Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (Perennial, 2001) ****

 

If you haven’t heard of this book, you’ve been hibernating somewhere.  It’s been on the bestseller lists for years now, counting both hardbound and paperbound titles, and Amazon.com named it as one of the best of 2001.  Although it’s non-fiction, it often reads like a novel because Schlosser, a correspondent for Atlantic Monthly, uses personal anecdotes throughout the book.  I was reluctant to read it when it first came out because I’d never been into fast food much anyway, and figured it was just another book putting down fast food and the way Americans eat.  Once again, it was one of my daughters (Alison, the youngest of my two) who recommended it and even loaned us her copy.

 

I was happily surprised.  First, I learned some interesting history of southern California (the birthplace of fast food, naturally), where and how McDonald’s originated, and likewise for the other chains such as Burger King and Wendy’s.  The book is based on a huge amount of research and was much more informative than I’d anticipated.  There are over sixty pages of notes in the back of the book, as well as an excellent bibliography and a very useful index.

 

 There’s a strong sociological theme throughout, showing how the fast food industry not only thrived on suburbia, but in fact drove the development of suburbs.  Much of the way many of us now live, much less eat, has been affected by the fast food industry.  You also learn a great deal about the industry itself, (you won’t believe how potatoes are shredded into French fries by being fired from a modified water cannon) and some health and labor practices that may lead you to swear off fast food altogether.  There’s also some fascinating material on the role of food psychologists who use some of the exotic chemicals developed for the perfume industry to make fast food more appealing to our smell and taste buds.  He also discusses many of the topics you’d expect in such a book such as the way advertisements are slanted toward children, the obesity problem in America and the role of government agencies such as FDA.  Because fast food is such a prominent feature of our culture, whether or not you indulge in this kind of food, you should read this book.  It says a lot about our nation.