Traci Van Prooyen Pekin Community High School

Eric Schlosser's best selling book Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is Upton Sinclair's modern day The Jungle. Written with personal accounts to illustrate factual data, Schlosser explores the cultural, economic, psychological and sociological impact that fast food industry has had on American culture over the last 50 years. Although Schlosser focuses on the McDonald's Corporation and the Colorado Springs area, the similarities to other fast food chains and multiple other communities is implied and can be seen.

Schlosser divides the book into two sections the first section spotlights aspects of how the McDonald's corporation began, how it continues to market to new generations, how it hires its employees, and how it furthers franchise ownership and loyalty. Schlosser stresses the corporate philosophy that permeates and controls all aspects of the industry.

In the second section of the book, Schlosser writes much like Sinclair. Schlosser explores not only the stomach turning contents to the literal "meat and potatoes" of the McDonald's corporation but also the dangers and the lives of the individuals who work for IBP and Tyson in the feed lots and processing plants. There is a particular story of "Kenny" who worked in a meat processing plant his life is a modem day tragedy of the life of Jurgis from The Jungle (186) which illustrates the cost and consequences of the culture that has been created by our "fast food" mentality. Finally, Schlosser concludes this section by explaining the impact of McDonald's in various cultures around the world. Worth particular interest is Schlosser's epilogue and afterward in which he describes alternatives to the "having it your way" McDonald's cost cutting philosophy and describes the meaning of the Mad Cow disease.

Fast Food Nation is a must read for any social studies teacher because of the numerous variety questions that it poses. As previously stated, it represents a link through comparison with The Jungle. The modem day comparisons with individual lives and the ingredients represent great (and personal) examples to draw upon many students' experiences with the fast food industry.

The book also illustrates the 1950s' (as well as current) cultural aspects of consensus and conformity why do the restaurants all look alike? Why does the food taste the same wherever you are? How are we being manipulated? Why are Americans happy with conformity? And finally, how do we go beyond who we are? In addition, the economic implications of the corporate mentality of cost cutting along with the de unionizing and exploitation of the franchised employees are clearly seen.

Perhaps the most important questions raised after reading Fast Food Nation would be some of the following: do Americans really know what they are eating? Do Americans want to know what they are eating? Do Americans really care to know? Finally, if Americans knew the truth, what would the do to advocate change?

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