Chew on This by Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson

I’m sure all of you have had fast food before at least once in your lives (and if you can honestly say you never did, good for you!), whether it’s at McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s, Burger King or Dairy Queen. I’m also sure that most of you know that fast food is not good for you, but what is it about fast food that makes you want to eat it? What can happen from eating fast food? Where does fast food come from? For those of you who have seen “Super-size Me”, you should have a pretty good idea. But if you haven’t (even if you have), you can find the answer in the bestseller book by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, titled “Chew On This”.

“Chew On This” looks at the fast food industry from different perspectives. First of all, who “invented” fast food? The first big fast food franchise was (no surprise) McDonald’s, created by Richard and Maurice McDonald, but made famous around the world by Ray Kroc. Many other people (of interesting backgrounds, might I add) saw their success and soon opened their own fast food restaurant, adopting the new “Speedee Service System”. They later became the founders of Burger King, Taco-Bell, Wendy’s, and KFC, just to name a few. What was it about the “Speedee Service System”, and who was Ray Kroc? To find out you’ll have to read the book.

Next, you will find out how the fast food industry makes its money: all the way from its advertisements, cheap and efficient labor system, to installing mini fast food restaurants in schools. What do they put in their food to reduce the cost? How are the foods processed for efficiency? What happens to the people (mainly kids) who eat fast food - daily? Did you know that Americans now spend more money on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, and recorded music - combined?

Among many other issues this book talks about, I was most concerned with how the animals used to make fast food were treated. You may be surprised by the average life span of a “fast food” chicken and its living conditions, among other farm animals as well.

I admit to being a fast food eater. It tastes good, I like it. But at the same time, I know that it’s not good for me. I have never been a “heavy user” of fast food (as McDonald’s like to call some of their customers), but this book really showed me the details, even those that I did not want to know. After reading this book, I have gained new knowledge about the food I eat. The only downside of this book was that most of its facts are based on the US, so it is harder to relate to.

I wouldn’t be so sure about French fries, but “Chew On This” is definitely something you can sink your teeth into.