Fast Food Nation

Self and Society

1. Many of the innovators in the fast food industry started out relatively poor and used their entrepreneurial skills and hard work to create empires. To what extent has their very success ruled out the likelihood that people of equal independence and drive will have a similar
chance for success in today's society?

2. Schlosser speaks of the relentless drive for conformity that fast food chains have emphasized. How has this trend influenced individuals and society? What examples in the book can you find to illustrate this idea?

3. Schlosser would argue that the fast food industry is seducing our youth. Can you think of an example in which marketing directed at youth greatly influenced your own life?

4. With what widespread social problems does Schlosser link fast food restaurants?

5. How is the fast food industry attempting to be "our trusted friends?"

Exploration in the Natural Sciences

1. Why do "flavorists" play such a large role in the American food industry? Why is their work described as "highly secretive?" (p.121)

2. How does Schlosser explain the increase in food borne illnesses? What have been some of the most common mechanisms for the spread of such diseases? What is one solution he suggests?

3. How is Mad Cow Disease linked to the industrialization of farm animals?

4. In the broadest context, what really bothers Schlosser about a meal at a fast food restaurant? Create a list and compare yours with the lists of others.

5. How have some of the fast food giants, such as McDonald's, worked to correct some of the abuses in food safety and conditions in slaughterhouses mentioned by Schlosser? What results have been obtained?

Tolerance and Intolerance in the United States

1. What role have low-paid immigrants played in the production and sales of fast food? How does Schlosser view government-subsidized job training programs?

2. Why do both food processors and chain restaurants seem unperturbed by high employee turnover rates - rates that would be considered disruptive in other industries and professions?

3. Have you worked or known anyone who has worked in the fast food industry? What were reactions (positive and/or negative) to the experience?

4. To what extent does Schlosser himself, throughout the book, attempt to provide a common ground for counter arguments or opposing views.

Global, International and Geographic Awareness

1. Toward the middle of his chapter on "Global Realization," Schlosser describes an experience he had during a trip to Las Vegas that "...revealed the strange power of fast food in the new world order." (p.234) What is this "new world order," and what does Schlosser seem to fear about it?

2. Schlosser argues that fast food "...threatens a fundamental aspect of national identity: how, where, and what people choose to eat." (p.244) How well do you think he presents evidence to support this argument? What interplay of social, economic and technological
forces determine what people eat (or don't eat)?

3. Schlosser writes that "The relationship between a nation's fast food consumption and its rate of obesity has not been definitively established through any long-term epidemiological study." (p.242) What are the conclusions he himself draws about this connection? What other factors could account for increased obesity rates in many parts of the world? How have fast food restaurants tried to change their menus?

4. Schlosser discusses the changes that have occurred in the social, economic, and technological structure of the American rural West as a result of the growth of franchises and the related food processing industry. What are some of these changes that impressed you as being especially important? To what extent do you think the changes were an inevitable result of the growth of food chains?

5. What changes does Schlosser predict globally as a result of criticisms of the fast food culture? What factors do you think will be most important in bringing about change?