I first read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation in 2012 during my senior year in high school. It was an assigned book for my English class, through which my teacher intended for us to not only analyze the rhetoric that Schlosser employs but also to delve into a deeper discussion of the local food movement. Prior to reading Fast Food Nation, we also read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which offered us a context for the history of the meatpacking industry and food safety in the United States.
While I enjoyed our discussions, we only glazed the surface of some of the issues that Schlosser addresses. Most of us were aware that the local food movement was on the rise and were accustomed to seeing more and more labels like “local,” “organic,” and “GMO free.” We often referenced the popular documentary, Super Size Me when we talked about the health risks of a fast food diet. But beyond that, I felt that we were far removed from the reality of food insecurity and the detrimental effects of fast food on our country’s food system and overall health. The majority of us lived in comfortable suburban, upper-middle class neighborhoods. Our parents usually did the grocery shopping at easily accessible full-service stores. Fast food was an option for most us, but not the only option. What I didn’t fully understand at the time was that, although I was not eating fast food regularly, I was still a mindless consumer in a “fast food nation.” I really did not pay attention to where my food came from, convenience usually won out when it came to choosing what I ate, and I had no real conception of what it meant to eat sustainably.
After re-reading Schlosser’s introduction as well as works by Petrini, Pollan and McKibben, I now have a better understanding of what he meant when he said that “fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society.” We are disconnected from where our food comes from and often choose convenience and efficiency over quality and sustainability. We still tend to buy into the “uniformity” that the fast food franchises instilled in us, whether we are buying an organic apple from miles away, a packaged “health” food or a double cheeseburger (Schlosser 5). Efficiency and uniformity are not necessarily bad, but when it comes to the food we eat, we should be prioritizing qualities of our food like “good,” “clean” and “fair” (Petrini). I think this fast food mentality still exists even when we’re not buying fast food. It’s easy to still be a relatively ignorant consumer even if you are paying attention to nutritional values or the “organic” or “local” labels on the food you’re purchasing and eating. Are these labels sufficient? Do we really take the time to think critically about every food item that goes into our grocery bag? Are we still “unaware of the subtle and not so subtle ramifications of [our] purchases” (Schlosser 7)? More often than not, convenience wins out, and we don’t have the time to analyze every purchase. It’s easy to choose efficiency. For example, I’ll go to the farmer’s market, if there’s one nearby, if it works with my schedule to go, and if I have the time to prepare a meal with fresh produce.
If we, as a nation, can start thinking critically about where our food comes from (how it’s made, processed, distributed) and “eat with a fuller consciousness of all that it at stake” as Pollan suggests, I think that there is hope that we can break down this fast food mindset (9). Schlosser wrote his book in 2001, and since then we’ve made great strides as a nation to become more informed eaters. Farm to table initiatives in schools, policy changes to improve food access in underserved regions of the country, and support for sustainable food production and distribution are all steps in the right direction, all of which will allow us to be more critical of how we choose to feed our nation.
I really appreciate how you contextualize the idea of the Fast Food Nation. It’s easy to think I’m not apart of it because I don’t eat McDonalds or pick up food from a drive-through window, but you underscore even that does not separate you from the fast-food way of thinking. I experienced a similar realization and thought process and learned a great deal from reading about your evolution of thinking.
Your attention to the aspects of convenience and efficiency that dominate our eating habits and food choices brings up a lot of important points. I am especially drawn to your idea of this “fast food mentality,” which clearly demonstrates the way in which today’s consumers are eating on-the-go, eradicating any designated time and space for food consumption and allowing no time in which one can recognize aspects of the food product that extend beyond its presence on the plate. Even if you are not eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, you may still be eating in your car, or at your desk, in ways that more subtly contribute to our fast food mindset that has accompanied our hectic lifestyles and packaged food choices.
I completely agree that even if you don’t buy fast food per say, you still might have the American fast food mindset of unawareness and disregard for your food. I believe with the local food movement over the last few years people have become more aware of what they are buying. Though, I think we tend to use this mild awareness to feel good about supporting “local”, “organic” and “fair” even if we don’t fully understand what they really means in terms of where the food came from, what kind of facility, etc.
Also, I think the local food movement in general has shifted and evolved to cater to our fast food mindsets to become convenient and efficient. Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other large chain health food stores definitely make it easy to buy food without a conscience. Although, sourcing food from groceries stores like these is definitely a better alternative to fast food, or even regular grocery stores, though they still doesn’t achieve the goal of the local food movement at its roots. As you mentioned, we should all be buying with sustainability and quality in mind. How can we achieve that in any grocery store, even if it is Whole Foods? Farmers Markets are an even better option, as consumers get to interact with the farmers that grew their food, and get first hand knowledge about the facility the animals or crops were grown in. Though, as I mentioned in one of my posts, these farmers markets make it difficult for consumers to become aware of the physical plot of earth their food was grown on. I do believe we are making great strides to move away from this fast food mindset, though we still have a long way to go and many of our current solutions for eating healthy, local and organic have their own flaws.
What a thoughtful overview this is, Sarah, of recent literature critical of fast-food’s dominance in American society. As you say, we’re beginning to pay more attention to its negative impacts, both on health and on the economy as a whole. You write really well, and should remember as you pursue a career in medicine that many outstanding writers have been doctors. Chekhov and W. C. Williams would be two of them. Increasingly, doctors also choose to write ABOUT medicine. Lewis Thomas and Atul Gawande are favorites of mine in this regard.