Editing Fast Food Nation (section)

==Summary==
The book is divided into two sections: "The American Way" and "Meat and Potatoes". "The American Way" the first part, takes a historical view of the fast food business by analyzing its beginnings within post-World War II America while "Meat and Potatoes" examines the specific mechanisms of the fast-food industry within a modern context as well as its influence.

=== "The American Way" ===
The first section of ''Fast Food Nation'' opens with a discussion of [[Carl Karcher|Carl N. Karcher]] and the [[Richard and Maurice McDonald|McDonald brothers]], examining their roles as pioneers of the fast-food industry in southern California. This discussion is followed by an examination of [[Ray Kroc]] and [[Walt Disney]]'s [[Ray Kroc#Developing and purchasing McDonald's|complicated relationship]] before ending with the consideration of the intricate, profitable methods of [[advertising to children]]. Next, Schlosser visits [[Colorado Springs, CO]] and investigates the life and working conditions of the typical fast-food industry employee, learning how fast-food restaurants pay minimum wage to a higher proportion of their employees than any other American industry.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/17/where-near-minimum-wage-workers-work-and-how-much-they-make/|title=Where near-minimum-wage workers work, and how much they make|date=November 17, 2014|work=Pew Research Center|access-date=2018-04-10|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== "Meat and Potatoes" ===
The second section of the text begins with a discussion of the chemical components that make the food taste so good. Schlosser follows this with a discussion of the life of a typical rancher, considering the difficulties presented to the agricultural world in a new economy. Schlosser analyzes the meatpacking industry, which he tags as the most dangerous job in America.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2002/01/how-to-make-the-countrys-most-dangerous-job-safer/302395/|title=How to Make the Country's Most Dangerous Job Safer|last=Schlosser|first=Eric|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-04-10|language=en-US}}</ref> Moreover, the meat produced by slaughterhouses has become increasingly more hazardous since the centralization of the industry due to the way cattle are raised, slaughtered, and processed, providing an ideal setting for [[E coli]] to spread.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180312150520.htm|title=Water troughs are key to E. coli contamination in cattle|work=ScienceDaily|access-date=2018-04-10|language=en}}</ref> Additionally, working conditions continue to grow worse. In the final chapter, Schlosser considers how fast food has matured as an American cultural export following the Cold War and how the collapse of Soviet Communism allowed the mass spread of American goods and services, especially fast food. As a result, the rest of the world is catching up with America's rising obesity rates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/overweight/en/|title=Overweight and obesity|website=World Health Organization|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/|title=Obesity and overweight|website=World Health Organization|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-04-10}}</ref>

==="Afterword"===
In the 2012 edition, Schlosser published a revised edition that included an afterword. In the afterword, he looks back at the relevance and criticism of the first edition and how it inspired other works as well as how the fast food industry has evolved in the ten years following the book, including its effects on policy and childhood obesity rates. He concluded that, given the swift, decisive and effective action that took place as a result of this interest and intervention, many of the problems documented in the book are solvable, given enough political will. The afterword can also be read in an article penned by Schlosser at ''[[The Daily Beast]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/12/still-a-fast-food-nation-eric-schlosser-reflects-on-10-years-later|title=Still a Fast Food Nation: Eric Schlosser Reflects on 10 Years Later|last=Schlosser|first=Eric|date=March 12, 2012|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=2018-04-10|language=en}}</ref>