The cost of having it your way

Is it true that we are what we eat? Well, not literally. What a person eats does say a lot of about that person though. More to the point -- what a society eats tells a lot about that society. Eric Schlosser's polemical expose of the fast food industry is over ten years old, but it still makes for a rip-roaring read. Fast Food Nation may not cause you to swear off Mickey D's or turn vegetarian, but it would be hard not to think twice about one's eating habits after reading it. Most of us don't spend much time thinking about how our food gets to our plate. We don't have to. The industrialization of food has made it possible to eat our hamburger and fries in blissful ignorance.

Schlosser sets out to remedy that by taking his readers on a guided tour of feedlots, slaughterhouses and high-tech labs where chemists concoct those artificial and "natural" flavors that give those frozen, processed burgers that char-grilled appearance, smell and taste. Fast Food Nation is also an engaging cultural history and slice of Americana -- chronicling the rise of icons such as Ray Kroc and potato baron J.R. Simplot. Ironically, these examples of American ingenuity and individualism contributed to the rise of a system that thrives on rigid uniformity, eliminating competition and squashing the little guy. It's also a system that wants your kids -- as "Kid Kustomers". The fast food chains have become remarkably sophisticated at marketing to children as young as two-years-old. They know that "getting them while they're young" will translate into loyal adult customers. If you're a parent you'll want to read Chapter 2 of this book.

While cognizant of the benefits of the industrialization of food production (and the undoubted taste appeal of those crispy french fries!) Schlosser exposes the unintended consequences and hidden costs. Costs such as the alarming rise in obesity and "diseases of affluence" that are contributing to exploding healthcare costs. Systems of production that emphasize speed over safety, and rely on exploitation of cheap undocumented labor. These same production and distribution systems also make it possible for widespread outbreaks of sickness -- and even death -- due to new strains of foodborne pathogens, especially the notorious E. coli O157:H7. One reason is that the typical ground beef patty contains meat from dozens of different cattle. Betcha didn't know that. Why do so many people get sick from eating beef and poultry? To put it bluntly, there's s--t in the meat. One study cited by Sclosser claims to have found more fecal bacteria in the average American kitchen sink than on the average American toilet seat. Hopefully things have gotten better since the deadly E.coli outbreaks in the 1990's when this book was written.

I think they have. Though one detects a whiff of elitism in the "buy local" and organic foods movement, it's great that more and more Americans are concerned about how their food gets to them. We're becoming more willing to spend a little more for products like grass-fed beef, free-range eggs and beer brewed the old-fashioned way by small independent brewers. Consumers are looking to buy from companies they trust, and producers are finding ways to balance the demands of convenience and craft, automation and imagination. Even in the world of fast food there are exceptions to the utilitarian imperative. Schlosser writes about the In-N-Out Burger chain where "the ground beef is fresh, potatoes are peeled every day to make the fries, and the milk shakes are made from ice cream, not syrup." In-N-Out pays the highest wages in the industry and provides generous benefits. May their tribe increase.

If you're concerned about the "fastfoodization" of consumer culture (no longer just an American phenomenom btw), or just curious about how that Big Mac got here, I think you'll enjoy this book. It might even change the way you eat.