Fast Food Nation -- Chapter 2 America

Fast Food Nation -- Chapter 2

America without McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and other fast food restaurants is difficult to imagine these days, but before Ray Kroc bought the franchise rights to McDonald's in the mid-twentieth century, fast food was not an entrenched part of our culture. In Fast Food Nation,' Eric Schlosser spends the second chapter of his book describing how Ray Kroc paralleled the work of Walt Disney and filled a cultural void in America. Because America was a relatively young country, there was no established food culture like there was in older countries such as France, Italy and Spain. Until Ray Kroc's innovations, there was no food that could be described as "American," and in the ironically titled chapter "Your Trusted Friends," Schlosser described exactly how Kroc helped create America's fast food culture.

Schlosser begins chapter two of Fast Food Nation by describing McDonald's as it exists today and demonstrating how ingrained it is in our society. He describes his visit to the Ray A. Kroc museum, walking through the McStore, it's close proximity to Hamburger University and the degree received by its students: a degree in "Hambergerology." He describes the merchandise available in the McStore: bean bag McBurglar dolls, telephones shaped like French friends, key chains, golf bags, jewelry, baby clothes, leather jackets and more. This is all to demonstrate how one man created a food culture where there was none in America, and how artificial and commercial that culture really is.

Schlosser argues that McDonald's, influenced by the success of Disney, has become an entrenched part of American culture and that its influence extends far beyond food. McDonald's is a cultural symbol, recognized by children as young as two, and now exported around the world as a symbol of America. Schlosser believes that this manufactured symbol of culture is artificial, and I would further argue that it exists only because there was a void in legitimate food culture in America. Schlosser says that Ray Kroc sought to create a utopia that doesn't exist n reality, a place where cleanliness and control are maintained by strictly adhering to a set of standards that are non-negotiable.

In "Your Trusted Friends," Schlosser outlines Ray Kroc's rise to fame and fortune and points out that, more than someone who cared about food and culture, Kroc was a masterful salesman. His ability to market McDonald's, particularly to children, was the way in which the restaurant has come to be the food culture that America lacked.

Kroc initially bought the franchise rights to McDonald's from the original owners of a single McDonald's restaurant in California. He had the vision and understanding of America to know that fast food could be the innovation that would create a food culture where there was none. In this ability, according to Schlosser, Kroc was very similar to Walt Disney, who created an entertainment culture from scratch. Schlosser chronicles Disney's rise to power in order to demonstrate how Kroc followed in his footsteps, specifically in courting young consumers. Disneyland, like McDonalds later, created a seemingly perfect escape, where everything was orderly, clean and predictable. This, Disney knew, was the wave of the future in an increasingly unpredictable and volatile reality. The same can be said of McDonald's -- every restaurant offers the same basic menu, the golden arches never change and the food tastes the same no matter which McDonald's restaurant you go to. According to Schlosser, Kroc understood that how the food was delivered was just as important (if not more important) than how the food tasted, which is a very American concept. One can't imagine the French or Italians caring more about the packaging of their food than the taste, because these countries have long-standing food cultures. It is the consistency and order that Americans craved, and it became a part of the food culture in the absence of any other existing tradition. Kroc, Schlosser writes, used to say he was really more in show business than the restaurant business, a statement that is a reflection of how Americans think about food.

In the section devoted to the ways in which McDonald's caters to kids, Schlosser points out that a quarter of a century ago, not many American companies catered to kids -- McDonald's and Disney were innovators in this area. Kroc knew that attracting the kids would draw in the parents, who have money to spend and a desire to keep their children quiet and happy, especially now that so many families have two parents working and spend less time together. By placing ads on television, McDonald's took advantage of the huge influence television commercials have on the desires and kids and the spending habits of their parents, and this was instrumental in making McDonald's one of the most well-recognized brands in history.

Another way in which McDonald's has made itself a part of American culture is by linking with manufacturers of toys and giving away prizes in Happy Meals. Again, Kroc's idea that fast food is not just about the food is demonstrated with the success of the Happy Meal; Schlosser writes that when McDonald's gave away Beenie Babies in its Happy Meals, they sold about 10 million Happy Meals in a typical week. In 1996, McDonald's finally connected with its inspiration, Disney, and signed a ten-year marketing agreement with the Walt Disney Company. This connection between Disney and McDonald's seemed to ensure that both would remain significant parts of American culture, food and otherwise, and as Schlosser says, the work of Walt Disney and Ray Kroc "had come full circle."

Schlosser ends his chapter by pointing out how McDonald's role in American food culture is creating problems, particularly for children. By convincing families that McDonald's is a "trusted friend," a partner in life, they implied that McDonald's cared about the health and well-being of its customers. In fact, the phrase, found in confidential marketing materials never meant for public consumption, implied that McDonald's was primarily about food, which Schlosser contends it is not. He goes on to point out that McDonald's uses corporate sponsorship to gets its products in schools and influence students to eat its products, and this has a detrimental effect on the health of Americans, especially children.