*bts= behind the scene
Chew On This by Eric Scholosser investigates everything ‘behind the scene’ of fast foods: where fast food comes from, who makes it, what’s in it, and what happens when people eat it.
Eric Scholosser believes that people should make a difference as consumers are deceived by the fast-food industry’s cunning approaches. In this book, there are stunning individuals who demonstrates how to become a better well-being by defying the malicious lure of fast foods. The fast-food manufacturers employ several astute marketing strategies and implants a fast food anticipation in our minds. We envision a creamy, yet frothy drink made by pure milk with exquisite ice cream with tempting vanilla flavors. Yet, what does a strawberry milkshake in fast food restaurants contain? Just 40 different chemical additives to boost its aroma. yum yum mMmMm. Furthermore, some companies sends schools ‘educational’ materials to be assigned in the classroom. For instance, Kellogg’s ‘Kids Get Going With Breakfast’ program enriches the Kellgogg’s cereals by saying that cereals are low in fat, ‘Go ahead and enjoy them’. However, the companies often purposefully forgets to boast the amount of sugar in Kellgogg’s cereal. This nonfiction book explains every-tiny-juicy detail about fast-food manufacturers. It story-tells the pioneers of fast foods, the cunning marketing strategies, the concealed recipe, the inhumane treatment in the slaughterhouse, and how various people have responded to the fast food industry. I personally chose this book because I wanted the book to stimulate me to have a better diet. I strongly recommend “Chew On Thus” to readers who are passionate about food and want to explore the untold truths about what goes in your belly.
The initial theme I developed throughout my book was : Fast food companies deceives the customers through cunning strategies to earn profit. I made a mind-web to track down the ‘marketing hacks’ the fast food industry utilizes. As I digged in the book deeper, I connected my initial theme to other themes as well.
I noticed that the author of Chew On This, Eric Schlosser, mentions how the obesity rate has escalated compared to the past . I used this cause-and-effect page to develop my new central idea. This cause-and-effect page was SO convenient in prioritizing the evidence for my theme statement.
Here, I narrowed my central idea: The author believes that the fast food industry deceives consumers to earn profit as the obesity rate is escalating in our modern world. I tracked the evidence for the growth of obesity rate and the fast food industry’s cunning use of marketing strategies.
As I dived deeper into the book, I noticed how serious fast food can deteriorate people’s health. I was stunned by how fast foods can possibly lead to death. I analyzed the causes and effects of how fast food can sicken humans-even to death. For instance, the smell coming from ground beef includes hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. When large concentrations of hydrogen sulfide are gathered, it can afflict humans and lead to death. Please check out how these food can trouble you for your sake!
“Chew On This” primarily focused in the fatal effects of ground beef. I was speechless by the horrifying conditions in slaughterhouses. I began developing deeper questions such as ‘who should be held responsible for deaths by fast foods’. Here are some of the appalling quotes I found throughout the chapter ‘Beef’, page 117 to 154.
“Many workers make the same knife cut every two or three seconds, which adds to about 10,000 cuts in an eight-hour shift…Meatpacking workers frequently develop back problems, shoulder problems, wrist pain and ‘trigger finger’ (an injury in which a finger becomes locked in a curled position)”(Schlosser 143).
“Many workers… are reluctant to complain…Many are illegal immigrants who lack the proper documents to be in the United States. That means they can be fired without warning, for just about any reason “(Schlosser 145).
“US Government cannot order a meat-packing company to remove contaminated, potentially lethal ground beef from fast food kitchens and supermarkets- even if that meat can kill children”(Schlosser 148).
“A single animal infected with E.Coli0157:H7 can contaminate 15,000 kg of that ground beef “(Schlosser 150).
“The pens are so crowded that piglets, which are friendly by nature, start biting each other’s tails. To prevent injuries and infections, workers now cut the tails off “(Schlosser 151).
After I reread some parts of my book, I researched some terms I found confusing yet intriguing. These terms connect with other terms because most of them relate to the ‘untold truth of fast food companies’. I never knew there was E.Coli in ground beef and how the ‘mad cow disease’ are caused when a cattle eats a cattle.
In the end, I uncovered another theme for Chew On This. The last chapter of my book focused on heroic individuals who changed the poor quality of food in some parts of the world. While the fast-food industry continues to evolve, people should take courageous acts that would address the the poor condition of the fast food industry. The solution can begin now.
“Think about where the food came from, about how and where it was made, about what is set in notion by every single fast food purchase, the ripple near and far. Think about it. Then place your order. Or turn and walk out the door. It’s not too late. Even in a fast food nation, you can still have it your way”(Schlosser 199).
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