In the introduction to Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser states something very significant and memorable: “We are what we eat.” The drastic change in America’s eating habits has caused this American culture to grow into something never before imagined, for better and for worse. Our culture is eating so much worse than in the past, and it's affecting the world around us as well. “In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food [over the course of the year]; in 2000, they spent more than $110 billion” (Schlosser 3). What Schlosser is saying is that America’s addiction towards fast food is increasingly worse. More and more Americans are going to fast food and spending money so they don’t have to make dinner or other reasons of laziness. This says that Americans are accepting fast food as a main dish in the culture and eating it in place of regular meals in some cases. Eric Schlosser also states that America has become a “Fast Food Nation” (7), implying that society as a culture is dependent on the food that is provided to us through drive-through …show more content…
One of these points is hinted at in the ninth chapter of the book. Consumers were getting sick from the meat in hamburgers, which were a perfect transfer ground for the deadly virus E. coli (196). Because of this, meatpacking industries are now checking to see if the meat has E. coli. Schlosser confirms this when he states that the “meatpacking industry is now willing to perform . . . rigorous testing [to check for E. coli] for fast food chains. . .” (221). This process has led to a better food preparation process for the places we eat every day. Even though Schlosser most likely didn’t intend for the reader to think of this as a positive fact, it adds to the arsenal of facts that help describe how America has turned into a fast food nation and how this fact of life is giving us benefits or