"Personal Choice"

     I used to enjoy eating meat, until I started doing some research on where meat really comes from. Recently, I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder which made me realize that I needed to change my eating habits. Therefore, I decided to become vegetarian. It has been harsh for me because even though my family supports my idea, some of my friends do not. They criticize the fact that I used to eat meat, and all of the sudden from one day to another I decided to avoid it. At one point I had my doubts, because as I learned from the book The End of Overeating by David Kessler, when one eats something that may taste delicious, opiods are released therefore making one feel good. Just like when I used to eat meat it was very satisfying. Now that I have learned many important facts about the meat industry by taking this class and after reading the book Fast Food Nation by Erick Schlosser, I do not regret my decision. Everyone has personal choices! Even if my friends look at me different, I made that choice for my own benefit.

"The End of Overeating"

Many people do not realize what lures them to overeat. In the book The End of Overeating by David, Kessler he explains that long time ago, people did not have to worry about the intake of calories, or if they gained any weight. Thus in the 80’s there was a change. Surveys were being held regarding health and nutritional status in America. The numbers in people who were overweight had significantly increased.  Over the years, food is becoming more available due to expansion of chain restaurants.” What’s been driving us to overeat?”( Kessler 6).  There is a feedback system in the body that is known as “homeostasis“( Kessler 9). The body creates its own balance, it is suppose to regulate energy,  it is like the parts of the body talking to each other. Another key factor that is mentioned is “ Pelatability” ( Kessler 12). It simply means how food activates ones senses, mainly foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt. Even when one feels satisfied after eating a large proportioned meal, people eat for positive emotion experiences.

"Uniformity"

      In the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, he explains an important concept known an "Uniformity" (Schlosser 5). It simply means that all fast food corporations need to have a way that facilitates the process of service therefore, they must obtain their prodcucts from the same distributor. They have an assembly line for all their products. For exmple, the food needs to be the same as in visual and taste. If a  franchise fast food restaurant opens up in Japan, it must have the same design, the same food, and the same service as the other franchises. It also implies with the workers and the kitchen. They must follow the manuals for the preparation of the food. In order for the food to taste the same, they have food engineers who flavor the food. They add chemicals in order to create the exact taste. When it comes to the meat, they obtain the cattle from the same cattle suppliers, and the chicken from the same chicken "growers". Uniformity keeps it simple for the fast food restaurants and they make more profit keeping it that way.