chapter 1

What restaurant chain did Carl Karcher start?

• Carl Karcher started the business Carl's Jr.

Why did General Motors want to buy trolley systems throughout the U.S.?

General Motors bought trolley systems so that they could rip up the rails and create bus lines, ones of which would be supplied with buses made by GM to.

What was the "Speedee Service System" and how was it different from what other fast food restaurants were doing?

• The "Speedee Service system" was a system created by the McDonald's corporation where the customers would serve themselves, waiting in line at the register.
• Other restaurants used carhops, waitresses, dishwashers, and bus boys, which made the new idea completely unique.

chapter 10

In what ways might there be a connection between the obesity rate in America and the fast food industry?

• Fast food was borne in America, and our society has greatly changed around it. We have become less healthy and raised our obesity rate.
  We now have fast food restaurants in other countries, and they are starting to "look like Americans", so you've got to wonder why these changes are taking place RIGHT when fast food enters their environment.
• The rate of obesity today is twice as high as it was in the 1960's, when fast food wasn't "the big thing".
  
• (pages 240-241)

What did London Greenpeace do to protest McDonald's and what was McDonald's response?

• London Greenpeace protested McDonald's in 1986 with pamphlets stating all their faults. They said that it was promoting third world poverty, selling unhealthy food, and torturing animals.
  
• In response McDonald's sued 5 members.
• at the trial McDonald's was very much exposed for what they did behind closed doors.
  

Chapter 9

compared with several decades ago, how common are food related illnesses today?

• Food related illness is much more common today because of the way in which it is being produced.
• Before the average outbreak would be among a small town or community and even then most weren't life threatening.
• today 200,000 people are sickened, 900 are hospitalized, and fourteen killed.
• Illness is so common lately because of the poor conditions the animals are in before slaughter, they are tightly packed, thousands squished together, and if one has is sick they all become sick (all info above founded on pages 194-195)

What authority does the U.S. government have on recalling Tainted meat?

• The U.S. government can recall a baseball bat, vacuum, a CAR, and even a simple teddy bear; but they cannot recall tainted meat.
• how is this possible? or legal?
• The members of our congress have close relations with the meat packing industries which means they have men on the inside, making sure any harmful acts or laws are not passed.
• how is it that we can recall a paper, which at most can give you a paper cut, but we cannot recall meat tainted with E. Coli that could kill millions? (founded on pages 196-197)

What was the first national hamburger chain & what did it do to try to change the image of the hamburger?

• the first hamburger chain was White Castle.
• They tried to change the view of the hamburger in a number of ways.
• they assured customers fresh meat was actively supplied to the chain.
• They also conducted a study at the University of Minnesota where a student survived for 3 weeks on white castles and water (note after a month of McDonalds, the man from super size me nearly died and damaged his body in ways unimaginable in that short of time)
  
• pg. 197-198
  

Chapter 8

What kind of injuries do workers in meatpacking plants typically suffer?

• Typically workers suffer from minor to major lacerations to the skin.
• This is either self inflicted accidentally or inflicted by a near co-worker because of the tight lines they work in. These people cut meat all day long, which leaves a lot of room for injury when you take into consideration that they stand no more than a foot apart.
• Some reports even say that knives have been reflected off of machines and have flown at these workers. (all info found on p.173)

Why don't more workers complain about safety conditions in plants?

• workers don't complain about conditions because the companies have complete control over who is fired and who is not. They can fire you for the most silly reasons you can think and most workers depend on this job for survival, and reporting anything negative would put their security in danger.

what has been the impact of allowing plants to maintain their own injury logs?

• After plants were allowed to maintain their own logs they began to take advantage of the system and report the least amount of injuries possible.
  
• Plants would only record as many injuries as they felt necessary, which let to many lawsuits against the companies.
• OSHA reported only 160 injuries, while there were more than 1800. (p.180)
  

Chapter 7

What changes did IBP introduce to the meat packing industry?

• eliminated need for skilled workers


• turned meatpacking into a disassembly line where workers would stand in their spot in the line all day and perform various cuts and compilations of meats. (p.153)


• "... tried to take the skill out of every step" (p.154)

what has been the relationship between labor unions and meat packing plants?

• Labor plants take skilled individuals to perform each step of the meat distribution process but it takes longer, therefore it does not make as much money as the meat packing plants where even though they are not the most sanitary, professional, or healthy, they are fast and easy ways to obtain the meat companies need.

What is the impact of small commuties on having a meat packing firm?

• A disgusting smells is released from meat packing firms every day.


• The manure of the animals killed is put into the ground and in turn it goes through YOUR tap, which could cause disease.


• It causes crime from the low payed migrants that are brought in high numbers to the areas who may not have been crime doers at first but have been manipulated by drug dealers who thrive of unsuspecting migrants.

Chapter 6

what was the impact of the chicken mcnugget on the poultry industry?

• The Chicken Mcnugget created a booming business for large poultry farming industries and a downfall in smaller, self owned poultry industries.


• It created the rise in distribution and production of not whole chickens, but parts of chickens.


• created chicken suppliers and chicken growers, the suppliers would give their baby chicks to growers and growers would keep after them until old enough to give to the supplier. Growers get only 12000's dollars a year though. (p.141)

How does the suicide rate for farmers and ranchers compare to that of the u.s. in general?

• 3 times higher than national average. (146)

Chapter 5

Who is J.R. Simplot? What connection does he have to the fast food industry?

• J.R. Simplot is a man who created the idea of freezing and selling french fries. He was born in 1909 and started the life of an entrepreneur at an early age. He is related to the fast food industry because he supplies most of our fast food facilities with their potatoes and french fries.

How have the potato farms in Idaho changed in the past 25 years?

• It has lost almost half of its potato farmers


• the amount of farmland devoted to potatoes has risen(p.118)


• barely 1100 potato farmers in Idaho (p.119)

What makes McDonald's fries taste different from others??

• not based on type of potatoes purchased, but oil in which they are cooked.


• 7 percent soy oil and 93 percent BEEF TALLOW.


• more saturated beef per ounce than a mickey D's hamburger.


• they switched to pure vegetable oil because of complaints.


• They taste different from others because they are cooked as if a fine art, precisely.
  They are uniquely cooked and seasoned by the oil in which they use.

REFERRING TO PICTURE: Is McDonalds feeding us.. or feasting off our addiction to their product? Is Ronald McDonald a symbol of kindness? or a devious ploy to trick children into buying their product??