Chapter 10

Eric Schlosser states in FFN "A decade ago, McDonald's had about three thousand restaurants outside the United States; today it has about seventeen thousand restaurants in more than 120 foreign countries."

This means how McDonad's "plagued" the US with their delicious, greasy fries, they were now doing this to the rest of the world. The consequences have already happened in England. Now obesity among adults has doubled, which is causing severe health problems.

Fast food has effected every nation. If other places don't have enough trouble such as poverty, they have obesity to add on to this. Now, it might not be as severe as cancer, but obesity could be a silent killer.

With more fat in your body, it takes more time and effort for your heart to pump blood around your body. Some people are winded from walking up a flight of stairs, or from the bedroom to the bathroom.

At any moment, anyone who suffers from obesity could have a heart attack or a clogged artery. Now I don't think fast food is to blame entirely. If you want to eat the food, after that get some exercise. But people are still suing the executives for selling a "deadly" product.

Although, if maybe people boycotted the fast food industry, you may end it once and for all.

Chapter 1

California seems to be the blame of today's fast food. With it's restaurant chains and automobiles, this was the start of the cause of the American fast food we know today.

Carl Karcher created one of the first American fast food chains, Carl's Jr. Though this chain most definitely does have an impact on the infrastructure of the United States, McDonald's has the greatest imprint upon every aspect of American life; their reach extends from our waistlines to our cultural landscape.

McDonald's rise to prominence began when they came out of one of the most popular Southern California chains. They achieved this through the creation of a cheap, accessible product, which was manufactured by an unskilled, and therefore profitable, work force. Americans were able to buy the burgers in easily, due to the fact that they could drive their cars there at their own discretion, and not have to get out and wait in line.

This is solely how the fast food industry began.

This has lead to health problems of Americans, and affecting their minds. If you want food fast, go to McDonald's, you can get a burger, fries and drink for just five dollars.

Baldwin Park Classport

Aloma Woods Single-Family Home

Baldwin Park Single-Family Home

Observation of my neighborhood (Aloma Woods) compared to Baldwin Park: All houses in my neighborhood are one story, with the exception of two houses. All mail boxes are either wood or metal and black or brown. There is a light pole every 2 to 3 houses. The garages are two car garages, and cars are parked either in the garage, in the driveway, and sometimes in the street. Boat and trailers are in garages, and about half of the neighbor hood has a pool. There is a community pool and park, and mostly palm or pine trees. Houses are spaced out enough where you could drive a car between two houses. Baldwin Park and Aloma Woods both have the same speed limit on the boulevard. But that is where the similarities end.

Observation of Baldwin Park: All houses in Baldwin are mostly two story. All mail boxes were metal, and black. The neighborhoods them selves are probably triple the size of mine. They don't have pools, unless you build a custom house. The house are very close together, so much you could probably hold a yard stick from your window and touch the other house. Baldwin Park has a lake you can boat in, while in my neighborhood no one is allowed on the lake. They have a community center with a pool and work out room. To get to your garage in Baldwin, you must take different street. Also, Baldwin has places such as day spas, Five Guys, dentists, and a Publix in one area. Many people were walking, biking, jogging and walking dogs on the walk ways. There was a festival about to go on, so there were many white tents and people arranging things towards the more downtown area. In the house, the dining room was huge. A lot bigger than mine. The kid's rooms seemed to be bigger than mine, and the girl's room had a walk-in closet. The master bedroom and bathroom were HUGE. Some of the biggest I've ever seem. Not to mention a nice kitchen with top-of-the-line stoves and microwaves.

Speculation: I think Baldwin Park is there because it is 2 miles from downtown. This makes the commute time about ten minutes depending on traffic. There are schools within Baldwin making it easy for children to get to school.

Analysis: The sales rep. I interviewed at the model home told me Baldwin Park was put there so it would appeal to people, because it is so close to Downtown. He also said it was on of the biggest project in Florida history.

Evaluation: I think Baldwin Park is here because it is easy to commute to the city. It is on the land that used to be a Navy Base, and it's better to use the land than not to.

Chapter 9

I was really surprised that the hamburger used to be thought as "food for the poor". I know friends who will only eat meat in a hamburger or pasta (i.e., no steak). So you can bet they consume a lot of hamburgers. I probably eat one a week. Either from a fast food chain or a frozen one from Costco.

White Castle really helped out the budding burger business (try saying that three times fast) by grilling their meat in front of the customers. They also sponsored an experiment where a University of Minnesota ate nothing but "White Castle burgers and water" for 13 weeks. I barely see White Castle's anymore, so McDonald's show some love. Without them, there would be no hamburger.

I was also surprised of how many people die from E Coli poisoning every year. I thought that stuff only lived in spinach. That was the recent recall I heard. I figure it's too late by the time the USDA finds out about contaminated meat because it's already been eaten and that can't be undone.

I find it funny that the author tries to make the Reagan and Bush Administrations the bad guys. If it's anyone's fault, it's the companies that produce the meat. THEY should be checking regulations, and making sure beef isn't contaminated. The President has more things to do than just make regulations all day and inspect from head to toe every Agricultural Cooperation in the nation.

Just because the USDA's Food Marketing and Inspection Service used to be V.P of the National Cattleman's Association doesn't mean he's trying to kill us. I'm pretty sure they eat the same beef you and I do. President Obama smokes and he's trying to get a Healthcare bill passed.

Sometimes I wonder who Schosslar is for. He will say something about the Bush or Reagan Administration, through a little Bill Clinton in there, and then say a conservative, cattle man judge allowed the testing in the meat packing industry to proceed.

I know this really has nothing to do with politics but I had to point that out. In some respects this DOES have to do with politics because people are fighting for bills or laws to be passed for USDA testing for E Coli.

Chapter 8

I was surprised at Ken Dobbins, the guy who worked for the Greenly Plant. He got hurt so many times, and after he was done recovering he'd go right back to work. I don't know how this guy couldn't see that his supervisor at Greenly was trying to get rid of him by making him do the worst jobs in the factory.

For example, Ken was given the job of coming in on the weekend and disinfecting the entire facility. The ever loyal employee agreed. He climbed into these tanks and used a liquid chorine mix to disinfect the area. This substance is dangerous to us humans if inhaled or absorbed. That night he become sick, and was rushed to the hospital and almost died. Even after that the company fired him. I wonder if there's laws against that in America to make someone do the deadliest jobs, almost loose their life, and get fired. And I know meat packing in the #1 dangerous job.

I wasn't really surprised how the cows were treated when they were brought to the slaughter house. My Uncle raises cows and sells them to slaughter houses (however, I don't know what companies they are associated with). I know they kill the cows quickly, through the carotid artery, and beat them before they are put on the conveyer belt. I think most meat cows know their fate. Whether they are raised on a factory farm, or a farm like my Uncle's. It really doesn't matter to me once it gets to the slaughter house cause it's going to be killed, cut, and put into packaging. However if it's a dairy cow, then you should treat them like gold. No offense to meat cows, but the dairy cows have to be alive and well in order to produce milk.

Many probably say after reading this chapter they will never eat meat again. I just had a hamburger, my love for meat is still doing fine. We didn't get canine teeth for nothing.

Chapter 7

I'm pretty sure if I lived in Greenly, Colorado I'd move from the smell. I don't know what it smells like, although I can guess it's probably a mixture of waste, and the smell of something that died.

I also wouldn't like the waste moving through my town like in Weld County. Eric says more excrement passes through this county than the cities of Denver, Boston, Atlanta, and St. Louis combined. That is insane and disgusting. I love me some meat, but still that's gross.

I wonder after all the ponds, or where ever all this excrement goes where will the manure go? Hopefully not backing up the sewage system.

Another thing that surprised me was that the workers would were on strike actually shot a suspected spy, not a known one, that's just crazy. And the workers on strike bombed the home of IBP's general counsel. I think the excrement fumes went to their heads.

Also, ConAgra is like a super-food production place. They are the number one producer of french fries, the largest distributor of agricultural chemicals, the second-largest manufacturer of frozen foods, and the nations largest sheep and turkey processor. That's a lot of food and agriculture. And that business can thank the cows.

Chapter 6

I didn't know that farmers would kill themselves because a crop failed or they weren't getting as much money anymore. I didn't realize how severe it was either. Eric Schosser says that the suicide rate among ranchers and farmers in the United States is now about three times higher than the national average. This issue started in the 1980s but has been ignored. When ranchers start to have problems working and how they traditional work, they sometimes will think its better to take there life with them.

Now many ranchers fear that the beef industry is being restructured along the lines of the poultry industry. They didn't want to end up like poultry farmers, who are powerless and trapped by debt and contracts written by long processors. I would think for chains like Chick-Fil-A, Wendy's and McDonald's who have tons of chicken items on the menu, the poultry farmers would have substantial wages. But it seems like the big corporations aren't helping out the farmers much.

I remember when the McNuggets weren't all 100% white meat and instead had different fillers. They made me sick as a child, though I still ate them. Turns out the McNuggets have fatty acids resembling beef. These nuggets were originally cooked in beef tallow. Eventually the company switched to vegetable oil, but they still add beef extract to maintain that same taste. I thought chicken would be better for you than red meat, which it is, but these McNuggets contain twice as much fat per ounce than a hamburger. I knew there was a reason I don't eat those anymore.

These McNuggets turned Tyson Foods into the world's largest chicken processor. I didn't know Tyson was the one who made McNuggets. They also manufacture at least half of all McNuggets and sell chicken to 90 percent of the worlds largest restaurant chains.

I was also surprised that the McNuggets changed the packaging of chicken. Twenty years ago, chickens were sold whole. Nowadays about 90% of the chicken sold in the US has been cut into nuggets, cutlets, or pieces. And in 1992 chicken passed beef consumption.

Chapter 5

The frozen french fries given to McDonald's corporation by J.R. Simplot were the most popular thing on the menu. Over the hamburgers. I was surprised at this. Yes, McDonald's fries are good, but if you let them sit around they become disgusting. I would also think now with such a nation that puts obese people down and thinks everyone should be thin that the fries would be down on the list. At least the burger gives you protein, the fries just add extra fat and grease.

Most potato farmers have given up on potato farming. For every $1.50 you spend at a fast food restaurant that farmer may get 2 cents. I believe this, but I'm still on the fence. Wouldn't the corporation give more money to the farmers who drive their business?

The production for frozen french fries has become a completive business. The three biggest companies: Simplot, Lamb Weston, and McCain now control about 80 percent of the American market for frozen french fries, having eliminated of acquired most of their rivals. I didn't know making french fries could be such a business. When I order my fried from a fast food restaurant, I figure they come from McDonald's or Chick-Fil-A, not Simplot or McCain.

Does anyone know why they are called french fries anyway? I don't think the French invented them...

Introduction

I was surprised on how much Americans spend on fast food. I maybe eat fast food once a week. What I count as fast food would be ordering a pizza or picking up dinner from Chick-Fil-A. The author states that we spend more on fast food than we do cars, personal computers, higher education, etc. But I would say that over all of that you've got to eat, and if that's what you do with your money, go ahead. I was also surprised that McDonald's had a clothing line, something I had never heard of. But I can assure you that I would never buy clothes from the same company that sells a 530 calorie burger (the Big Mac). Eric said that about 1 in 8 people have worked for McDonald's sometime in their life. I can actually believe this statistic; my Dad worked at McDonald's for a day, but then later quit. Eric says he wrote this book because he wanted people to know what really goes into making all those burgers, fries, etc. But I think a lot of our population wouldn't want to know. I really wouldn't care if I knew. It's not going to stop me from eating it. Why would I think most Americans wouldn't want to know? Well if you're squeamish around germs, slaughtering of animals, etc, you probably don't want to know what your food goes through before it's given to you on a tray.