partner of Dr Pepper," (pg. 53), that is probably not a good sign of what is to come of the eating choices of those students. Yes, the school board receives funding vital to the education system, but is it worth the health risks caused by the pushed soda intake of the children?
As most everyone as previously said, this book is definitely an eye opener to say the least. I enjoyed the bluntness and strict facts that Schlosser imposed on the reader. I'm not much of a fast food eater as it is, but this book backed up all the reasons why I'm not and won't be any time soon.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the book will jump from one thing, like Ray Kroc (McDonald's expander/franchiser) to Walt Disney. It somehow stays on task, but I don't really see the need for that jump in topics.
ReplyDeleteNot only does this book focus on the way advertising towards kids is carefully molded to draw children in, but it is also focused on the quality of food that is served there. After reading some of the information, it makes me feel ill about ever eating there.
ReplyDeleteThis book makes you wonder if it was ever a good idea to follow the well formulated commercials and spend your money at McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy's.
I am only halfway through this book, and though it is packed with great and useful information, I am finding it extremely hard to follow. I agree with Ana, this book does jump from topic to topic. Sometimes there are so many facts being thrown at you that it can be difficult to understand what point the author is trying to get across. I realize that this way of writing is to have people see how corruptive the fast food industry is, but sometimes it can be annoying to read.
ReplyDeleteSo far though, this book has made me dislike fast food even more. I was already a strong opponent of it, but Schlosser has openend my eyes to things I would never have even thought could be associated with the fast food industry. I believe that if everyone knew the history and business behind these restaurants, more people would begin to oppose it. And, more parents would realize the health risks they're putting their kids at when feeding them fast food as toddlers. If more people had the information, maybe our country wouldn't be so unhealthy.
After re-reading the first section in order to better understand the information, there were a few topics that really bothered me. First of all, I found it symbolic that the McDonald's flag and the American Flag were both flying outside the Ray A. Kroc Museum. To me, it symbolized the image other countries have of the United States and how many of those countries associate McDonald's with America. It also shows how the restuarant has actually become quite "American". It's a familiar sight that almost everyone living in the United States today has had a sample of.
ReplyDeleteIn that same section of chapter two, I was thwarted by Ray A. Kroc's philosophy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value (QSC and V). Have you ever thought of McDonald's hamburger meat of being high quality? Or, have you ever imagined the playgrounds at the restaurants to be clean? Well, I definitley have not and to compare what Kroc was hoping for when he created that philosophy to what McDonald's is today seems almost ironic.
Another topic that bothered me in chapter two, was the fact that McDonald's corporations were so concerned with the image children had of their food. It is one thing to advertise on T.V. and the radio, but spending millions of dollars every year to make sure children will be lifetime consumers of your product is desperate and one thing that is corrupting America's health. Without much choice, children are being brainwashed at an early age to buy and eat what is advertised. Regarding the story of the highschool senior who wore a Pepsi shirt instead of a Coca-Cola one like the rest of his school and was suspended for it, one person can barely be an individual without getting some type of punishment for it. This is not the only example either. Just go to any highschool and see what everyone is wearing; it's all pretty much the same. In the introduction on pg. 5, Schlosser explains how "the tremendous success of the fast food industry has encouraged other industries to adopt similar business methods." If this is true, it explains why nobody tries to be an individual. We as a nation are constantly bombarded with advertisements of this mainstream product or that one. What does this say about American culture? And, why can't McDonald's and their advertisements back off and let children actually decide whether or not they want a lifetime of health problems or not?
I agree with Ana and Tori that the book is very jumpy, but I agree more with Ana that it’s easy enough to follow. I never liked fast food, and I also agree with these two that the book made me like it less.
ReplyDeleteI never would have picked up this book on my own, but I'm definitely grateful that I did. The information provided is both intriguing, and increasingly crude.
My favorite section was Chapter 5 "Why the Fries Taste Good" under the section "Food Product Design". I was surprised to read that there were so many different artificial flavors. A whole paragraph spreading half a page listed just a small portion of them. There's also different artificial scents, in their examples "hexanal (the smell of freshly cut grass) or 3-methyl butanoic acid (the smell of body odor)." (page 126) No one wants to be ingesting all these useless, possibly harmful, chemicals, and yet more and more fast food places are using them. And reading about how the fries were prepared? One of the few things I would eat at McDonald's is now off my list.
ReplyDeleteReferring back to the previous comments, Ana brought up a very valid point of the book drastically skipping around. Once a reader engages their attention in the novel, it's amost as if Schlosser is rapidly vomiting up fast food information and throwing it in the reader's face. He is trying to repress his feelings about the fast food industry by targeting valuable teenagers and incorporating them in his writing. Schlosser states, "About 200,000 teenagers are injured on the job every year," (pg. 83). This information was recorded back in 2002, so the numbers could have increased steadily through the years. At this rate more and more of our teenagers are becoming unprotected at a "safe and environmental" job. Who decides this anyways?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Gloria's post, I agree that having teenagers as the main candidates for this job is not very smart. Being unskilled, teenagers are more prone to accidents and injurys. Why would anyone want unskilled workers cooking their food anyway? McDonald's should either spend money buying machines that are easy to operate, or hire workes who've had training and are able to use the harder machines.
ReplyDeleteEven though it seems like the fast food industry is corrupting America, I found the lengths they went to to secure customer loyalty interesting. On page 68, Schlosser explains how impulsive buying fast food is. What I found interesting was that McDonald's would use commercial satellite photography in order to predict sprawl from outer space. In doing so, they could more easily know where the best place was to place a new McDonald's for the most customers.
Overall this book was extremely eye opening. Like Amanda, I don't think I would have ever picked it up myself. My favorite line from this book was from chapter ten when Schlosser stated, "Nevertheless, it seems wherever America's fast food chains go, waistlines start expanding". I'm glad that I am now concious of what dangers lie behind the fast food industry.
I had actually selected the same line from chapter ten as Tori did. To me, this just bluntly says that with more food chains comes more weight gain, as well as more influence.
ReplyDeleteI find it particularly sad that this lifestyle is not only just in the United States, but has spread and caused expanding waists throughout the world. ". . .today it [McDonald's] has about seventeen thousand restaurants in more than 120 foreign countries" (pg. 229). People all over the world have caught on to our habits and are now unconsciously following them. I just can't help but think that if this could have such a high influence on other countries, what would happen if we actually tried to spread something helpful to the world?
I agree with Gloria in her last post - if something as sickening as fast food can catch on around the world, why not try to start something good? But in regards to Gloria and Tori's post about hiring teenagers, it's quite obvious why they do so: McDonald's is an expansive corporation, and like most, they aren't worried about their clients. They're worried about the money they can make. Hiring teenagers allows the company to fork out only minimum wage to its employees. Poorly made and easy-to-operate machinery is also cheaper. This book just proved how irrevocably deranged the world’s economy is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda. McDonalds is too caught up in its growing business to worry about its clientel, thus allowing them to hire inexpensive and untrained employees. It is a very sad thing to see something that started out small, simple, and charming turn into something large, complex, and unfeeling towards the people they serve.
ReplyDeleteThis book was a very interesting read. the book was very insightful into the world of fast food and how we've grown overly accustomed to it. It was also a little too informative at times, but I'm still glad I read it.
I like how Ana pointed out that we have become "overly accustomed" to the fast food surrounding us. Future generations as well as current ones are being thrown into unhealthy habits, barely having a chance to think on their own. I believe the advertising industry is mostly at fault here. When the entrance of a school reads, "You've reached Grapvine-Colleyville school district, proud partner of Dr Pepper," (pg. 53), that is probably not a good sign of what is to come of the eating choices of those students. Yes, the school board receives funding vital to the education system, but is it worth the health risks caused by the pushed soda intake of the children?
ReplyDeleteAs most everyone as previously said, this book is definitely an eye opener to say the least. I enjoyed the bluntness and strict facts that Schlosser imposed on the reader. I'm not much of a fast food eater as it is, but this book backed up all the reasons why I'm not and won't be any time soon.