English 10A5A

Introduction

1. How does the amount spent on fast food compare with the amount spent on other things in our society?

  • Americans spend more money on fast food than higher education, personal computers, software, new cars. Spend more on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, recorded music combined (3)

2. Why is fast food worth studying?

*Giant fast food chains are a threat to independent businesses and control many facets of American life in negative ways. Large corporations related to the fast food industry have a lot of power over nation’s food supply (5)

3. What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author?

  • 1968: 1000 restaurants / Today = 30, 000
  • Powerful symbol of service economy, which accounts for 90% of America’s new jobs
  • 1 in 8 workers has at one time been employed there
  • Hires more than 1 million people annually, more than ANY other American organization
  • Nation’s largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes; 2nd of chicken. Largest owner of retail property, operates more playgrounds than any other private entity, largest distributor of toys. WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BRAND

4. What does the author say about independent farmers?

  • Agribusiness giants (Cargill, ConAgra, and IBP) control American agriculture so independent farmers can’t compete enough to survive. US now has more prison inmates than full-time, independent farmers (8)

5. What does the author say about the political clout of the meat packing industry?

*Fast Food’s demand for product sameness (all beef patties have to be identical in size, etc, for example) has made meatpacking a very dangerous job performed by poor, transient immigrants whose injuries go unrecorded. Meat industry practices that endanger these workers have introduced deadly pathogens (E. coli) into meat. In spite of these problems, efforts to prevent the sale of tainted meat and/or improve the lives of workers have been prevented by meat industry lobbyists in Congress (9)

6. According to the author, why did he write this book?

*“out of a belief that people should know what lies behind the shiny, happy surface of every fast food transaction. They should know what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns. As the old saying goes: You are what you eat.” All of this suggests that he thinks the Fast Food industry has a negative impact on American society, something he thinks Americans are unaware of. He’s most concerned about the impact on America’s children.

Chapter 1, "The Founding Fathers"

1. What restaurant chain did Carl Karcher start?

*Carl’s Junior

2. Why did General Motors want to buy trolley systems throughout the U.S.?

*so consumers would have to buy cars to get around

3. What was the "Speedee Service System" and how was it different from what other fast food restaurants were doing?

*The establishment of factory assembly-line procedures in the McDonald brothers’ fast food restaurants meant that much of the business was automated, which meant they didn’t need carhops, waitresses, dishwashers, bus boys, etc: jobs that existed at other fast food restaurants.

4. What were some of the characteristics of the men who started the fast food industry?

*They were often orphans who grew up poor and had little education. They worked a variety of low-skill jobs like salesman and short-order cook. They were “eternal optimists looking for the next big thing.”

5. What were some of the other fast food restaurants that were inspired by McDonald's approach to food service?

*Dunkin’ Donuts, Taco Bell, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Jack in the Box