Do You Want Lies With That???

OK, Super Size Me was bad enough...Even though the premise of SSM was basically filmed from an 'experimental' position as to be able to chronicle physically what torture your body can be inflicted with by eating 'food' from these places...and I know some people are saying, well I dont eat it EVERY day...watch it, and then tell me what part of only 2 out of 100 nutritionists randomly chosen around the country said "NEVER" when asked logically how often should/could a person eat fast food without some damage...

OK.  Anyway where was I?

The only real part of SSM that focused on the actual 'make up' of the food was where they talked about chicken nuggets...however with Fast Food Nation, which honestly the book was better, however...this is 'fictional' in the sense that it has a wide cast of well known actors, and the movie has 3 different angles as to the intertwining of how the production, the marketing and the ultimate delivery of the 'food' affects everyone...there were some scenes (sexually oriented) that I thought were meaningless other than to expose maybe the harassment in the work place for those working in less than desired jobs..again...moving on...

Anyway, watching this movie, especially at the end COMPLETELY FREAKED AND GROSSED ME OUT BEYOND COMPREHENSION....I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER eat another hamburger from ANY fast food place...now, if its a place where I know they make their hamburger patties from scratch that might be a different story...and I know that animals have to die; its always been that way, and I am not saying that I am PETA or anything....however...ugh...

I also know there are those out there that would argue that this sort of thing is 'regulated' and is not the case in this country, blah, blah, blah...but weeeeelll....you see...I would argue this because in the past couple of years, these 'sorts' of things HAVE been happening, and lots of people have died, ended up in the hospital or just gotten really sick...maybe it wasnt with hamburger meat, but with um....spinach...peanut butter...so even though there are safeguards in place...

The fact is that there is such pressure on companies to provide this 'food' faster, better, cheaper to the consumers of said 'food' that things are being done that shouldnt be done!!! 

Sorry, just typing this out and thinking back to the film makes me nauseous...

There doesn't seem to be a single area of American life that the fast food industry hasn't touched, whether we eat the stuff or not, and this movie (even the book moreso) provides a clear and fascinating review of the breadth of the industry and the ways in which it has changed American culture, in many cases for the worse. And it doesn't stop at fast food. It seems that the sickness spread by the industry has reached the supermarket shelves, too.

The "regulation" of the industry is a joke. You'll find out firsthand that there is no one even remotely concerned about the way this so-called "food" is poisoning us, and in fact they are mostly in collusion with one another to actively prevent us from knowing it, so it's up to us to educate ourselves. This very in-depth examination by Eric Schlosser is a great place to start. Keep in mind, too, that no one in the industry has even bothered to deny a bit of it. They know they don't have to unless the money stops rolling in. I for one am glad I stopped paying them to kill me!

There are too many well-researched facts in this book, but I will mention a few:

1. In 1970 kids drank twice as much milk as they did soda (with 8-12 teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounces); in 2000, that was reversed.

2. Too many school districts have installed TV in classrooms and require it to be turned on daily for a period of time. The advertisers are fast food chains.

3. None of the workers at 15,000-plus McDonald's in the U.S. is represented by a union--mostly because the typical worker quits or is fired every 3-4 months! And the U.S. government (we tax payers) subsidize the training of new employees; the more they quit, the more the money rolls in.

4. Eleven years ago (what's it like today?) more fast food restaurant workers were murdered on the job in the U.S. than police officers. A great job for young people.

5. At least when the book was written (not sure about when the movie came out), the farmer got only 2 cents out of $1.50 sale of, for example, french fries. This is basically because buyers of farm produce band together to push down the price. So, many small farmers need a second job.

6. Chicken McNuggets contain twice the fat per ounce as a hamburger--all due to processing and additives.

7. The suicide rate among ranchers and farmers in the U.S. is three times higher than the national average.

8. The annual cost of obesity (which rose with the popularity of the fast food chains) is now twice as large as the fast food industry's total revenues. So, the low price of fast food does not reflect its real cost

Is there a solution to the choke hold the fast food mentality has on our food growing and distribution system? Yes. Watch the movie or better yet, read the book to find out how "people can be fed without being fattened or deceived." According to the author, at least 70 percent of all adult visits to fast food chains are impulsive, not intentional. The solution to the negative effects of fast food? Just say no.

I for one think that if we ate better and didnt rely so heavily on manufactured 'food' this whole issue of health care reform wouldn't be such a big freaking deal...I guess thats why it doesnt phase me one way or the other because honestly, and I contribute this to my eating habits from when I was raised right on through adulthood, I have no chronic diseases or ailments...my hypothyroidism is genetic, that much is obvious, so...other than that...
A warning though...it will certainly turn your stomach and open your eyes to how media and marketing guru's invent this crap ... I mean come on...a department where 'scents' are conjured up and put on 'something' that might or might not be hickory smoked, but hey!  There is a way to manufacture this scent and wahla!  you have a hickory smoked bacon cheeseburger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But wait...
 
Is it REALLY bacon?  Was it REALLY smoked over hickory?  And is there .... in my burger...?
 
The answer to the last question, in my opinion...is more than likely, 'Why yes there is...'  And furthermore, if you have to ask then there is always the chance and are you REALLY willing to take that kind of chance?
 
I'm not.

To be continued...