What You Should Know But Don't Want To Know About Fast Food

  The fast food industry has grown tremendously and has become a "huge" part of our society. Literally fast food has made 2 out of every 3 Americans huge, fat and obese. We have developed our fast food chains from carhops to speedee self-service to drive thrus and on average, 25% of Americans eat fast food everyday. Now when I say fast food, you think Mickey Dee's, Burger King, Wendy's and maybe even KFC. You see Big Macs, Whoppers and Son of Baconators. You think of Happy Meals and BK Crowns. For some people, you may become nostalgic and you may think of the cheesy McDonaldland commercials back in 1976. Those are some of the positive thoughts that go through your mind when you hear the words fast food. You don't think of the chemical preservatives or the slaughterhouses or the calorie intake the food has. And all the things you don't pay attention to when you hear of fast food, are the things that are brought to light in the book Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. The book was written to connect the fast food industry to real life problems in society. It touches on topics from obesity to environmental protection to how fast food jobs can really mess up the lives of teenage employees. 

     The book discusses what really goes into the food you order at fast food restaurants. And you would be shocked by the bugs that are used to give the color to your strawberry milkshake. According to page 121, small female bugs, found and harvested in Peru, give your milkshake it's pink color. The bugs are called Dactylopius coccus costa and they feed on cactus pads. The" color from the cactus gathers in her body and her eggs". Then the bugs are "collected, dried and ground into a coloring additive". Just the idea of bugs in your milkshake's coloring can turn you off just as much as seeing an employee not wash his hands. It's unhealthy, unjustified and just plain disgusting. And believe it or not, that is only one of the numerous, disturbing yet informative pieces of the fast food feud discussed in Chew on This. 

   I absolutely recommend this book to others to read. I felt a strong connection to the book because of a TPR Presentation I gave in August. The presentation was about obesity and its correlation to poverty. I did research and discovered a lot of distasteful secrets about fast food and I changed my 
ways when it came to eating fast food. I stopped eating Chicken Mcnuggets at age six but after discovering how McDonald's makes it food and where the food comes from, I stopped eating at McDonald's completely. Now I eat at healthier choices like Chipotle and Subway. After doing my presentation and typing that ten page paper for it, I was more informed about the risks and health issues with fast food. This book was basically a recap and a discovery of new information for me. I think it is a great book for anyone who is interested in the topic of obesity or the fast food feud or for anyone who likes going back in time like I do (the book goes all the way back to 1885 where the first hamburger was made and it gives the dates of every fast food chain that opened and the founders). I rate this book 4 out of

5 stars for its humor, history and "true fizz" on the fast food industry. The book is a must read for people interested in nutrition, obesity, history, food or environmental protection. After you read Chew on This, you will be left with million of questions, thoughts and shocking realizations to chew on and hopefully swallow.

THE COVER OF THE BOOK

AN MIT STUDENT'S BREAKDOWN OF THE BOOK'S GIST

THE BASIC GIST OF THE BOOK