Obesity and Fast-food Stats (7)

Because obesity was brought up quite a few times in the comments, I wished to learn more about the relation between obesity and fast-food in America!


Let's begin by looking at general information about obesity. These two diagrams show us how many percent of adults and children are obese:

“Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995. There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last twenty years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending.” said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of TFAH (http://healthyamericans.org/report/88/)

Many health problems arose as a result: diabetes and high blood pressure as most common ones, along with more than 30 other serious diseases that obesity contributes to increased rates of. These conditions worsen dramatically, for example, since 1995, diabetes rates have doubled in eight states. 

In addition, it has been predicted that one in three americans will be obese by 2030; these two following links contain article discussing this matter: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/hlsa0912.htm, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/08/obesity-rates-rising-worldwide-us-could-hit-50-by-2030.html.

How do burgers and fast-food contribute to obesity?

I learned through my research that Americans spend over $140 billion on fast-food each year and the average serving size for burgers, fries, and sodas has more than tripled since 1970's. It was also found that there are now over 25,000 fast-food chains in America which is more than 1,000% increase since 1970.

Furthermore, I was shocked reading this fact in particular: "A cheeseburger happy meal with fries and a Sprite at McDonalds has 640 calories and 24 grams of fat," which is over half of calories that children are supposed to be consuming a day. Recalling the fact that I ate so much cheeseburger happy meal sets in my childhood, I was thankful that I had burned enough calories.

(http://www.thehealthyeatingguide.com/healthyeatingstatistics.html and http://www.tree.com/health/obesity-causes-fast-food.aspx particularly links fast-food with obesity.)

Through looking up statistics and articles that talk about a serious epidemic problem in America: Obesity, I feel like I have gained a better understanding of hamburgers apart from the book because Josh Ozersky refrained from discussing this Icon of America along with other fast-foods as contributing factors to this issue.

Thanks to those who brought up this topic in their comments:)

Interesting Cover (6)

Adbusters Magazine

This magazine was found in the Learning Commons by our classmate, Kimberley and was suggested as a blog material.

The cover had a picture of a gigantic hamburger and few words that followed: "Are We Happy Yet?"

One picture and a few words had such a big impact on me; it provoked me to ponder about some big ideas: human's endless wants, ignorance of the needy, and some environmental issues created by the actions taken. 

I studied inside of the magazine and there was not really an article or connection back to hamburger itself but they had some neat articles to raise awareness around the world. 

Go to: http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/100! It was quite an interesting reading.

Random Hamburger Songs (5)

Enjoy;)

This next one is a little annoying... be aware!

MY FAVORITE

Last one...

All of these videos songs give me the impression that hamburgers are really a part of so many people's lives as an Icon of America. From little kids to teens and adults are able to interact with hamburgers in songs watching Veggie Tales or coming across random hamburger songs on Youtube.

Supersize me? (4)

I just remembered the movie "Supersize Me" that I have watched during Health class in Middle School. It has been interesting to find all the history and good impact that hamburger made in America as an Icon, but I do not recall any issues drawn to health concerns. While I continue reading the book, I will try to find anything that discusses nutrition more in dept.

Super Size Me Poster

First McDonald's Commercial (3)

I was just looking through YouTube today to see how many interesting videos I can find relating to Hamburgers. And the result... there were not many entertaining ones. 

One thing, I came across the first McDonald's Commercial and I saw the McDonald's Museum that I found researching for my last post. Seeing old advertisements or shows always makes me feel awkward but it somehow connected to the reading.

The simple menu on the first McDonald's advertisement: hamburgers, french fries and milkshake, made me think back to the part where it talked about the menu developers such as: Chicken McNuggets (local franchisee), Big Mac and breakfast (jim Delligatti), Egg McMuffin (Herb Peterson) and Filet-O-Fish (Lou Groen) and a wide variety of choices we have today (page 75). 

"In its scale and in its soul, McDonald's truly is the Great American Success Story," (p83) and I definitely agree!

So here is the video:

White Castle, Big Boy, and McDonalds (2)

The second portion of reading, from page 37 to page 69, discussed different companies that made the hamburger industry boom and reach its current position as one of the Icons of America.

White Castle- Five-Cent Hamburger!

White Castle was one of the first hamburger businesses discussed carried on from the first portion of reading. 1916 in Wichita, White Castle was started by a cook named Walter Anderson. The reading says, "history has not recorded whether he invented the modern hamburger all at once (p26);" however, it acknowledges the fact Anderson came up with cooking the burger on 500F grill so that it the steak will be brown outside while remaining juicy inside, flattening the burger "reducing all its flavor to one plane," using white bun instead of sliced bread, and putting onions next to burgers while cooking them on grill to soak the juices from the meat.

Big Boy with a Double-decker

"A bass player came in one night and asked for something different (p46):" this was the beginning of a double-decker hamburger and a key to success of Big Boy. Bob Wian from Glendale, California was introduced in the text as one who came up with a double sized burger that "satisfies in a way that transcends its size and weight." The history of Big Boy interested me because the way success came seemed too simple: fulfilling a request from a random customer.

Finally, I reached chapter 3 that said "The Organization Man." I agreed with the author's introduction immediately: "McDonald's is so powerful an entity, looming so large in the eye of American life, that it's hard to believe it actually started somewhere."

This portion of reading about McDonald's, something that took a significant part in my memories from the childhood absorbed all of my attention and every detail that I learned about McDonald fascinated me.

The McDonald's brothers: Richard and Maurice started the business and Ray Kroc founded the McDonald's, Inc., that "represents America to the world in a way no other business ever has or likely ever will (p51)." I learned that the brothers had the following characteristics: hard-working, imaginative, but lacking visionary aspect or "devotion to systemic conformity." The brothers understood the idea that the fastest product was the best in fast-food business and constructed their business around that idea; they got rid of a dishwashers, flatwares, glasses, tablewares and replaced them with products made out of paper or plastic. They made the making and selling of hamburgers a "continuous process" that eventually brought in $277,000 a year and $100,000 profits by the mid-1950s (p57).

McDonald's #1 Store Museum

Apart from the McDonald's brothers, Ray Kroc took away my attention as his strong will and visions were described in detail further into the chapter. The brothers had everything such as yearly Cadillacs, swimming pool, wealth among all, but wives or kids while "Ray Kroc did have a wife and a child and a company of his own: but he risked it all to pursue his dream (p60)." The author states with confidence that McDonaldd today is "purely a product of Kroc's personality;" flawed, troubled, famously difficult, irascible, intolerant, and narrow, he is described in page 61. I knew by this description that a key and a hidden card to success is at times being stubborn and uncompromising in order to maintain order in business.
"McDonald's is not... a hamburger corporation at all. It is a confederation of entrepreneurs, small businesspeople operating according to standards devised by a central organizing authority."

Learning history of many hamburger businesses such as White Castle, Big Boy and McDonalds made me feel enriched as an individual learning about the hamburger as an icon and made me eagerly anticipate for the next reading.

Universal American Food? (1)

My first reading portion which was from page 1 to 37 (chapter 1 and 1/2 of chapter 2) successfully informed and entertained me with author's insightful details regarding to symbolism and overall history of Hamburgers. 

From the introduction, I received the message that Hamburgers are not just any ordinary food and there is something that make them incomparable from sandwiches, hotdogs, patty melt, fried chicken, or an apple pie. Hamburger has a history of its own and contains the story of European immigration in the nineteenth century and urbanization in the twentieth century. In addition, hamburger contributed to building immense economies and to create “corporate culture that drives so many aspects of contemporary America (p3).”

The reading started with a statement, “The hamburger is an American invention.” The author strongly believed that despite the name that comes from German city and Mongols’ connection with hamburger-fueled havoc in 13^th century; he thinks that Hamburger definitely belongs to America and stands as one of the icons of America.

Hamburg City

He supports his statement with numerous dates, names and stories that contain facts that hamburger originates from America: the earliest reference to hamburger in 1763 in Hannah Glasse’s Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, first printed menu in 1837 in Delmonico restaurant, and Charlie Nagreen who put meatball between two slices of bread and sold it in Seymour, Wisconsin in 1885 as the earliest claimer.

Delmonico Restaurant

I continued to discover interesting facts throughout reading such as the essence of hamburger story: Hamburg steak being “the cheapest way for the poorest Americans to eat beef (p14)” and an observation made by Dr. Austin Flint “instinctively most persons prefer beef, as an habitual article of diet, to any other variety of meat” in 1866’s Physiology of Man.

I feel that the author’s writing style and voice contributed in attracting myself as an audience because he bluntly states some facts or misconceptions we have about hamburgers as such: “ Fast food represented everything bad about America- its soullessness, its conformity, its vulgarity (p3-4).” Furthermore, hamburgers were described in mouthwatering manner, which made it impossible for me to drop the book.

Overall, I can say that I am fond of "The Hamburger" by Josh Ozersky and I am excited to learn more of it!