Customer Reviews

Making Fast Food: From the Frying Pan into the Fryer

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This is a really good book!! It is a great introduction to the culture of north American capitalism, specifically from the perspective of labor. I assigned this to several of my classes when we spoke about consumption; they learned a great deal about the labor involved in consumer society... and enjoyed doing it!

Reiter set out to do a sociological/anthropological study of workers at McDonald's and fast food. Denied permission to work under the golden arches, Reiter then switched to Burger King. As a graduate student, Reiter was able to observe through participant observation what it was like to be an employee in the culture of the fast food industry.

I liked the chapter discussing the origins of mass consumerism of fast food; Rieter presents the the cliche process of "flipping burgers" within the context of Taylor's efficiency models, and Marx's discussions of class relations. In a very friendly, enjoyable way, this book gives the reader a new view on the fast food industry, how it uses labor, and creates "community" within larger corporate contexts. She also gives this sometimes belittled occupation a more human character, and helps the reader understand the cycle of class construction and worker's poverty which comes out of "flipping burgers."

Ester Reiter's Making Fast Food is an interesting, detailed account not only into the world of Burger King, but also into the North American culture that has permitted franchises to be representative of our fast pace world. I enjoyed this book because it included necessary facts and case studies; however, it touched on ideas to which we can all relate. The increasing participation rate of women into paid labor was discussed fervently by Reiter. As well, she wrote of struggles by minority groups and youth trying to gain employment. Both accounts are very interesting. Reiter's style of writing is professional, yet easy to follow. Reiter's ideas on how North American culture grew into a fast food world left me thinking far after I closed the book. Written from a sociological, anthropological, and cultural perspectives, Reiter's book is a joy to read.