Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser

Britain is getting fatter according to numerous recent publications and shock TV documentaries. Apparently we eat more fast food than any other country in Europe. But we are still nowhere near as fat as America. I believe one half of Americans are now overweight or obese. This situation has resulted from a massive shift in lifestyle involving eating more and worse foods and exercising less. And the prime culprit is fast food. My own personal experience of driving through America is being able to find nothing but fast food joints for lunch. Driving into a small town or a drive in shopping centre it is often ...

It's lunchtime, you're hungry, and you need something quick. You walk through the doors of one of the popular fast food 'restaurants'. It's busy, there are lots of people around from all walks of life. Businessmen in suits, mothers with pushchairs and screaming children, men with big muscles and tattoos, adolescents with green hair and rings through every conceivable part of their body. You approach the counter and join one of the fast moving queues. No need to look at the menu - you already know what you want. Finally it's your turn and you are face-to-face with a kid who really looks like they ought to be at school. They flash an ...

Now, as my regular reader might remember I joined a gym a few months ago and going there, coupled with a healthier diet is starting to pay dividends for me. However, my willpower isn’t always the greatest – how many times have you driven past a KFC, Burger King or McDonalds and thought you’d pop in for a bite to eat? I was determined to stop going to these fast food places however and so thought a purchase of ‘Fast Food Nation’ would help me no end. Written by Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation looks at the early beginnings, growth and success of McDonalds primarily (although he also looks at places such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell ...