Fast Food Nation is a courageous work of investigative journalism, playing back to us recent American cultural history in a way that we might not have seen it before. Written by Eric Schlosser, a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, this is not just a history of fast food, but also, in many ways, it is the story of postwar America. The fast food industry has triggered the homogenization of our society, hastening the "malling" of our landscape and fueling (literally) an epidemic of obesity. In this devastating and excellent exposé, an even lengthier list of charges emerges, all of it well-documented and presented with an artful mix of first-rate reporting, wit, and thoughtful analysis.

Schlosser did more than his share of homework in preparing this ground-breaking (and myth-shattering) book, going so far as to interview the young employees who work in fast food restaurants and visiting the meat packers, whose job is considered even more dangerous than construction work Schlosser travels to Vegas to attend a franchisers' convention, and to Europe, where he observes first-hand the rate at which other countries are becoming fast food nations too.

Schlosser brings to light many chilling facts and truths–from the unholy alliance between fast food and the world of Hollywood marketing to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and real estate–not to mention food literacy and public health. This book also addresses issues of labor, exploitation of teenagers, and globalization–a phenomenon largely triggered by fast food itself. Here is an excerpt from the introduction:
This is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made. Fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in American life; I am interested in it both as a commodity and as a metaphor. What people eat (or don't eat) has always been determined by a complex interplay of social, economic, and technological forces. The early Roman Republic was fed by its citizen-farmers; the Roman Empire, by its slaves. A nation's diet can be more revealing than its art or literature. On any given day in the United States about one-quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant. During a relatively brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped to transform not only the American diet, but also our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture. Fast food and its consequences have become inescapable, regardless of whether you eat it twice a day, try to avoid it, or have never taken a single. bite.

The extraordinary growth of the fast food industry has been driven by fundamental changes in American society. Adjusted for inflation, the hourly wage of the average U.S. worker peaked in 1973 and then steadily declined for the next twenty-five years. During that period, women entered the workforce in record numbers, often motivated less by a feminist perspective than by a need to pay the bills. In 1975, about one-third of American mothers with young children worked outside the home; today almost two-thirds of such mothers are employed. The entry of so many women into the workforce has greatly increased demand for the types of services that housewives traditionally perform: cooking, cleaning, and child care. A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants–mainly fast food restaurants. - from Fast Food Nation,
by Eric Schlosser
I hope you will all read this book, and encourage others to read it too! The point isn't to get depressed and discouraged, but rather, to get informed and motivated. We're in this together! We need to face the music.

Yours in health,
Mollie