There are certain things that come up when you ask a foreigner to list what reminds them of the States: McDonald’s is inevitably one of them. A cultural icon of our nation that has grown with the country for the last 60 years, McDonald’s represents a kind of food production and consumption that is particularly embodied in its signature purchase: the Big Mac. Banned from most fast foods during childhood, and naturally averse to beef to this day, I had never tried this supposedly scrumptious sandwich – I set out to the nearest fast food chain (ironically next to a Whole Foods) for a night on the town with company, Ronald, and a Big Mac.
Apart from the health of the food, the Big Mac represents for me and many others a set of foundational and ideological problems plaguing America and the world at large as a result of the fast food industry. There are too many to list here but some of the more important ones, problems more directly linked to the production of the Big Mac itself, are worth noting. The Big Mac demands a very specific kind of labor for instance: the Speedee Service System created by the McDonald’s brothers as the hallmark model for their franchise and eventually for the world. Further enhanced through the specific partition of mundane tasks by Fred Turner, this system embodies and popularized the assembly line mentality. Each worker is given a specific task done over and over hundreds of times daily, until boredom and indifference set in. The Big Mac requires the fulfillment of very simple tasks in several clearly defined steps: replenishment of materials into the kitchen, placement of frozen patties into a conveyor belt led heater, slicing of tomatoes and lettuce with specific machines, and the dropping of each of these items in a specific order on a bun. Nothing is too tricky or takes any culinary know-how. The effect of this mundane work is seen in the overall trends of the workforce: poorer, socially marginalized, minorities, teenagers, illegally employed youngsters, and immigrants. This becomes a problem when you look at the growth of these once temporary jobs in the job market, especially in the time of a recession, along with a corollary rise in the turnover rates of these jobs as well. Inherent expendability of fast food workers degrades the value of these men and women, their paychecks, and the respect given to them by managers. Banality and a lack of engagement at work depress them, leading to higher rates of crime and violence at home, less will to succeed as there is little real or perceived means of promotion, and less satisfaction with their quality of work and life.
Most Americans do not hear so much about these problems, however, as they do about an equally important issue with the burger: its health ramifications. The burger itself is fairly caloric, though not overwhelmingly so, at 540 calories a burger. More importantly, it is loaded with fat (29 g) and saturated fat (10g). Also, as the primary purchaser of beef in America, McDonald’s burger meat is unfortunately mixed, meaning that meat from one patty can come from dozens or hundreds of cattle from various ranches. This leads to a higher possibility of contamination, especially through E. coli.
In a broader sense, the Big Mac is the lead promoter in a trend of eating in the US. A fast food abundance of high-fat, highly caloric, and inexpensive meals has led to more meals being eaten outside the home (mostly at fast food chains) which has led to a daily intake of more calories, more fat, and less fiber. Furthermore, the promotion of foods like the Big Mac and its prevalence in children’s diets have started higher cravings for fat in Americans that will last throughout their lifetimes. America’s obesity epidemic is currently second only to smoking in mortality rates; although this is an ambiguous statistic, it gives a sense of how much weight plays a factor in causes of death and how much more prevalent those causes are among Americans. Obese people have much higher rates of death, with shocking stats for those at a young age. As a result, we spend more nationally on health care and weight loss programs than any other nation. Even sadder, America’s food culture of Big Macs and fast food has been popularized and spread globally, causing heightened obesity and cholesterol across the globe.
Having said this, I now must admit that I really like the burger. It is a perfect mix of juicy, meaty, salty, sweet, and bready to satisfy all of the worst hunger cravings. You can tell exactly why it is so popular: it is designed to be delicious for the human taste buds as it hits upon all of our major cravings – sugar, salt, meat, and bread. I did try to deny it at first but, coupled with fries and a McFlurry that my Mickey D’s travelling partner enjoyed, I had to admit the whole package (….or value meal) hit the spot. I can see why, if I grew up on this food or could not afford many other options than fast food, it would be so easy to just order a Big Mac instead of cooking or depleting savings on healthier options. The burger fills you up while also tasting really good and leaving barely a dent in your wallet; it is tantalizing and tempting to eat in ways that go beyond taste. Having seen more of the facts about its nutritional value than your average consumer, I know I can't eat this every day, but very few people have access to such information and even fewer can afford to act on these concerns regardless of their awareness. A little disheartened and duped about how good the Big Mac was, we finished the trip with a stop by the neighboring Whole Foods for a drastic change in locale and a guilty raid of their bins.
Sources:
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton, 2001
http://www.freelogovector.com/key-mcdonalds_logo_vector.html
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650268,00.html
Though currently unknown in most of America, amaranth grain has been used for over 5000 years by the Aztecs and South American civilizations., especially duing religious ceremonies. Mexico has used the grain to make a candy called alegria (“happiness”) for centuries, while India currently puts it in some states’ mandatory lunch programs. The US has conducted research on the plant since the 70’s but the product has only gained hold in organic food stores among a very specific clientele. Although it isn’t cultivated, it is very much prevalent in the Americas as a common weed.
