Julio Cruz
12/10/13
Final
Exam
Fast
food is a huge part of the consumer society that we live in today. You can’t
drive for a few blocks without passing by a few McDonald’s or Burger Kings. The
fast food companies major success is due to their peed and usually great
tasting inexpensive food. Americans are heading towards a trend where sometimes
there isn’t enough time to get home to cook. So most of us find a practical
convenience in fast food considering how quick and easily it can satisfy our
hunger. However, fast food has a danger that most people already know about but
relatively seem not to care about. The choices given in fast food restaurants aren’t
healthy or natural and may pose a serious threat to someones health. Fast food is
not supposed to substitute a traditional home cooked dinner. But most people
ignore this because they simply do not have the time or the energy to cook so
instead.
There
is no denying that fast food has become a part of American mainstream culture.
It’s not uncommon for a childs parent to take them to a fast food restaurant
three times a week. During childhood, in the United States especially, kids are
the ideal demographic for marketing. McDonald’s commercials are targeted at
children promising a toy with a purchase, a catchy tune and a happy almost
magical tone to go along with it. The company’s goal is to have children
associate their company with good feelings at the youngest age possible to
ensure future customers. By having kids become over excited about a trip to
McDonald’s in the future, these kids will become adults and have good,
nostalgic feelings about the restaurant and are more than likely to go back.
While
fast food might be an easy alternative for a parent to feed their child, is it
worth it in the long run? Fast food is nowhere near a good diet for people. The
food can have negative effects on ones health and can develop very serious
conditions like a heart attack or obesity. Most parents don’t take this threat
into account when they take their children out to eat. However, the amount of
time and money saved is usually what convinces a parent to take their child out
to McDonald’s. Additionally, any child that gets taken out to McDonald’s
usually becomes ecstatic and a happy child makes a happy parent.
However,
there is another option that parents don’t tend to take. While there is an
overwhelming amount of fast food chains located just about anywhere, there are
also a lot of mom & pop food places. These restaurants are family owned
rather than owned by a corporation. Mom & Pop restaurants also usually have
fresh cooked meals and great tasting too. Because these dinners are freshly
cooked and served, this would take much more time to eat and get back home than
someone who went to a fast food restaurant. For this reason many people don’t
stop and a mom & pop restaurant even though it might taste better, be cleaner and also above
all be healthier. But, it seems that most Americans today don’t have the energy
to get back home from work just to leave again to eat.
In
conclusion, I believe that it’d be nearly impossible for someone to swear off
fast food. During someones busy day, fast food simply has too much convenience
to be disregarded. Above that, fast food also tastes very good and even I find
myself craving fast food every once in a while. However, mom & pop
restaurants are also very tasty and I always enjoy a visit to one when I have
the time because of the attention to the customer and freshly made food. I
think that because of that and because of the healthier choices provided at a
mom & pop restaurant it puts it at an advantage over fast food.
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