HW 3 - Food - Fast Food Insights and Green Market Realizations

Going into both a fast food place and a farmer’s market gave me a lot more insight on food and the different perspective people have on it.  I went to McDonald’s first, which is one of the largest fast food chains in the world.  It is an indoor establishment with seats, but the workers don’t serve you. They are most famous for selling burgers and fries. When asked why they chose to eat at McDonald’s, a costumer replied “It was here.” Convenience seems to play a major role in McDonald’s success. The ATM machines and restrooms also make the restaurant accommodating.

The farmer’s market was a completely different atmosphere. It is an outdoor market where farmers/ food producers sell their product in stands. Most of the produce is made organically which adds to the appeal of the food. The organic market has expanded a lot over the years and this is because organically grown food is positive for the community and good for the environment. The prices are a lot higher at farmer’s markets then they are at McDonald’s because it cost more to make the product and the labor costs are higher. I asked a person who was purchasing food from a stand why they choose to buy groceries from the farmer’s market. Their response was that the food was good quality and that they trusted it. The farmers have years of experience so it is definitely safe to trust them. There are even schools that some of the farmers run to teach younger kids how to grow their own crops.

America is trying to promote healthy eating and is giving everyone an opportunity to buy healthier foods. Some stands at the farmers market took food stamps. The nation’s new found concern with health and organic ingredients has caused fast food chains to react. McDonald’s choose to jump on the band wagon by creating the “real fruit smoothies”. I believe that they created this product to strengthen their image and counter their bad reputation regarding the healthiness of the food. McDonald’s also lists the calories of all the items on their menu, and their calorie count is very high.

 For a person who is trying to maintain an average 2000 calorie diet, eating fast food three times a day is not the best idea. McDonald’s has a definite advantage over famer’s markets though, because of their various locations, cheap prices, and their prepared food that gets to the costumer quickly. A person who goes to fast food restaurants probably thinks “why would I pay $4.00 for cheese when I can get a double cheese burger and fries for the same price?”