The Rise Of Fast Food In America

The American diet has been completely changed by the fairly recent uprise of fast food. Americans just can't get enough of paper and cardboard wrapped burgers and fries to-go no matter how bad for them it may be or how it compares to a homemade meal. Eating fast food is generally seen as a terrible health decision, in fact, Healthline says “The growth of fast food in America seems to coincide with the growth of obesity in the United States.” As the number of people buying fast food goes up so does the number of obese people. Even though they know the possible repercussions, Americans keep eating it no matter how much they are warned. But it wasn't always this way according to author of “Fast Food Nation” Eric Schlosser, “A generation ago, three-quarters

People used to spend money to make food at home or to buy other things like entertainment but now they spend most of their money on fast food. According to the book “Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined.” Fast food places also produce many jobs. These restaurants don’t need very skilled or experienced employees so they can essentially hire anyone old enough to hold a spatula and not get burned on the fryer. McDonald's alone supplies around “90 percent of America's new jobs” says Schlosser in his book. Along with a large base of employes, they have a giant amount of people willing to buy their product. According to CNN McDonald's makes around 1.3 million dollars in annual

Think of the last time you watched T.V. You may have heard a disembodied voice saying “we have the meats” while watching a giant burger or maybe you heard someone singing “that’s what I like about Texas” over video of a colorful logo or maybe you heard “I’m lovin’ it” these slogans are all great examples of how fast food has inserted itself into American culture. At this point all these sayings are easily recognizable because you can see or hear them anywhere. Just like how a popular song can take over radio stations, a popular restaurant's T.V. advertisement could be hard to escape. According to the book “Fast food has joined Hollywood movies, blue jeans, and pop music as one of America’s most prominent cultural exports.” Fast food is such an integral part of American culture that they barely notice it anymore. Since the popularization of fast food in the ‘70s Americans have become very familiar with the fast food procuring process which Eric Schlosser, writer of the book “Fast Food Nation” describes as “Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air, walk in, get in line, study the backlit color photographs above the counter, place your order, hand over a few dollars, watch teenagers in uniforms pushing various buttons, and moments later take hold of a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper and cardboard.” This process has integrated easily into the full schedule of an