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A review by angelsrgorgeous
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
4.0
Pretty well written - As long as you stay on your toes and recognize when you're being "sold to" politically, you can take a LOT away from this book that is incredibly valuable.
Many of the processes and facts that he presents have been very well covered in a range of other books, but I was most interested in the history of McDonald's dealings with the rare labour unions that do arise among their workers, the incredible lack of regulation within the meat industry that is assured by their enormous lobbying efforts (making health & safety regulations voluntary??), and the different world of law and personal rights that exists (or doesn't) within a meat packing plant staffed almost entirely by illegal immigrants. Fascinating, while sickening at the same time.
I also enjoyed the tidbits that I hadn't considered to be part his overall thesis, supported by facts I wasn't aware of - that McDonald's (while buying locally from farmers in the countries where its restaurants are located,) has exported its entire food chain / production ideas to establish supplier networks in the countries where it plans to expand years in advance of ever building a restaurant there, thereby ensuring that the local farmers take possession of the lion's share of the risk inherent in the system. (While this does make sense considering the sheer number of transactions any given McDonald's location handles every day, it also underscores the absolute necessity of a food production chain broken down into small, limited tasks that the restaurant can almost completely control, thereby supporting Schlosser's thesis.)
Again - If you can differentiate when small case studies are being blown out of proportion to imply the political "necessity" to control & regulate every aspect of the free market from the more unadulterated information, you'll appreciate this book, (If only with a little eye rolling here and there.)
I appreciate books that respect me as a thinking reader, and this one falls short here and there in that respect. For those interested in a more even handed approach that presents the facts and doesn't presume to make decisions for you, I highly recommend "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.
Overall, "Fast Food Nation" is informative and entertaining - Oh - and I agree - I don't ever want to eat fast food again.
Many of the processes and facts that he presents have been very well covered in a range of other books, but I was most interested in the history of McDonald's dealings with the rare labour unions that do arise among their workers, the incredible lack of regulation within the meat industry that is assured by their enormous lobbying efforts (making health & safety regulations voluntary??), and the different world of law and personal rights that exists (or doesn't) within a meat packing plant staffed almost entirely by illegal immigrants. Fascinating, while sickening at the same time.
I also enjoyed the tidbits that I hadn't considered to be part his overall thesis, supported by facts I wasn't aware of - that McDonald's (while buying locally from farmers in the countries where its restaurants are located,) has exported its entire food chain / production ideas to establish supplier networks in the countries where it plans to expand years in advance of ever building a restaurant there, thereby ensuring that the local farmers take possession of the lion's share of the risk inherent in the system. (While this does make sense considering the sheer number of transactions any given McDonald's location handles every day, it also underscores the absolute necessity of a food production chain broken down into small, limited tasks that the restaurant can almost completely control, thereby supporting Schlosser's thesis.)
Again - If you can differentiate when small case studies are being blown out of proportion to imply the political "necessity" to control & regulate every aspect of the free market from the more unadulterated information, you'll appreciate this book, (If only with a little eye rolling here and there.)
I appreciate books that respect me as a thinking reader, and this one falls short here and there in that respect. For those interested in a more even handed approach that presents the facts and doesn't presume to make decisions for you, I highly recommend "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.
Overall, "Fast Food Nation" is informative and entertaining - Oh - and I agree - I don't ever want to eat fast food again.