Chew on This

Chew on This is a book for younger readers by Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) and Charles Wilson on the subject of fast food.

It has a lot of criticism of fast-food restaurants, mainly McDonald's. Some of the subjects it focuses on are the origin of fast-food, the targeting of children, the treatment of the workers, and the treatment of the animals used for the food, among other things.

The book includes things that have happened to many individuals. Towards the end of the book, there is a long list of people who have contributed.

Table of Contents

The chapters in the book, as well as their focus, are as follows:

1. Introduction (Introduction to the book)
2. The Pioneers (The founders of fast food)
3. The Youngster Business (Targeting of children)
4. McJobs (Treatment of the workers)
5. The Secret of the Fries (How French Fries are made)
6. Stop the Pop (What soda pop has done to people)
7. Meat (How the animals used for the food are treated)
8. Big (How fast food has caused obesity)
9. Your Way (Closing to the book)

Focus of the Book

The book is mainly a critique of the fast-food industry. It tends to focus on McDonald's, but covers fast-food in general. It goes on to mention the unhealthiness of some fast food, and how it comes to be made. The book states several times that Ray Kroc wanted to design certain foods to taste the same, no matter which McDonald's you were eating at.

It also mentions many legal cases, as well as other criticisms of fast-food restaurants, such as how fast food's expansion has affected other countries and religions.

New Afterword

The book has recently been published in paperback, and this new paperback edition contains a new afterword.