Study Guide for Fast Food Nation

Transcription

1 Study Guide for Fast Food Nation Directions: The following questions will help you to annotate and understand each of the chapters from Fast Food Nation and help guide you as you read. Answer to aid in your comprehension of the text. You will need to provide a citation for each direct quote. Example: (Schlosser 200) Introduction 1. How does the amount spent on fast food compare with the amount spent on other things in our society? 2. Why is fast food worth studying? 3. What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by Eric Schlosser? 4. What does Schlosser say about independent farmers? Quote. 5. What does Schlosser say about the political clout of the meat packing industry? Quote. 6. According to Schlosser, why did he write this book? Chapter 1 "The Founding Fathers" 7. What restaurant chain did Carl Karcher start? 8. Why did General Motors want to buy trolley systems throughout the U.S.? 9. What was the "Speedee Service System," and how was it different from what other fast food restaurants were doing? 10. What were some of the characteristics of the men who started the fast food industry?

2 11. What were some of the other fast food restaurants that were inspired by McDonald's approach to food service? Chapter 2 "Your Trusted Friends" 12. What are some of the parallels between Ray Kroc and Walt Disney? 13. How does Schlosser describe Walt Disney's and Ray Kroc's involvement in politics? 14. What is synergy in marketing and what are some of the ways that fast food companies practice synergy? 15. Why, in the 1980s, did companies start marketing to children, and what were some of the ways in which they did this? 16. How successful have efforts been to limit advertising aimed at children? What does Schlosser say about marketing fast food products in the schools? Chapter 3 "Behind the Counter" 17. What new businesses have moved into Colorado Springs in recent years? 18. How does McDonald's decide where to build new restaurants? 19. Why are so many fast food employees teenagers? 20. What is meant by "McDonald's English?" 21. What is the average job turnover rate in the fast food industry? 22. How has the "real value" of wages at fast food restaurants changed over time? Page2

3 23. How has the fast food industry responded to efforts to unionize its workers? 24. How many workers at McDonald's in North America are unionized? 25. What are the benefits and costs of having teenagers work after school? 26. What is the impact of the Fair Labor Standards Act and of Colorado state law on the hours that minors in Colorado Springs work at fast food restaurants? 27. What does Schlosser say about robbery and murder in fast food restaurants? 28. Who is often responsible for committing robberies of fast food restaurants? Chapter 4 "Success" 29. What was different about the way McDonald's franchised businesses? 30. How does the cost of a McDonald's franchise compare with the cost of a franchise from other fast food chains? 31. How does the failure rate of franchises in general compare to that of other businesses? 32. Among franchises, what is "encroachment?" 33. What are some of the disadvantages of running a franchise? 34. What fast food chain is considered the worst in its treatment of franchisees? Page3

4 Chapter 5 "Why the Fries Taste Good" 35. What connection does J. R. Simplot have to the fast food industry? 36. How have the potato farms in Idaho changed in the twenty-five years or so before Schlosser wrote his book? 37. What is PGI and how successful has it been at organizing potato farmers? 38. What is the "fallacy of composition? 39. What made McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants? 40. What did you assume about the definition of "natural flavors" before reading this book? 41. What are some of the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors?" 42. Eric Schlosser states, Calling any of these flavors natural requires a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony (127). What is the author s tone in this paragraph? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the selection. Page4

5 Chapter 6 "On the Range" 43. What are some of the problems facing cattle ranchers? Quote. 44. What impact has the consolidation of the meat packing industry had on cattle ranchers? 45. What are "captive supplies" of cattle? 46. What was the impact of the Chicken McNugget on the poultry industry? 47. What are the conditions or terms of business under which most poultry farmers operate? 48. How does the nutritional value of a McNugget compare with that of a hamburger? 49. Why would small independent cattle ranchers be afraid to speak out against the practices of large meat processors? 50. Which type of cattle rancher faces the greatest economic difficulty? 51. How does the suicide rate for ranchers and farmers compare with the rate for U.S. citizens in general? Page5

6 What exactly is it that is in the McDonald s chicken nuggets? Here's a fun fact: their "chicken" is actually, at most, 44 percent chicken. The rest is mostly corn, salt, preservatives, and a few other interesting nasties. When someone orders chicken nuggets, it's generally understood that you're getting chicken, not corn. Unfortunately, corn is extremely abundant in this country, so corn and corn products compose the majority of McDonalds "chicken" nuggets. There are 38 ingredients in the McDonalds "chicken" nuggets: The chicken (which is fed genetically altered corn, by the way) modified cornstarch (without this, the "chicken" nuggets would not be able to hold themselves together, due to the extreme processing of the nugget), emulsifiers (so that the fats in the nuggets do not separate, forming a nasty thing), dextrose (it's a sugar), chicken broth (a source of moisture and some flavor that has been leeched out of the nugget by the processing of the product). Do you still want to eat them? Other fillers include vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated corn oil, and citric acid. Aluminum phosphate and calcium lactate help prevent the rancid vegetable fats in the nuggets from starting to rot visibly and starting to smell disgusting. Dimethylpolysioxene is added to the oil to prevent starches from binding. The major problem: this chemical is a carcinogen What's more--and you'll like this--it's actually flammable. Tertiary butylhydroquinone is derived from petroleum and is an antioxidant that is actually sprayed directly on the nugget to preserve freshness. It s basically, butane, and it is a lighter fluid!! 52. Which quote in the above passage is the most shocking to you? Highlight it yellow. 53. The passage contains a rhetorical question. Locate and highlight the rhetorical question blue and explain the purpose of the rhetorical question. 54. Looking at the context clues, what would be the meaning of the word carcinogen? 55. The author of this passage is trying to persuade the reader in what way? Diction: Diction includes words or phrases that the author uses to purposely persuade the reader. 56. Which word in the second sentence is a purposeful example of diction? 57. Phrases such as rancid vegetable fats are also considered diction. Why would the author purposely use the word rancid (what connotations go with that word)? 58. Starting to rot visibly and smell disgusting is also purposeful diction. Why are these phrases so obviously biased (one sided) in their perspective? 59. How would an article written by a McDonald s representative be different in perspective and diction? Page6

7 Chapter 7 "Cogs in the Great Machine" 60. What changes did IBP introduce to the meat packing industry? 61. Why were newer meat packing plants located in rural areas rather than in cities? 62. What were the links between IBP and organized crime? 63. What has been the relationship between labor unions and modern meat packing plants? 64. How do wages in meat packing plants compare with wages in the early 1900s after the workers became unionized? 65. How high is the employee turnover rate in the meat packing industry, and why don't the meat packing plants see this as a problem? 66. Where do meat packing companies go to recruit new employees? Chapter 8 "The Most Dangerous Job" 67. How does the injury rate in meat packing compare with the injury rate in other occupations? 68. What kinds of injuries do workers in meatpacking plants typically suffer? 69. What is the impact on workers of speeding up the line in meatpacking plants? 70. Why don't more workers complain about safety conditions in the plants? 71. What role do supervisors play in the reporting of workplace injuries in meat processing plants? Page7

8 72. What does the author describe as the most dangerous type of work in these plants, and what kinds of injuries do these workers risk? 73. How has the authority of OSHA changed over time? 74. What does the author think about claims that meatpacking plants have a great deal of concern about the health and well being of their workers? 75. From a worker's point of view, what are some of the problems with Colorado's workers' compensation law? Chapter 9 "What's in the Meat?" 76. Compared to rates from several decades before the publication of the book, how common are foodrelated illnesses? 77. How has the centralization of food production influenced the spread of food-related illnesses? 78. What authority does the U.S. Government have to demand the recall of tainted meat? 79. What are most of the microbes in meat spread by? 80. What was the first national hamburger chain, and what did it do to try to change the image of the hamburger? 81. What are the effects of E. coli 0157:H7 on the human body? 82. What are some of the ways people can be infected with E. coli 0157:H7? 83. What kinds of things are fed to cattle, things that might facilitate the spread of pathogens? Page8

9 84. Why is the author concerned about the use of older dairy cattle to make ground beef? 85. How has the meatpacking industry generally responded to health concerns about the nation's beef? 86. What was the Streamlined Inspection System launched by the USDA? 87. How did the Jack In The Box restaurant chain respond to its outbreak of salmonella? 88. What kind of meat is selected for consumption in public schools? Chapter 10 "Global Realization" 89. Why did Schlosser visit Plauen, Germany? 90. In a discussion of fast food corporations, why is it important to talk about their overseas operations? 91. In foreign countries, what group does most fast food advertising target? 92. In what ways might there be a connection between the obesity rate in America and the fast food industry? 93. Why is obesity a problem for American society as a whole? 94. What kind of business is the most frequent target of anti-american protests in foreign countries, and what kinds of groups engage in these protests? 95. What did London Greenpeace do to protest McDonald's, and what was McDonald's response? Page9

10 Epilogue "Have It Your Way" 96. In what ways are restaurants like Conway's Red Top and In-N-Out different from McDonald's and most other fast food chains? 97. What does Schlosser think should be done about advertising unhealthy foods to children? 98. What does Schlosser say about the safety of the U.S. food supply compared with that of other countries? 99. What does Schlosser think Congress should do about food safety and about working conditions in meatpacking companies? 100. What can consumers do to change food safety and working conditions in the fast food industry? Afterword "The Meaning of Mad Cow" Summarize this section of the book: Page10

11 Analyzing Nutrition Labels Class Practice Directions: Read the following label. Answer the questions that follow. McDonald s USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items Serving Size Calories Total Fat (g) Cholesterol Carbohydrates Hamburger 3.5 oz Cheeseburger 4 oz Double Cheeseburger 5.8 oz McDouble 5.3 oz Quarter Pounder with Cheese Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 7 oz oz Big Mac 7.5 oz What is the serving size of a McDouble? 2. Which sandwich has the highest fat content? 3. Would you be better off eating a Big Mac or three hamburgers based on total fat intake? 4. How many cheeseburgers could you eat to equal close to the same amount of cholesterol intake as a double quarter pounder with cheese? 5. If you were trying to eat the most carbohydrates, which sandwich should you eat? Page11

12 Directions: Read the following labels. Answer the questions that follow. Bacon Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza - Pepperoni topping Medium Pan Pizza Super supreme topping Medium Thin N Crispy Pizza Cheese topping Medium Hand-Tossed Style Pizza - Meat Lover s topping 3 Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza Italian Sausage topping 6 personal pan pizza Pepperoni topping 6 personal pan pizza Chicken Supreme topping Serving Size Calories Total Fat (g) 2 slices slice slices slice slices whole whole Large Double Bacon 6 Cheese Pizza Small Cheese Pizza Medium Pepperoni Pizza Large John s Favorite Pizza Medium The Works Pizza Medium The Meats Pizza Large Garden Fresh Pizza Serving Size Calories Total Fat (g) 2 slices slice slices slice slices slices slice Is it less fat to eat two slices of Pizza Hut s medium hand-tossed style pizza with meat lover s topping or two slices of Papa John s medium The Works pizza? 2. How many total fat grams would be consumed if somebody ate three slices of Pizza Hut s medium pan pizza with super supreme topping and two slices of Papa John s large garden fresh pizza? 3. If you were watching your calorie intake and your only choices to eat were the above pizzas, which pizza should you choose? 4. Is it better to eat 3 slices of Pizza Hut s 3 cheese stuffed crust pizza with Italian sausage or 4 slices of Papa John s large double bacon 6 cheese pizza? 5. Based on the charts above, which statement is true? A. Pizza Hut s medium pan pizza with super supreme topping has less fat than Papa John s large garden fresh pizza. B. Eating one slice of pizza from Pizza Hut s medium thin n crispy cheese pizza is healthier than eating Papa John s small medium pizza. C. Two slices of a Papa John s medium pepperoni pizza is equivalent to eating two slices of Pizza Hut s bacon cheese stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni topping. D. Pizza Hut s total fat grams of a whole 6 personal chicken supreme topping pan pizza is equivalent to Papa John s total fat grams of one slice of a large John s favorite pizza. 6. All of the following statements are true except: A. It is less calories to eat four slices of Papa John s medium The Meats pizza than three slices of Pizza Hut s 3 cheese stuffed crust pizza with Italian sausage. B. Two slices of Pizza Hut s bacon cheese stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni topping is equivalent to the same number of grams of fat as two slices of Pizza Hut s 3 cheese stuffed crust pizza with Italian sausage topping. C. Less calories are consumed in eating Pizza Hut s 6 personal pepperoni pan pizza than two slices of Papa John s large garden fresh pizza. D. Eating two whole Pizza Hut s 6 personal pan pizza with chicken supreme topping Page12

13 Analyzing Nutrition Labels Individual Practice Directions: Read the following label. Answer the questions that follow. Type Serving Size (g) Calories Total Fat (g) Carbs (g) Wendy s Chicken Nuggets (5pc) unknown McDonald s Chicken McNuggets (6pc) White Castle Chicken Rings (6pc) Burger King Chicken Tenders (6pc) Burger King Chicken Fries (6pc) KFC Popcorn Chicken (large) Arby s Popcorn Chicken (large) Hardee s Chicken Strips (5pc) McDonald s Chicken Selects Premium Strips (5pc) Carl s Jr. Chicken Breast Strips (5pc) Arby s Chicken Tenders (5pc) Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (6pc) Which fast food restaurant has the biggest serving size? 2. How many more carbs would you eat from Burger King s chicken tenders than Wendy s chicken nuggets? 3. Eating both Arby s popcorn chicken and McDonald s chicken McNuggets has the same amount of fat grams as which fast food restaurant s type of meal? 4. Would you be better off eating Hardee s chicken strips or White Castle s chicken rings if you were watching your fat intake? 5. Which fast food restaurant has the most unhealthy basket of chicken? 6. If you were to eat two of KFC s popcorn chicken and one of White Castle s chicken rings, how many total calories and fat grams would you be eating? Page13

14 Directions: Read the following labels. Answer the questions that follow. Serving Calories Total Fat (g) Serving Calories Total Fat (g) Tomato Bruschetta appetizer Bruschetta 1 srv Peasant Bread 1 loaf Breadstick 1 piece Spaghetti and Meatballs with meat sauce 1 srv Lasagna Primavera w/ grilled chicken 1 srv Chicken Alfredo 1 srv Chicken Alfredo 1 srv Veal Marsala 1 srv Lasagna Classico 1 srv Lobster Ravioli 1 srv Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara 1 srv Grilled Salmon with spinach orzo pasta 1 srv Parmesan Crusted Fillet 1 srv Smothered Chocolate Cake 1 piece Black Tie Mousse Cake 1 piece Tiramisu 1 piece Tiramisu 1 piece How many total fat grams are included in a Macaroni Grill dinner of 2 loaves of peasant bread, a serving of lobster ravioli, and smothered chocolate cake? 2. What is the difference in fat grams between Macaroni Grill s tomato bruschetta and Olive Garden s bruschetta? 3. Based on calories, is it better to eat Olive Garden s parmesan crusted fillet or Macaroni Grill s grilled salmon with spinach orzo pasta? 4. Which are the unhealthiest meals at both Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill? 5. Based on the charts above, which statement is true? A. The fat content in Olive Garden s black tie mousse cake is less than Macaroni Grill s smothered chocolate cake. B. Macaroni Grill s peasant bread is equivalent to eating one breadstick at Olive Garden. C. The tiramisu at Olive Garden is healthier to eat than Macaroni Grill s tiramisu. D. More calories are consumed with Olive Garden s chicken alfredo than Macaroni Grill s chicken alfredo. 6. All of the following statements are true except: A. Olive Garden s bruschetta is 11 g of fat more than Macaroni Grill s tomato bruschetta. B. More calories are consumed with Olive Garden s chicken and shrimp carbonara than Macaroni Grill s veal marsala. C. One could eat two servings of Olive Garden s lasagna primavera with grilled chicken and still eat less calories than one piece of Macaroni Grill s smothered chocolate cake. D. Macaroni Grill s spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce is twice the amount of fat grams as Olive Garden s chicken and shrimp carbonara. Page14

15 The Jungle The following are excerpts from The Jungle by the muckraker Upton Sinclair. He described the filthy conditions of the meat packing industry in Chicago during the Progressive Era. As you read the following sections think about how Upton Sinclair s descriptions compare with Eric Schlosser s descriptions in Fast Food Nation. Chapter 5: Sinclair describes the conditions one worker faces as a pickler. It seemed that he was working in the room where the men prepared the beef for canning, and the beef had lain in vats full of chemicals, and men with great forks speared it out and dumped it into trucks, to be taken to the cooking room. When they had speared out all they could reach, they emptied the vat on the floor, and then with shovels scraped up the balance and dumped it into the truck. This floor was filthy, yet they set Antanas with his mop slopping the "pickle" into a hole that connected with a sink, where it was caught and used over again forever; and if that were not enough, there was a trap in the pipe, where all the scraps of meat and odds and ends of refuse were caught, and every few days it was the old man's task to clean these out, and shovel their contents into one of the trucks with the rest of the meat! Later in the same chapter Sinclair describes the way sick cattle are still used for meat. All of these were sinister incidents, but they were trifles compared to what Jurgis saw with his own eyes before long. One curious thing he had noticed, the very first day, in his profession of shoveler of guts which was the sharp trick of the floor bosses whenever there chanced to come a "slunk" calf. Any man who knows anything about butchering knows that the flesh of a cow that is about to calve, or has just calved, is not fit for food. A good many of these came every day to the packing houses and, of course, if they had chosen, it would have been an easy matter for the packers to keep them till they were fit for food. But for the saving of time and fodder, it was the law that cows of that sort came along with the others, and whoever noticed it would tell the boss, and the boss would start up a conversation with the government inspector, and the two would stroll away. So in a trice the carcass of the cow would be cleaned out, and entrails would have vanished; it was Jurgis' task to slide them into the trap, calves and all, and on the floor below they took out these "slunk" calves, and butchered them for meat, and used even the skins of them. One day a man slipped and hurt his leg, and that afternoon, when the last of the cattle had been disposed of, and the men were leaving, Jurgis was ordered to remain and do some special work which this injured man had usually done. It was late, almost dark, and the government inspectors had all gone, and there were only a dozen or two of men on the floor. That day they had killed about four thousand cattle, and these cattle had come in freight trains from far states, and some of them had got hurt. There were some with broken legs, and some with gored sides; there were some that had died, from what cause no one could say; and they were all to be disposed of, here in darkness and silence. "Downers," the men called them; and the packing house had a special elevator upon which they were raised to the killing beds, where the gang proceeded to handle them, with an air of businesslike nonchalance which said plainer than any words that it was a matter of everyday routine. It took a couple of hours to get them out of the way, and in the end Jurgis saw them go into the chilling rooms with the rest of the meat, being carefully scattered here and there so that they could not be identified. Page15

16 In Chapter 9 Sinclair describes one of the rivers near the packing plants. "Bubbly Creek" is an arm of the Chicago River and forms the southern boundary of the yards: all the drainage of the square mile of packing houses empties into it so that it is really a great open sewer a hundred or two feet wide. One long arm of it is blind, and the filth stays there forever and a day. The grease and chemicals that are poured into it undergo all sorts of strange transformations, which are the cause of its name; it is constantly in motion as if huge fish were feeding in it, or great leviathans disporting themselves in its depths. Bubbles of carbonic acid gas will rise to the surface and burst, and make rings two or three feet wide. Here and there the grease and filth have caked solid, and the creek looks like a bed of lava; chickens walk about on it, feeding, and many times an unwary stranger has started to stroll across, and vanished temporarily. The packers used to leave the creek that way, till every now and then the surface would catch on fire and burn furiously, and the fire department would have to come and put it out. Once, however, an ingenious stranger came and started to gather this filth in scows, to make lard out of; then the packers took the cue, and got out an injunction to stop him, and afterward gathered it themselves. The banks of "Bubbly Creek" are plastered thick with hairs, and this also the packers gather and clean. In Chapter 14 Sinclair describes the processing of contaminated meat. It was only when the whole ham was spoiled that it came into the department of Elzbieta. Cut up by the two-thousand-revolutions- a-minute flyers, and mixed with half a ton of other meat, no odor that ever was in a ham could make any difference. There was never the least attention paid to what was cut up for sausage; there would come all the way back from Europe old sausage that had been rejected, and that was moldy and white it would be dosed with borax and glycerin, and dumped into the hoppers, and made over again for home consumption. There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it. It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together. This is no fairy story and no joke; the meat would be shoveled into carts, and the man who did the shoveling would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one there were things that went into the sausage in comparison with which a poisoned rat was a tidbit. There was no place for the men to wash their hands before they ate their dinner, and so they made a practice of washing them in the water that was to be ladled into the sausage. There were the butt-ends of smoked meat, and the scraps of corned beef, and all the odds and ends of the waste of the plants, that would be dumped into old barrels in the cellar and left there. Under the system of rigid economy which the packers enforced, there were some jobs that it only paid to do once in a long time, and among these was the cleaning out of the waste barrels. Every spring they did it; and in the barrels would be dirt and rust and old nails and stale water and cartload after cartload of it would be taken up and dumped into the hoppers with fresh meat, and sent out to the public's breakfast. Some of it they would make into "smoked" sausage but as the smoking took time, and was therefore expensive, they would call upon their chemistry department, and preserve it with borax and color it with gelatin to make it brown. All of their sausage came out of the same bowl, but when they came to wrap it they would stamp some of it "special," and for this they would charge two cents more a pound. Page16

17 SAR Crossover Practice What message do you think Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation and Upton Sinclair in The Jungle are trying to convey? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from both selections. Do you think Upton Sinclair and Eric Schlosser have anything in common? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from both selections. Page17

18 Fat is Not a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen I am thinking of a fairy tale, I am thinking of a fairy tale, I am thinking of a fairy tale Cinder Elephant, Hansel and Great, that is not yet written, Sleeping Tubby, Repoundsel, for a teller not yet born, Snow Weight, Bounty and the Beast, for a listener not yet conceived, where the princess is not where the beauty for a world not yet won, anorexic, wasp-waisted, has a pillowed breast, where everything round is good: flinging herself down the stairs. and fingers plump as sausage. the sun, wheels, cookies, and the princess. 1. What do you feel is the significance of the title? 2. What is Yolen s main message? Give text evidence that reveals it within the poem. 3. Why do you think the poet chose to make her poem about this subject? 4. What do you think Eric Schlosser s opinion of this poem would be? 5. How is this poem contradictory to the ideas presented in the excerpts from Fast Food Nation? Page18

19 Test REVIEW: Fast Food Nation On your Fast Food Nation test, you will need to be able to: 1. identify main ideas and distinguish between important details and less significant ones 2. identify an author s purpose for writing a particular paragraph, passage, or text: a. inform c. describe e. entertain b. explain d. persuade 3. identify persuasive statements a. What quotes from a text are clearly meant to convince you of something? b. How do you know? 4. identify an author s tone about a subject based on the information he or she shares as well as the words he or she chooses to use a. Identify the most important facts in a text. b. Identify strong language (words with strongly positive or negative connotations-emotional connections). c. What do these two things tell you about how the author feels about the subject? 5. explain the organizational pattern of a particular paragraph, passage, or text a. chronological/sequential c. compare/contrast e. cause/effect b. problem/solution d. description 6. support inferences with text evidence a. What conclusions can you draw from your reading? b. What did you read that made you think that? 7. define new and/or difficult words using context clues a. Highlight or circle difficult words. b. Try to define the word by the paragraph it s in. c. Check yourself with a dictionary. 8. read, analyze, and interpret nutritional information from a chart or graph a. Look at a box or can of food from your pantry. Can you calculate the calories, fat, sodium, and sugar in an entire package? b. Compare two items from your pantry. Which one has the most calories? The least? Which one has more fat? Which one has more sodium? Which one is healthier and why? 9. compare and contrast the content and purpose of two related articles a. How is the attached article similar to what you ve read from Fast Food Nation? b. How is the attached article different from what you ve read from Fast Food Nation? 10. understand what gives a particular author credibility/believability a. expertise b. trustworthiness 11. identify the thesis of a passage or text. a. What is the author trying to tell you about with this text? b. How do you know? To study for your test, read the article on the next page and complete the tasks listed above based on your reading.

20 Chicago School Bans Lunches Brought From Home To encourage healthful eating, Little Village Academy doesn t allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home some parents, and many students, aren t fans of the policy. Fernando Dominguez is upset and he wants his school to know it. Recently, during lunch time at his school, Fernando began shouting to his classmates in Spanish and English. Who thinks the lunch is not good enough? Who thinks the lunch is not good enough? Immediately dozens of hands flew in the air. Other students shouted back. We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! Fernando waved his hand over the crowd. He asked the visiting reporter, Do you see the situation? Why are Fernando and his classmates so upset? They are tired of the lunch policy at their school, Little Village Academy. The policy says they are not allowed to bring lunch from home. They must eat school lunch. All of the students at Little Village Academy are required to eat cafeteria food. The principal of Little Village Academy, Elsa Carmona, created the policy six years ago. She says she watched students bringing very unhealthy food on field trips for their lunch; she also noticed students who didn t bring a lunch and went hungry. Students were bringing bottles of soda and flaming hot chips, or skipped lunch completely, she says. Elsa Carmona decided she needed to do something to make sure that all of her students ate and ate healthy food. So she created her no home lunch policy. She says her policy helps kids to stay healthy. She says she is protecting kids from not eating or making unhealthy food choices. Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school, Ms. Carmona says. It s about the kids eating and nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It s a milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception. Chicago Public Schools supports Elsa Carmona s school lunch policy. A Chicago Public School spokeswoman wrote, This principal is encouraging healthier choices. Fernando and many of his classmates do not agree with the policy. At the school, they must take the meals served in the cafeteria or go hungry. Sometimes, they take the cafeteria lunch but then throw it away. Many students say the food tastes bad. They would rather go hungry than eat it. Some parents are upset about the lunch policy. Some of the kids don t like the food they give at our school for lunch or breakfast, said Little Village parent, Erica Martinez. So it would be a good idea if they could bring their lunch so they could at least eat something. Anna, a grandparent at the school, says she is also upset. My grandson is really picky about what he eats. I think the kids should be able to bring their lunch. However, other parents like the policy. One parent, Miguel Medina said he thinks the policy is a good one. The school food is very healthy, he says. When they bring lunch from home, there is no control over the food. Justin Wilson, a person who researched at the Washington-based Center for Consumer Freedom, says Little Village Academy s lunch policy is hurting parents rights. He says that one policy cannot work for everyone. Some parents may want to pack a gluten-free meal for a child, and others may have no problem with a child enjoying a soda. Another problem with the policy is that parents must all pay for the school lunch. Parents may have to pay $2.25 a day for food their kids don t like! The students say they should be given a chance. They re afraid that we ll all bring in greasy food instead of healthy food and it won t be as good as what they give us at school, says student, Yesenia Gutierrez. It s really lame. If we could bring in our own lunches, everyone knows what they d bring. For example, the vegetarians could bring in their own veggie food. Second-grader Gerardo Ramos says, I would bring a banana, orange and some grapes. Another second-grader named Julian Ruiz says, Sometimes I would bring the healthy stuff. But sometimes I would bring Lunchables.