Working at McDonald’s got me to college, for which I thank the world’s largest restaurant chain. I worked there for three years, beginning at about $1 an hour, during the middle of the 20th century. Back then, a buck bought something. I consumed tons of hamburgers and fries and gallons of milkshakes for free — unconscious consumption.
Photo: metroactive.com
I have not thought much about McDonald’s in the 40 years since I worked there, during which time I have never eaten there again. But McDonald’s and restaurants of its ilk are in the news with this week’s release of the film Fast Food Nation, based on the best-selling nonfiction book by Eric Schlosser. Directed by Richard Linklater, the film takes on a slice of culture that’s familiar to many, but fully known to few.
What do you think the main ingredients of a hamburger are? Beef is the most visible, but oil is essential to modern factory farming, which is what supplies fast food. I still recall the “End of Cheap Oil” article in National Geographic two years ago, which featured a full-p... Read more