is fast food good for the U.S. or not?
In one of my classes, which is about reading and writing and thinking, we are reading Fast Food Nation and one of my students asked the question: Is fast food good for the U.S. or not? We’ve gotten to the part of the book (which is excellent, fact-filled and important although sometimes difficult for students to follow) that has to do with slaughterhouse practices, among other things, and the going is tough. Before reading all of that, I wanted all of us to think about the question Jackie asked because I think it’s the right one — is McDonalds, as just one example, good for our country?
I think I have to say no, not anymore. Once upon a time, when it was just another restaurant in a series of them, I think there was no harm in cheap food served quickly, just off the highway. But the restaurant grew to a chain, then a multinational corporation and now more children recognize the Golden Arches than any other symbol — including the cross. We lost any sense of balance and what was one food option is now a whole way of making money that destroys the environment, keeps the minimum wage low, drives out local business, and ruins our health. And we can’t seem to get enough of it — whether through choice or, like in many urban areas, because it’s the only quick, cheap way to feed a large family. McDonalds has become a symbol for how the U.S. does business — who cares about the competitors, customers, or environment. Bottom line is bottom line and despite the many negatives, the company continues to feed billions of us each day.
I’m with the people who say this has gotten out of control. One business should not have this much impact, and capitalism should not function without checks and balances. The very fact that the U.S. government continues to subsidize these companies through tax breaks and refusing to increase the minimum wage as just two examples speaks to how out of control this is. It’s a restaurant. Not a god or a business plan or the only way to be in the world. There are better burgers and cheap, while important, isn’t everything.
I want that balance back. How?
September 26th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Another of my complaints with them (beyond the fact that they want to irradiate meat so that we can eat more poop with the e coli killed) is that fast food is what many people think food is. Give a kid a choice between a Big Mac and a medium rare burger made of freshly-ground poop-free meat on a good bun, and they’ll take the two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Every time.
And McD’s also taught us that eating half a pound a fries is a good idea. I was like 35 before I learned that was wrong. A super-sized big mac meal is more food than most people should eat in a day. So even if these kids stop eating at McD’s they’ll still not know how much to eat.