Sadness reigns over my stomach as I contemplate the fact that my favorite burrito place, one outlet of a small, local chain, has closed. And though I can’t prove it I suspect it is in large part do to the cannibalization of its business by the Chipolte Mexican Grill. Not so bad, you say? Fair market competition, you say? Bullshit, I say. Chipolte is owned and operated by McDonalds.
I guess I’m just disappointed that I’m getting the food that all these other lazy assholes have decided I should eat. Want a real wake up call? Read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser for a really interesting look at how the economics of fast food chains have changed every aspect of our food from the growing of the vegetables and the raising of the cattle through the harvesting and slaughtering and on through the preparation, selling, and even consumption. Is it going to turn me into a vegetarian? No. I already knew that slaughter houses were horrible, disgusting places and yet, I still love a good hamburger. Is it going to swear me off fast food for the rest of my life? More than likely, yes.
All I do know for sure is that the quality of life in America is going to continue to decline if we don’t start exercising the power we do have. Schlosser rightly points out that the CEOs of McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC are three men to our about 300 million consumers of food in the U.S. We’ve got them over a barrel and we don’t even know it.