Fast Food Culture

You can now watch the famous fast food documentary, Super Size Me, on Hulu for free. I watched the film and read the comments other viewers left. There were many interesting remarks. Some people commented on the effectiveness of the film: "This film single-handedly did away with a lucrative marketing gimmick from one of the most powerful corporations on the planet." Other comments were neutral with many people noting that they realize fast food is bad but they cannot help themselves--"had it yesterday" one person said. Other comments rated the film negatively, stating that the film has a "look how smart I am, look how dumb you are" preachy vibe that "does nothing to curtail non-sensible dietary habits."

The comments made me wonder what is the most effective way of going from a fast food culture to a healthy food culture? It seems that advertising campaigns and entertaining scare-tactic documentaries will only go so far when fast-food lifestyles are tightly tied into our society. It seems what we need is a large-scale cultural shift for us to move away from our high calorie, low activity lifestyles. Does that happen incrementally--through lawsuits, new policies, and bigger and better health food companies? Or is it something that will sweep through our culture as a result of a major event or news story?

It is obvious that cultural changes are difficult considering the fast food industry is so widespread. Fast food is easy food. Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by places that provide quick, inexpensive food--from gas stations and convenient stores to food chains like Burger King. These fast food establishments are part of our culture, as Super Size Me notes. Many of these locations have toys and play areas to attract young kids and families. Children at a young age associate fast food with fun food. There is a purpose behind the naming of "Happy Meals."

Here is a glimpse of how widespread fast food establishments are in our neighborhood--

Within a 10 mile radius from downtown Sarasota there are

14 McDonald's
8 Wendy's
6 Burger Kings
6 KFCs
3 Taco Bells.

In a 10 mile radius, you can find 37 of the top fast food establishments, many of them with drive-thrus. In other words, you should be able to find nearly four fast food restaurants in a one mile radius.

So, one of the major problems is that fast food is convenient and affordable. Another problem is a lack of universal knowledge about food. Many people realize "fast food is bad" and "vegetables are good" but when you ask why, it is hard to get a thorough answer. In Super Size Me, people were randomly asked, "what is a calorie?" A lot of people laughed and said they did not know. I honestly think food science should be a mandatory course in public education. Even students I talk to in biology courses in college have a difficult time explaining how nutrients are absorbed by our body. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to know exactly what foods are healthy and what foods are not--and why that is the case. We need good information to make good decisions about our health and diet instead of relying on superficial knowledge of food. Our society needs to internalize food information before people can start rejecting fast food in favor of healthier food establishments. Until this happens, people will continue to eat at places where their friends and family eat, places that are affordable and easy to get to, and places that have tasty food that make them happy.