For this week's post I'm interested in your own "fast food story" but
then I really want you to move beyond that and do some thinking about
why America is such a fast food nation. I've traveled quite a bit and I
know that many of you have too. Nowhere else in the world does fast
food like America does fast food. In developing countries, places like
McDonald's are luxury items. When you walk inside you'll see a pretty
wealthy clientele. In other developed countries (say, in Europe) fast
food tends to be relegated to freeway rest stops and a few locations
"downtown".
What is it that makes fast food so American? (And, what have you seen fulfilling this role in other countries if you've traveled? How are those foods different from fast foods?)
What is it that makes fast food so American? (And, what have you seen fulfilling this role in other countries if you've traveled? How are those foods different from fast foods?)
due to Personal Blog by 2/8
Fast Food is American because we, as Americans are fast. We like things immediately. We like things to work in our favor and are accustomed to getting the things we want cheap and quickly. Of course, this is a broad generalization.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, I've never really thought about why I enjoy fast food. I don't eat it often, but when I do eat fast food I want something quick and delicious. I generally disregard health and nutritional information because I "deserve" something greasy and for someone else to make it because I've had a long day. The importance of preparing a nutritious meal for the moment has been thrown out the window.
As a child I spent every Saturday with my mom going to one sporting event or another. She had a habit of getting a McDonald's diet coke without the ice and I was given the chance to choose one small thing. How could someone get something at a fast food stop and deny the same opportunity to their child? It was quick, we were traveling and we had a long day ahead of us so we deserved a "treat."
I think Americans in general have a similar attitude toward fast food. The delicious "treat" is something that we deserve because we are so busy. It's almost as if people are treating themselves with food that is actually absent of many nutritional aspects.
A fast-paced life and privilege help fast food flourish, but I'm curious to see how this "privilege" will affect the future generations of our nation and if other places might surpass us.