BOOK REVIEW:
People like you and me, apparently likes to smuggle the usual
hamburger and fries into the “forbidden city”,
I mean the theatres for a quick snack. First thing, it’s
hard to concentrate on an empty stomach and secondly, the
growling sounds might be a tad distracting to the person beside
you. But hey do you know what goes into that hamburger patty
of yours other than beef?
Well, Eric Schlosser goes in-depth on the famously aggressive
fast-food culture that is creeping into every visible surface
of the earth. From the history of the Golden Arches, Carl’s
Jr, Burger King and Wendy to the slaughterhouse and scientific
laboratories, Schlooser never let the readers loses his grip
right from the start. Every corner of this immensely huge
pop culture is explored and economically, politically it plays
a huge part whether you know it or not. In addition, there's
a chapter dedicated to the deadly e-coli disease and mad-cow
disease as well.
“Fast Food Nation” introduced you to a whole new
world behind that humble piece of hamburger patty. And next
time when you bite into it, you might recall Schlooser’s
findings in “Fast Food Nation”.
So do you want lies with it?
CHOICE XCERPT:
“Chicken McNuggets were introduced nationwide in 1983.
Within one month of their launch, the McDonald's Corporation
had become the second largest purchaser of chicken in the
United States, surpassed only by KFC. McNuggets tasted good,
they were easy to chew and they appeared to be healthier than
other items on the menu at McDonald's. After all, they were
made out of chicken. But their health benefits were illusory.
A chemical analysis of McNuggets by a researcher at Harvard
Medical School found that their "fatty acid profile"
more closely resembled beef than poultry. They were cooked
in beef tallow like McDonald's fries. The chain soon switched
to vegetable oil, adding "beef extract" to McNuggets
during the manufacturing process in order to retain their
familiar taste. Today Chicken McNuggets are wildly popular
among young children - and contain twice as much fat per ounce
as a hamburger.”
VERDICT:
From
a reader's point of view, Schlooser’s main aim is not
to taint the fast food industry, instead this guy is just
presenting the basic concealed facts to us. Some facts learned
from the book includes one, the smell of delicious grilled
burgers can be artificially created in the labs and two, in
the United States it seems, pets are well protected by health
laws as compared to humans. This book is definitely worth
your time.
XTRAS:
This edition contains interviews with the author.
Review
by Linus Tee
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