Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side Of The All-American Meal: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

I embarked on this novel with gusto hoping for an exciting read. To be honest it was quite dry for the most part, with the exception of the section on slaughterhouses and meat packing plants. The facts and true life stories included in this book somewhat make up for it's dryness. It took me longer than I had anticipated to read this book. It's informative but certainly not a quick, fast paced read.

Do you remember your first Big Mac? I do ... you always remember your first love, right? I would watch my Dad eat his ... like he was a hero or something. It was probably the biggest hamburger I had ever seen and one time, he let me have a bite. I was hooked, begging to get one of my own each time we went to McDonald's. Finally, it happened and I ate the whole thing. I was probably eight or nine years old ... but on that day, I was all woman!! I felt like such a grown-up. Ahhhh ... now, that's the stuff of wholesome, good old fashioned memories, isn't it?

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser forces you to push aside those memories from childhood and consider some aspects of the fast food industry that you may not have realized were a problem. Because we all know that fast food is not good for us ... but do you know why? I thought this book was going to be a light-hearted look at the fast food industry, sneaking facts into sensationalized gossip. Jonesy and I watched his documentary of the same name a few years ago, which detailed Schlosser's quest to eat nothing but food from McDonald's for thirty days. But the book makes no mention of the documentary.

I read this book as part of a challenge to read 100 books in 1 year. Click the link to read all my thoughts on Fast Food Nation ... this book gets you thinking ...

http://takenoutofcontext-jill.blogspot.com/2010/01/im-lovin-it-or-not.html

This book is a must read for those who are concerned about the food they are eating. This covers every aspect of the hamburger based fast-food industry from the policies governing it to the working conditions to the way the meat is processed.

Schlosser's book (on the NYT Bestsellers list) is a bold and brave look at the fast food industry that applies as much to Canada as it does the US. By focussing on one aspect of the liberalization of trade, he shows - in often explicit detail - how profit has taken precedence over all other aspects of this massive industry, including worker's wages, safety and health, not to mention that of the consumer. For anyone interested in or passionate about the disastrous ramifications of the 'unfettered' economy - which as Schlosser reveals, despite the rhetoric, companies do their best to eliminate any true market competition - this is a must read. Very much in keeping with the spirit of Klein's recent (2000) "No logo" and Upton Sinclair's (1916) the jungle.

When you discover that there is fecal matter in hamburger, that fries bought for 30cents/pound by McD's are sold for $1.60/pound, and what the largerly immigrant workforce in the slaughterhouses and restaurants endure, you will never look at fast food in the same way... ever.