Journal: The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Basically, fast food places are a big scam. They’re obviously unhealthy, in a variety of ways, they are unethical for animals and humans alike, and they don’t even help the hunger crisis because of the amount of energy wasted in the process of processed foods. Michael Pollan sheds light on some of these shady characteristics of fast food in this segment of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The first point me makes is that although fast food places have healthy options on the menu, it’s usually just to put up a front that the joint can offer healthy options. People usually don’t order the veggie burger or the salad, because they’re expensive, and people go to McDonalds to get unhealthy and cheap food. Also, there’s hidden sugar everywhere, including in buns and salad dressing, so these ‘healthy’ options might not be as healthy as the consumer thinks. However, there’s another food option that’s very obviously not healthy: the chicken nuggets. It’s unnerving to have a food item being described as ‘invented’ (Pollan 111). They’re a product, made to be cheap and easy to eat. They’re also pumped with preservative and added chemicals, so they barely even taste like chicken. Chicken nuggets work so well because they’ve removed traces of the animal it came from, lessening the guilt of the consumer. There is so much information out about the mistreatment of animals in fast food production, but people continue to eat things like chicken nuggets because it’s cheap, tasty, and directly catered to the consumer, creating a perfectly cushy eating experience. Despite the health and ethical drawbacks, fast food can’t even claim it’s helping solve the hunger crisis with cheap food. Fast food mostly serves to expand the appetites of eaters, not to simply fill their stomachs. There is an insane amount of calories in a fast food meal, more than anyone would need in a day. Also, the production of fast food requires more energy than it produces. There is a lot of energy wasted in the feeding of animals and transportation of ingredients. Energy is lost through each step of the food chain, which is why you should just eat corn and not corn products if you want to save energy. This energy could be better used by directly feeding people from sources lower on the food chain.