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Obesity, health issues and fast food
The effects of fast food on America
Fast food and its effects on society
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The golden, crisp, delicious french fries, the mouth-watering cheeseburger, the large soda of coke. Fast food lives in the heart and soul of Americans today; it is the All-American Meal that is too familiar to people of all age groups. It is the addictive taste that continues to drive Americans back to fast food restaurants every single day. We simply cannot avoid the temptation of devouring an appetizing Big Mac. What we put into our mouths is a second-thought. For some, the question “What exactly am I eating” doesn’t even enter their mind. This is a major problem. Essentially, we should be aware of what we put into our bodies so that we stay healthy and avoid harm. Fast food is a type of food that is prepared and served very quickly, first popularized in the 1950s in the United States. While any meal with low preparation time can be …show more content…
These two industries are so intertwined that most people today think of fast food as anything being served out of a window and into an automobile. McDonald’s can easily claim fame for perfecting the service and style of cooking we know today as fast food but the first fast food restaurant in the US was not a McDonald’s. It was White Castle, a hamburger joint that opened in Wichita, Kansas, in 1916. Curb service, where a fast food restaurant employee delivers food from the restaurant to waiting customers outside in their cars, started as a novelty at an A&W Root Beer shop in the 1920s but was so popular the practice spread nationwide in short order. By the 1940s, the friendly carhop person delivering the food to the cars had gone mobile, too, wearing roller skates to speed service. Drive-through windows soon followed. By the 1950s, the fast food industry boom was in full swing, incorporating and perfecting marketing strategies borrowed from earlier days. Fast food franchises had become popular dining stops from coast to coast, thanks to their standardized menus, easily recognized signage, and unified advertising
The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food restaurants following the same basic ideal that is tasty foods served fast at a minimal cost (2011). Schlosser explains how fast food restaurants have gained substantial market share of the consumers; he also shows that by marketing to children and offering less unhealthful fare, that are purchased from mega-companies which are often camouflaged with added ingredients and cooked unhealthful ways, that these companies are indeed causing irreparable harm to our country (2004).
Fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society. Everywhere you turn you can see a fast food restaurant. An industry that modestly began with very few hot dog and hamburger vendors now has become a multi-international industry selling its products to paying customers. Fast food can be found anywhere imaginable. Fast food is now served at restaurants and drive-through, at stadiums, airports, schools all over the nation. Surprisingly fast food can even be found at hospital cafeterias. In the past, people in the United States used to eat healthier and prepared food with their families. Today, many young people prefer to eat fast food such as high fat hamburgers, French-fries, fried chicken, or pizza in fast
The food industry has become a large part of the American lives by providing cheap, affordable, and fulfilling food. Now, fast food has expanded globally, creating a global phenomenon. In Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Scholosser, the book looks at the history of fast food and how it became a multi-billion dollar industry. Scholosser is an investigative journalist that seeks to uncover the truth about the fast food industry by researching its roots and exploring every aspect of the industry. Scholosser divided the book into two sections called “The American Way” and “Meat and Potatoes.”
Fast food restaurants in America can be located on almost every street corner in almost every city. The enticing aroma of a burger and fries can be found at several locations in nearly every city, town, or suburb. According to Alaina Mcconnel, the 5 most popular fast food restaurants of 2011 are McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks, Wendy’s and Burger King (Mcconnell, A., & Bhasin, K., 2012). Fast food joints have a ruthless history of being fattening, greasy, and unhealthy with films like Super-Size me and Food Inc. giving the...
The American life has been transformed by the fast food industry not just changing the American diet but also the culture, workplace, economy, and the landscape. “Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants-mainly fast food restaurants.” (Schlosser) This could be due to the fact that about two-thirds of working women are mothers. The impact of fast food on the American culture is transparent when just looking at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has become the world’s most famous brand; the golden arches are more known than the Christian cross. “A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald.” (Schlosser) McDonald’s is responsible for 90 percent of new jobs in The United States. The landscape has changed due to the fast food ...
Fast food has been part of life in the USA for over 60 years. It has become extremely popular by Americans simply for the convenience.
Over the last three decades, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society and has become nothing less than a revolutionary force in American life. Fast food has gained a great popularity among different age groups in different parts of the globe, becoming a favorite delicacy of both adults and children.
to be at least one fast food restaurant every five to ten blocks on a regular street. If that’s the way you drive home from work, and you don’t feel like making a home cooked meal, what do you think your family will eat that night; whatever you feel like stopping to pick up, due to all the fast food spots on the way. The fast food industry re...
Many fast food chains have been around for a very long time. When I lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York there was a White Castle that was open 24 hours. It was a great place to get food and to gather together no matter what the hour. It was also great to stop by and purchase sacks of their delicious burger to take along.
The first drive-in restaurant was created in Dallas, Texas (Alchin 3). Because of the creation of the drive-in restaurant, places such as McDonalds and Sonic now exist. These types of restaurants have made busy and stressful days easier. Drive-in restaurants are very convenient for the working class and provide fast service for people who have limited time. Even though drive-in restaurants have made feeding busy families easier, they do also have a negative side. Fast food has led to an increase in obesity all across the world. These chain restaurants have also led to a decrease in family interaction. More families eat on the go and are not spending quality time with one another. Even though drive-in restaurants were created over ninety-five years ago, they still have a huge effect on society
The historical backdrop of fast food begins in Ancient Rome when road merchants and stroll up eateries fed the larger part of Rome's populace. In the middle Ages, quick and inexpensive food was rich in European urban communities, for example, London and Paris. Foods like flat-breads, falafel and other pre-cooked meals were served in city streets of both the ancient and medieval times. Fast food in America has a great deal to do with the automobile. Once the average American could afford to buy a car, the drive-in restaurant business was conceived. Restaurateurs took advantage of the rising popularity of cars, and designed restaurants so that customers could order and eat without ever getting out of their cars. Drive-ins were successful, but the service wasn't fast, and the food wasn't hot by the time a car hop delivered it. Two brothers by the names of Richard and Maurice McDonald realized this problem with their own drive-in restaurant and wanted to
Fast food contains high amounts of salt, sugar, fat, and preservatives. Americans in today’s society want food and they want it now. Manufacturers have figured this out and fill the food with many artificial and unhealthy chemicals. If a person saw what the food looked like in the pre processed state, one would most likely not buy it or eat it.
Fast food, the real American meal. By Americans, for Americans, right? Not exactly, fast food is made and eaten in many countries other than ours, and their citizens are the ones preparing the meals. This essay will talk about fast food in China, India, and the U.S. as well.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. N. pag. Print.
Fast food started from basic stands on the sides of streets. It has always been connected with the expansion of urban development. When the urban areas gained a greater population the amount of food stands on the sides of streets did, as well. The United States is most famous for fast food. The first ever fast food restaurant was called White Castle; it was built in Wichita in 1921. White Castle had a very minimal based menu. It was mostly well- known for their hamburger. This restaurant was the start of the fast food chains in America. About 20 years later, one of the most famous fast food chains in America was created. McDonalds was built in 1940, and it was created as a drive-in restaurant with a wide-ranging barbecue menu. Later on, McDonalds had created a 9-item menu that consisted of: hamburger, cheeseburger, three soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato chips, pie, French fries, and milkshakes. As you can see, fast foo...