Friday, March 13, 2009

There is No Love in a BigMac

Another recipe and photo free post. Sorry, I've discovered that this is not only an opportunity to share cooking experiences, but a great place to vent. So read or don't read, these are my thoughts on fast food.

Entrepreneurship class is a waste of my time, at least 99.99% of the time. Today, even though the movie we watched had very little educational value (no matter how relevant Mr. Clayton insists it is) I was actually, for once, interested. When the video started I was less than surprised to see Ray Kroc was the focus, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of modern times, and certainly one of the most influential men in the history of the food industry.

I'm not a fan of McDonald's restaurants, really not a fan of fast food in general, and Ray Kroc gave me one more reason to dislike them. I don't enjoy eating at fast food places because I feel like I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I know it's not good for me, I generally perceive everything about them to be rather dirty, and the fact that the food is so cheaply made makes me wonder if it's really, well, even food at all. I'm not a complete heath nut, but I'm conscious enough that Hardy's, Wendy's, White Castle, Taco Bell, Burger King, and so on just don't make my nutritional cut. I can't complete dismiss these establishments on the basis of their actual food, however. I will admit, some of it does taste decently good and they certainly have their place in today's world. More than anything though I dislike the concept on which fast food restaurants were founded and now continue to flourish.

I wouldn't even consider the McDonald brothers, who actually opened the original McDonald's in California, any type of chefs. They first started a movie theater in an attempt to make their fortune in the business world, and only decided to start a restaurant after observing the success of a hotdog stand on a nearby corner. The two opened their own hotdog stand that eventually evolved into a drive-up restaurant complete with carhops. The motivation behind the establishment, revenue. And that's exactly what Ray Kroc, pure salesman, had in mind when he became involved with the McDonald brothers.

Ray Kroc was undeniably a business genius. The globalization of McDonald's was initiated by his nation wide franchising campaign. Without him, McDonald's would have remained a single self-service burger joint in California. So what's my issue? What do I have against a self-made billionaire, and even most other fast food corporations?

Their food isn't about anything more than expansion. Than industry advancement. Than revenue. The idea at the core of any fast food restaurant is increasing speed and efficiency, minimizing cost, and maximizing profit. There is no love in the billions of hamburgers sold by McDonald's, their is only the motivation to make money. McDonald's is the way it is because they've found a way to capitalize on the vulnerable appetites of the ever fatter American population, and have no problem doing so. In the case of McDonald's, and really all it's competitors, it is quantity over quality. Who cares what's in the food as long as people are guzzling them down fast enough to fill a paycheck?

For those of those who loves McDonald's I suppose this really is of no concern. If you like the food who cares what the people making it think? I guess, with a real love for good wholesome food, my viewpoint is a little different. I hate to think so many capitalize on food without really haven't any respect for it, or for the people eating it. As I've said, and continue to believe, food is about love. There is no love in a BigMac.

2 comments:

  1. So, to sum it up McDonald's sucks and you should cook your own food. Another major point is that Entrepreneurship is an awful class with an even more awful teacher and is a complete waste of everyone's time. That would be why I dropped it after the first couple of days of dealing with that idiot.

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  2. So did Bennett. I hoped it would get better... I was wrong.

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