Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want To Know About Fast Food

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Identikit Face of American Towns

The far-reaching effect of fast-food corporations can be seen in American town-planning. As a result, the identikit American town is as much a symbol of fast food as the factory fry. Once American towns were idiosyncratic, having locally-owned restaurants, clothing and markets, as well as more green space. However, since the advent of fast food chains, “the kind of suburban development that was once found only in Los Angeles […] has spread across the country. And with it has come a feeling of sameness—and a loss of what was once special, unique and memorable about these places” (49). A bird’s-eye view photograph of Martinsburg West Virginia, shows just how much space is devoted to fast food joints, both as individual units and as part of vast, mall food courts. Their flashy signs also predominate in towns and along motorways. Far from being accidental, fast food corporations’ takeover of American towns is a premeditated act, performed from helicopters thousands of feet in the air; from here, fast food giants became aware of the changing faces of towns and the potential for new markets. The identikit American town is not necessarily the first symbol readers would think of in relation to the fast-food corporations’ power, but it is one of the most insidious.

The Factory Fry

The uniform, matchstick-shaped french fry is a crucial symbol of the fast food empire’s ascendency. Ray Kroc described the act of preparing french fries as “‘a ritual to be followed religiously,’” thereby ensuring that the customer would receive the authentic McDonald’s experience, regardless of which restaurant they ate at (69). This was aided by Kroc’s collaboration with Simplot in the production of the frozen fry, which saved on time and production costs.

Schlosser and Wilson show how this favorite on the McDonald's’ menu, is a highly artificial product, requiring the involvement of conveyor belts and equipment with names such as the “Lamb Water Gun Knife” (74). The fry, which is removed of any dark spots it may have with tiny mechanized knives, is a symbol of the factory-like cleanliness and perfectionism at the heart of the McDonald's brand. However, its makeup had to change in line with consumers’ health concerns. It is no longer cooked in beef fat, but in a patented flavor that resembles beef fat. This is in itself symbolic of the fry’s contrived nature: unlike natural food, which is consumed as is, the fry was designed and continues to evolve in line with consumers’ expectations.

Childhood

Childhood is a key preoccupation of the fast food industry. Whereas the target customer of the drive-ins that inspired the McDonald's franchise was the rebellious teenager, fast food corporations realized that they stood to make more money if they pursued a fun, all-American image targeting children and their parents. This can be seen in the mascot of Ronald McDonald, advertising campaigns with healthy, exuberant children having fun, and collaborations with toy companies, as well as scrupulous ongoing research into what children like and are attracted to, so that it would “become almost impossible to separate children’s entertainment from fast food advertising” (45). By interweaving themselves into first American and then international kids’ childhoods, the fast food corporations hoped to trigger a sense of belonging that would instill lifetime loyalty to their brand.

However, Schlosser and Wilson show how fast food corporations steal the joy out of childhoods. Many more children (1 in 6) are now overweight and obese as a result of the predominance of fast food, conditions that can lead to bullying and can have a lifetime of adverse conditions.

Further, teenagers, who are barely out of childhood themselves, are the key workers at fast food corporations and have to endure long hours, low wages and often unsavory work environments. Their image of McDonald's therefore radically shifts and it is not long before many of these teens have negative experiences there and begin to question how things are run. After a failed campaign to improve worker’s rights, teen McDonald's worker Pascal McDuff was wholly disillusioned with the brand and vowed to never spend any money there again. On a larger scale, disillusionment with fast food brands is what Schlosser and Wilson wish to achieve with their book, as they encourage former children to grow up and face the consequences of continued support of the fast food industry.