Eric Schlosser

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE EATING WHEN YOU TUCK INTO THAT JUICY BURGER?

Britain eats more fast food than any other country in Europe. It looks good, tastes good, and it's cheap. But the real cost never appears on the menu.

Eric Schlosser's explosive bestseller, by turns funny and terrifying, tells the story of our love affair with fast food. He visits the lab that re-creates the smell of strawberries; examines the safety records of abattoirs; reveals why the fries taste so good and what really lurks between the sesame buns--and shows how fast food is transforming not only our diets but our world.
(back cover)

what the all-American meal is doing to the world

Fast Food Nation

Jeannette Ordas

I was pretty reluctant to read this book because of all the hype but was glad to delve in. Highly readable and informative.

Explores the homogenization of American culture and the impact of the fast food industry on modern-day health, economy, politics, popular culture, entertainment, and food production.

The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Sarah Escorsa

A quote on the back cover says it all: "An avalanche of facts..." I'd been wanting to read this book for ages but it was just too much for me, too many details and too much info, especially during the first few chapters. Anyway, this *was* an interesting book, especially the chapter about labour conditions. As for what Schlosser had to say about the food, I can't say I was really surprised. I rarely go to fast foods (I think the last time must have been somewhere around 2001!) and have always expected the worst from their so-called "meals", the ingredients involved and the conditions in which the food is prepared. I'm still very much interested in the subject of fast foods and how it affects eating habits & health and I'd love to get a chance to watch Super Size Me.

Trevor Berrett

There are some shady rhetorical techniques used in this book. I particularly mean the chapter that begins with the little boy who dies after eating at a fast food restaurant. At the chapter's opening is a picture of the boy. It's sad. Then the chapter tells the story. Schlosser builds up a load of pathos to prove his point that fast food is so awful it kills children. Then, in a cursory statement, Schlosser divulges that the boy had other problems and died of a cause unrelated to the food he ate. What?! The book is loaded with these kinds of flaws. Which is sad because I think the thesis is important. That food is awful. And the situation must change.
 I taught a research and writing class with this book, and most of my students were at first appalled by Schlosser's finding. Then, after we analyzed his rhetorical techniques, they were appalled by Schlosser. In the end, no student took Schlosser's thesis seriously. We didn't exactly throw a fast food party, but I think everyone would have eaten the food had we done it.
 That does not mean the book has no value. It explains the fascinating history of the fast food industry. That, in itself, got this book three stars on my ratings.

Jeni Enjaian

I expected more from this book. After reading Michael Pollan I've become used to a competent, logically-ordered argument that, for the most part shies away from becoming too propagandistic. This book was none of those things. The narrative was far too dense and lacked logical flow from one topic or story to another. The author also indulges in sweeping generalizations, sometimes going as far as to contradict those generalization on a subsequent page or even paragraph. 
I'm already a proponent of natural food and hardly ever frequent fast food establishments so perhaps the author was preaching to the choir. However, if that were not the case I fail to see how anyone else would have been persuaded. 
I don't recommend this book.

Fast Food Nation what the all-American meal is doing to the world

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