Eastfield College Common Book Life is So Good

Think About

    Part I: The American Way

    1. In 1970, Americans spent $6 billion on fast food and $110 billion in 2001. How much money is spent today? How much do you spend on fast food in a year?
    2. Other than what is mentioned in Fast Food Nation, what is an example of how the fast food industry is driven by fundamental changes in American society?
    3. Other than what is mentioned in Fast Food Nation, what is an example of what can hap-pen when important matters of public policy are abandoned by government to the self interests of corporations?
    4. Outside of the fast food industry, what is an example of how powerful selling to children can be?

       

      Part II: Meat and Potatoes

    5. How does the meatpacking industry at the turn of the 20th century, mid-20th century, and late 20th-early 21st centuries change over time? What has stayed the same?
    6. Where do the ingredients of a McDonald's hamburger come from, what is actually in the hamburgers, and how are they processed, cooked, and served? Does that information make you stop eating McDonald’s hamburgers? Why or why not?
    7. What is it like working at a fast-food restaurant like McDonalds?
    8. What is it like being a poultry grower today versus being a poultry grower in the past?
    9. What’s the role of government in the meat and poultry industries? Should its role be big-ger or smaller? Why?
    10. Why has the number of food poisoning cases increased in recent year? Does it seem to hit children more? Why?
    11. Knowing what you know now, will your fast food habits change? Why or why not?