BLOG 11::CATW # 4

In “let them eat fat”, Critser discusses Fast-food and National restaurants are targeting poor-inner-city communities .  It was the poor communities that empowered the development of so many fast food restaurants, by the need of cheap meals. Not to mention that fast-food places offer super-size for meals that are with a large caloric content. The amount of calories consumptions made in one meal is the amount of calories that are almost consumed in a day on a normal diet. These restaurants are place where African Americans and Latin Americans live.

                The most interesting idea of this article is that the fast food industry likes to target poor-inner-city communities like African Americans and Latin Americans because of large calorie consumptions, cheaper meals due to lack of money and time. Critser said “One of every four hamburgers sold by the good folks of McDonalds, for example, is now purchased by inner-city consumers who, disproportionately, are young black men.” Living in NYC has shown me that fast food places are common, just in my area in queens there are three McDonalds, two Burger Kings, One Wendy’s, four subways, and two taco bells. That’s just in one area of New York. I can only imagine how many more Fast food restaurants there are in New York alone.

                Large calorie consumptions are made all the time especially when so many cheap fast food restaurants are made.  When going into McDonalds, For example, the meals vary from 680 calories to 1,340 calories or more.  Meals offered in McDonalds such as Chicken Nuggets in which most people believe is healthier than a burger and truth would be it’s not, Big Macs, Angus Burgers, ETC. these are all meals that contain too many calories for one person to eat every day. Critser had mentioned “according to the very generous U.S. dietary guidelines, 1,340 calories represent more than half of a teenager’s recommended daily consumption”. There are many High school and college students that go to fast food restaurants like McDonalds to get a snack that contain a large amount of calories, this is why a large percentage of our society remains over weight.

                Although these Fast-food restaurants are very unhealthy many Americans don’t have time or money to be able to have a sit-down dinner. Especially in poor-inner-city communities that work harder than the white man. African Americans and Latino Americans are in areas where fast food restaurants are right around the corner. I live in an area where a lot of Latin men stand outside waiting for a job to come a long, so when they get hungry they have a place like Dunken donuts or McDonalds, ETC. to get a quick cheap meal. That goes for many Americans with no time, whether it’s because of work or schools maybe even both. Our poor communities are being served with the bad end of the stick, our health’s are always at risk because of the food we eat, and to save a quick buck or even to save some time.