Restlessness, impermanence, and speed were embedded in the culture that soon emerged there, along with openness to anything new
Eric Schlosser, 2001. Fast Food Nation, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.pg.16.
Sometimes it's a good think to just stop and relax. Sit down, take a deep breath and exhale. Every part of the world I've known has similar disease: restlessness, impermanence, speed. I am reading a book called Fast Food Nation that talked about the fast food culture that has turned America and may be the world around, that was driven by the idea of serving food in fast and cheap that totally changes the face of the country since after the end of the World War II. Check what happened in America after this McDonald era:
- In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food; in 2000, they spent more than $100 billion. Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music – combined.
- Fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in American life: both as a commodity and as a metaphor
- Fast food has shaped not only American Diet, but also landscape (sprawl!!!!!!!!), economy, workforce, and popular culture.
- McDonald's Corporation has become a powerful symbol of America's service economy, which is now responsible for 90% of the country's new job. It is the nation's largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes, and the second largest purchaser's of chicken (guess who's the first???}. It spent more money on marketing than any other brand, operates more playgrounds than any other private entity in the US. It is one of the nation's largest distributor's of toys.
- American's main street has similar characters, with Banana Republic, Gaps, Starbucks, and Jiff lube. Fast food has driven this country in a common-identity.
(pg. 5-8)
What driven McDonalds to be McDonalds was the fast-service that can reduce all the services needed in a sit down restaurants, reduce the prices, bring more customers, and more profit. McDonalds' target has been kids, younger generation, bombarded them with advertising and toys, and "good food". For kids, McDonald was more interesting than Santa Claus, any story books, school, and any other educational activities.
