Fast Food Industry

It is safe to say that McDonald's has become a standard symbol of the Western world, and of the U.S. in particular. Knowing that, it's easier to see why some nations have a problem with Westernization -- out of all the things we have in our country, McDonald's and other fast food chains should not be the things that we export as a symbol of our way of life. All they do is promote obesity disguised as convenience, and it's time Americans recognize this and demand change.


There would be so much less wrong with the concept of fast food if the majority of Americans developed some sense of self-control and self-awareness. Fast food is not vital to one's diet and therefore should not be eaten multiple times a day, ideally not even multiple times a week. But no. People keep eating it and eating it and then wonder five years later what they possibly could have done to result in such high LDL cholesterol levels and clogged arteries. Not only that, but people get fat. Sorry if that's too blunt, but it's true. We are heading down the road of becoming an obese society, if we aren't there already. And still, people get so offended about weight comments when it's not even intended as an insult. Wake up, it's true. You're fat. If you don't like to hear it, or you can't admit to it, do something about it instead of complaining. And as a side note, whether you do or do not care, please dress appropriately for your body. That should be a given. Everyone of every body type has something that, when worn properly, looks good for them. (See: TLC's What Not to Wear.)

That aside, I think this epidemic is a social problem at its roots. Fast food was developed as a means of eating on the go, and now people are constantly go, go, go in everyday life. What I fail to understand, however, is why the fast food industry developed into something so unhealthy, overall. There's nothing wrong with the concept of food-on-the-go, but how did it come to be filled with the wrong kinds of fat, hundreds of calories, and perpetually fried? Sure, now there's Subway, but it didn't become an exceptionally popular eatery until Jared's weight loss starred in commercials. People have already started to recognize that fast food is not the very best choice given the nutrition that comes along with it, and some chains have started to make their food "healthier," but still, more change needs to occur before too many of their customers die. It shouldn't matter that it's cheaper to produce things in an unhealthy manner -- maybe customers would feel better about coming back more often if they didn't have to worry about having a heart attack at an uncommonly early age.

Now let's look at McDonald's restaurants around the world to see what fast food is like internationally.


McDonald's India

McDonald's Arabia, McDonald's Germany