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Summary: Not getting it
Review: Schlosser reveals far more than the other reviewers have given him credit for. This book isn't about never eating fast food again, although that could be your conclusion. This book is about giving up what you have for something less. He opens with the picture of San Bernadino's orange groves and shows us that most of what America's excess destroys is that which can never again be regained. From Peter Lowe's pep rallies to the iron fisted greed of corporations this is the modern day How Much Land Does a Man Need?
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Summary: Quite the value meal, this book!
Review: Schlosser's exposé of the dark side of human domination in the interest of "nutrition" now sits on the shelf, as a solid peer, with Sinclair's "The Jungle" and Eisnitz's "Slaughterhouse". I grew up slightly before the McDonald-land motif, but going out to eat, even at a burger joint, was a fabulous treat in our otherwise middle-class life. For those who like to confront what lies behind what's passed across the stainless steel counter, this book will fill in every blank. We hear, for example, of the incredible industry of "artificial and natural flavors". I first learned here of the additional taste receptors of "umami" and "astringent". Then we go to the High Plains, which are portrayed to such an extent that I want to take a rental car trip from Kansas City to Albuquerque; across the steppes of America. I do understand the folks who state that we must be vegan or we will lose years of sustainability. But, gosh, the chow is so good! They hit me where I live. My last trip to the Golden Arches was on the road in Battle Creek, MI. Feeling the gentle-but-insistent invitation of Mr. SpeeDee himself, Ray Kroc, I saw the depravity that Schlosser correctly and completely identifies: instant gratification, even while driving a 6000-pound truck on Interstate 69 at 70 mph. Regular, original "hamburgers", those articles of mark-up and exploitation, the "fries", coldly calculated to help in the efforts, and of course, the "shake", whose exact composition must be a vast journey through organic chemistry. Schlosser punches back at our vendors' bravado with a weapon even more potent than the knocker's bolt gun: the truth. This was a real page-turner. Your internal "umami" of the mind will be rewarded. It's a good time, for such a great taste of reality. Humanity deserves all of what it gets in the sack and the box. First rate, this book, and among the journalistic biodiversity of seminal works of this kind. I guess I'm getting hungry, just thinking about it. God help us all.
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Summary: This book changed my life
Review: After I read this book, my way of life in which I just ordered a hamburger without thinking about the consequences changed. This well-written, witty book really exceded my expectations. We learn about the slaughterhouses where workers are injured as their boses move the line of the dead cows faster to make more money. We meet hard working fast food workers who are obviously very poor. You learn about the dangers of Mad Cow as well as how McDonalds are ruining our landscape. This light read really has a very deep message that I responded well to and has changed my life.
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Summary: a wake up call to anyone who's ever eaten fast food
Review: Where do i start? this book covers everything imaginable about the fast food industry and meat packing industry ive ever seen. It starts from the roots and the begining of when fast food began to the present day. It tells all about mcdonalds , burger king , arby's , jack in the box , white castle, etc..Schlosser reveals all the secrets of not only the fast food industry but meat packing in general and many other informative topics. This book covers everything and will definetly open your eyes and have you rethink next time you eat a burger or get some mcdonalds. Now i dont know if i ever want to eat meat again after some of the disturbing facts i heard in this book This book is definetly worth purshasing and you should tell everyone about this book and have them read it. It is very informative.
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Summary: Fast Food Last Supper
Review: No wonder this book became a best-seller. It is a great insider type account of what really goes on behind the McDonald's empire and other fast food chains as well. It does do some service to the genius of the development of the fast food industry, but also delves into the black pits of how the change in the concept of food preparation forced others to abandon their dreams. There is some shocking information here on control of chickens and how Tyson owns 90% of them. How farmers are nothing but feudal serfs on rented land owned by fast food chains and if they don't do exactly what the fast food chain demands then it is out the door they go! Also the content of French fries and how they are made and who "invented" the french fry. The "children's crusade" of fast food and a disturbing look at the meat packing industry. This is one of the most important works of the new century and may alter how you think and eat in the future.
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Summary: required reading for any American citizen
Review: Every American should read this book. Period.
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Summary: An eye opening expose of the fast food industry...
Review: but not only that, but an expose of the meat-packing industry and of how huge corporate conglomerations are causing the nation to be put at risk for food-borne disease and dirt-poor working conditions. Since the rapid spread of fast food in the US and abroad, the major meat-packing industries have all but run out of business independent cattle and poultry farmers - Chicago's famous butchering yards, once a high-paying, unionized place of employment, lay abandoned while filthy, speed-obsessed, factory lines (employed for the most part by illiterate illegal aliens) carelessly churn out the meat for both home and restaurant consumption. The politics behind the large chains is amazing, too. I never expected to read about how the large restaurant chains are buying off politicians in order to block legislation that would protect workers and health regulations from going through. OSHA is basically nonexistent in the workplaces and the FDA and USDA have little or no control over what is being consumed by the masses. Did you know that the head honcho meat packers use the lowest grade meat to supply the federal school lunch program? And that they have actively opposed legislation that would benefit the children of these schools regarding the food they eat? These are some of the things you'll learn by reading this brilliant book - it's so much more than a book about fast food restaurants - it's a look at the sorry state of the world today.
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Summary: Much more than I expected
Review: I didn't expect that I wouldn't be able to eat fast food or red meat after finishing the book. A really gripping book that exposes the fast food and meat-cutting industry. If you really want to know what you're putting in your body, and how these industries affect the labor market and our communities, it's a must read.
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Summary: Check your expectations before buying this book
Review: I purchased this book fully expecting to be convicted on my fast food habits and to be significantly turned off to ever eating it again after I finished reading. Instead, I found the book to be poorly organized and the information barely convincing. In fact,the most damning evidence was against all the suppliers of the fast food industry, the same companies who supply everyone from grocery stores to schools. In fact,he(Eric) even states several times that fast food restaurants obtain the best quality meat available, due to their massive buying volume and leverage.Further, the author himself said "Even 'Fast Food Nation' did not revolutionize my eating habits".(Organic Style,May/June 2003)I was disappointed in the book, but perhaps my expectations were too high based on all the rave reviews I heard since it came out. Mike
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Summary: AMERICANISATION OF WORLD
Review: Welcome to the Corporate America, This book is well written and explores the "MONEY is GOD" theory of elite Americans, the top shots and the people whose only GOD is money. They will earn money on till you are alive and after your death will try to sell your dead body... An excellent book written by Eric which at least made me keep away from all fast food for 60 days now.. lets see how long it goes.
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