Fast Food Nation Chapter 5

Who is J.R. Simplot? What connection does J.R. Simplot have to the fast food industry?
J.R. Simplot is an eighth-grade drop out who is now one of the richest men in the United States. He became a potato farmer at age sixteen and became the largest shipper of potatoes in the West. He started selling frozen french fries in 1953 and began selling them to McDonalds a year later. He is also one of the nation's biggest landowners, with 85,000 acres of irrigated farmland, twice that amount of randland, and more. J.R. Simplot had been the main supplier of french fries to McDonalds and is one out of the three biggest french fry companies.
(Pages 112-116)

What are some similarites and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors"? Where is the "flavor industry" located.
Artificial flavors are a bunch of chemicals, that when mixed together make a specific smell and taste. Natural flavors have to be derived entirely from natural sources (herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, yeast, bark, roots, ect.). They are flavors that have been derived with an out-of-date technbology. They both sometimes contain exactly the same chemicals, produced through different methods. They both also smell and taste the same. "A natural flavor is not necessarily healthier or purer than an artificial one". The world's largest flavor company, has a manufacturing facility off Exit 8A in Dayton, New Jersey. The second largest company is in East Hanover.
(Pages 121, 126)

What is the "fallacy of composition"?
The "fallacy of composition" is a mistaken belief that what seems good for an individual will still be good when others do the same thing. In other words, not everybody can do the same thing.
(Page 119)

Fast Food Nation Introduction

What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author?
The author pointed out how McDonald had become a powerful symbol in America's economy, replacing Coca-Cola. Responsible for more than 90% of jobs in America, it hires more ethan 1 million people. McDonald is biggest purchaser of beef, pork and potatoes. There are over twenty eight thousand McDonal restaurants and about two thousand more are made every year. This chain restaurant owns most of the worlds property. The author observed how it has most of the world's employees (most people, at some point, worked at McDonalds) but with the lowest wage. He also observed how most people recognize Ronald McDonald more than any other character.

According to the author, why did he write this book?
The author wrote this book because he beliefs that people should know "what lies behind the shiny, happy surface of every fast food transaction." He thinks that we should know what really lurks inside our food.

Where is the hearth of the fast food industry?
The fast food industry started with a "handful of modest hot dog and hamburger stands in southern California" and has spread all over the nation. It is now served at restaurants, zoos, hospitals and many other places where a paying customer can be found.