HW 7 - Reading Response Monday

My Book is Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Chapter 1 Summary: Carl Kacher was born in 1917, worked on several farms, then saved up enough money and bought a hot dog stand and after enough customers open up a drive in barbecue restaurant because everyone was starting to drive cars. Meanwhile, across the street, the McDonald brothers opened their first hamburger restaurant which featured the Speedee service system. It was the first fast food restaurant that brought the customers out of cars and into the restaurant itself.

Chapter 1 Quotes: "The McDonalds fired all the carhops in 1948, close their restaurant, installed larger grills, and reopened three months later with a radically new method of preparing food. It was designed t0 increase the speed, lower prices, and raise the volume of sales. The brothers eliminated almost two-thirds of the items on their old menu. They got rid of everything that had to be eaten with a knife, spoon, or fork. The brothers got rid of their dishes and glassware, replacing them with paper cups, paper bags and paper plates." (19-20).

Questions/Responses:

1. How does the term "History repeats itself" apply directly to this chapter and how does his very in depth of history of Carl's Jr's represent how he feels by going for one of their lesser fast food cooperation's?
2. Through the quote above, Eric Schlosser is trying to describe how the fast food industry actually helped revolutionize the rest of the country and through our own impatience, actually sped up our own development.
3. What is the significance of titling this section "The American Way?" And how does that represent how our own ways can temporarily blind us and not let us realize what we have done to ourselves in both positive and negative ways.

Chapter 2 Summary: Ray Kroc dropped out of high school served in WWII and eventually opened up the most successful fast food company in the world. He and Walt Disney were born in Illinois a year apart and together they both refaced the world's view on product advertising. Disney was a staunch opposer of communist idealism and worked closely with the government in Un-American Affairs and was very supportive of the Hollywood Blacklist. Disney worked on connecting with the consumer by promoting synergy. Ray Kroc used the cradle to grave technique to catch his support young with toys and happy meals.

Chapter 2 Quotes: "If they were drowning to death, I would put a hose in their mouth.” Ray Kroc says this of the Walt Disney Company as their fortunes declined in the 1960s "(Pg 41

"In 1988 a federal investigation of web sites aimed at children found that 89 percent requested personal information from kids; only 1 percent required that children obtain parental approval." (Pg 48).

Questions/Responses:

1. How does Ray Kroc's rise to success mark both the beginning and the end of the American dream?
2. How does the rivalry and eventual friendship between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney reflect on our main ideal which is that Money comes first?
3. I believe Fast food to be both one of the biggest turning points in American history, both as a good thing and as a bad thing, they were revolutionizing the world and how the world looked at us and at the same time they were starting the downfall of unhealthy, processed food that eventually would become the countries biggest vice.

Chapter 3 Summary: WWII brought military bases to Colorado Springs, which brought people and with people comes change and modernization and the fast food industry. Which has a workforce that is primarily made up of adolescents. They are trained to work a certain machine and do set tasks when they work, so it takes no real skill or getting used to, so when they move on like they undoubtedly do, they can be easily replaced. Since they are paid such low wages, they often take it upon themselves to make more money, which means that they go back and rob the places they once worked because they know the layout and they do it to get back at their jobs where they are treated unfairly.

Chapter 3 quotes: “No other American industry is robbed so frequently by its own employees.” Joseph A. Kinney, the president of the National Safe Workplace Institute, says this about the fast-food industry when he urges restaurants to pay their employees higher wages in addition to updating security measures (86)

Questions/Responses:

1. How does this mind washing process of teaching the employees to use machines that pretty much work themselves, connect to school and how we are brainwashed to follow certain rules and guidelines without question?
2. I think the connection between the robbery's and the former employees is that as it was pointed out in the book was because the people wanted to get back at their establishment that they had felt caused them some personal harm and affected them in a negative way. They viewed their job as a prison.
3. Based off of the previous statement, how come there isn't more violence in schools against the Establishments. There is no pay, the work is difficult and we have to be here for 7 hours. Yet we all accept it, at most we complain. How come there aren't more school based attacks?
4. What is the significance behind the Owners of McDonald's being so against unions? How does the refusal to reset or break the formula show how the bigger a business gets then the slower and more stubborn it becomes? And what does that mean for developing businesses.