Fast Food Nation Master Quiz

Teenagers are perfect candidates for working in the fast food industry because they are less expensive to hire than adults. Their inexperience also makes them easier to control.

Why are teenagers perfect candidates for working in the fast food industry?

The architecture.

What distinctive aspect of McDonald's is as strictly protected by copyright law as the designs on a box of soap?

The Red Cross.

What do Ray Kroc and Walt Disney join to see battle in Europe in 1917?

A Degree in Hamburgerology.

What do prospective managers train for at Hamburger University?

Crank.

What do some workers need to make themselves feel charged up and self-confident?

The Speedee Service Sytem.

What do the McDonald brothers call their system of service?

The difference between good E.coli and bad E. coli is that good E. coli actually helps us digest food, synthesize vitamins, and guard against dangerous organisms. Bad E. coli attacks our vital organs and often kills children.

What is the difference between good E.coli and bad E. coli?

Eighth-grade dropout.

What is the education level of billionaire, J.R. Simplot?

$950.

What is the initial franchising fee Ray Kroc charges to open a McDonald's?

A gutter.

What is the job title of a worker in a packinghouse who pulls the stomach out of a steer and ties off the intestines?

The Gazette-Telegraph.

What is the largest daily newspaper in Colorado Springs?

Tejon Street.

What is the main drag in Colorado Springs?

Moe Stenman.

What is the name of the "labor consultant" from New York City who meets with IBP and has close ties to La Cosa Nostra?

Focus on the Family.

What is the name of the religious group that James Dobson moves to Colorado Springs from Pomona, California?

Whizzard.

What is the name of the small electric knives with spinning, round blades that workers use to carve meat?

Simon Legree.

What is the name of the supervisor given in the book who belittles his employees injuries, cursing them out, and shouting at his workers to move faster?

The Bible.

What is the nickname for the McDonald's operations and training manual assembled by Fred Turner in 1958?

Little London.

What is the nickname of Colorado Springs?

BSE.

What is the other name for mad cow disease from the book?

Lace.

What is the primary export of Plauen, Germany before World War I?

Beef.

What is the primary flavoring that gives McDonald's french fries their distinctive taste?

Television.

What is the primary medium of children's advertising?

The rancher Hank's form of range management is inspired by the grazing patterns of elk and buffalo herds. The cattle spend ten days or so in one pasture, then move to another, giving the grazed pasture time to recover its native plants.

What is the rancher Hank's form of range management?

The scariest job performed by the late-night cleaning crew is cleaning the vents on the roof in the slaughterhouse. The vents become clogged with grease and dried blood. In the winter, it gets icy and there is a fear among workers of being blown off the roof in high winds.

What is the scariest job performed by the late-night cleaning crew and why?

"At will".

What is the term for how illegals are generally employed?

Plate waste.

What item collected from restaurants in 1997 is banned from being fed to cattle by the FDA?

An Idaho potato farmer's annual income is largely determined by the weather, the world market, and the whims of the giant processors. Prices remain unusually low at the time this book was written.

What largely determines an Idaho potato farmer's annual income?

A prune dryer.

What machine does Simplot buy to dehydrate onions?

The new production method of shipping smaller cuts of beef, developed by IBP, causes skilled, unionized supermarket butchers to be fired because the meat is already in a small form. Instead of shipping huge sides of beef, it is vacuum-sealed and wrapped in plastic.

What new production method developed by IBP causes skilled, unionized supermarket butchers to be fired?

The odd mix of traits that makes J.R. Simplot so successful are that he has seemingly inexhaustible energy and a willingness to take risks. He is a rugged individualist, yet he depends on public land and resources to run his business.

What odd mix of traits makes J.R. Simplot so successful?

90 percent.

What percentage of American children between the ages of three and nine visit a McDonald's?

Seventy.

What percentage of fast food visits is "impulsive"?

Approximately one quarter, or twenty-five percent, of the American population suffers a bout of food poisoning each year. Most of these cases are never reported to authorities or are improperly diagnosed.

What percentage of the American population suffers a bout of food poisoning each year?

Russet Burbank.

What potatoes are considered the perfect frying potato?

Hockey.

What professional sport does Dave Feamster play before buying into a Little Caesar's franchise?

A hot dog cart.

What purchase is Karcher's first foray into the fast food business?

Horatio Alger

What sort of tale is Carl Karcher considered to be an example of?

Ray Kroc's business partner, Harry J. Sonneborn, devises a real estate strategy to ensure McDonald's financial success. The company obtains and leases them to franchisees for a 40% markup.

What strategy does Ray Kroc's business partner, Harry J. Sonneborn, devise to ensure McDonald's financial success?

Cowboy.

What style of clothing does someone not see at Harrison High School now?

The automobile.

What takes over Southern California, completely changing the lifestyle of the population there?

Micron Technology.

What technology firm does Simplot invest in in 1980?

Matheson, Colorado.

What town is near Lasater Ranch?

A ruminant.

What type of animal is a cow in that it eats primarily grass, and maybe grain, with multiple stomachs?

Oligopsony.

What type of monopoly is where there is a market of a small number of buyers exert power over a large number of sellers?

A Shiga toxin.

What type of toxin is released form E. coli O157-H7?

Pork was the most popular meat in America before World War II. Rising incomes and falling cattle prices, the growth of the fast food industry, and the mass appeal of the hamburger drove beef into the forefront of the American palette.

What was the most popular meat in America before World War II and why did that change?

Mad Max.

What was the name of the cat that died in Bristol, England of a feline variant of mad cow disease?

Carhops.

What were people called who served the food at drive-in restaurants?

Texaco.

When Carl's Jr. moves to Colorado Springs, it co-brands its outlets with which company?

1998.

When did the rancher Hank die?

In their sterilizers.

Where do some meatpacking workers cook little bits of meat on a shift?

The Fort Hill Indian Reservation.

Where does Simplot open a phosphate mine?

Cheyenne Mountain.

Where does the Air Defense Command move in 1951?

Michoacan, Mexico.

Where is the food that is "assembled" at Taco Bell restaurants actually made?

The Hell's Angels.

Where is the motorcycle club that springs up in Southern California after World War II?

Blackfoot.

Where is the potato museum in Idaho?

Nigeria.

Where was Matthew Kabong, driver for Little Caesar's pizza in Pueblo, Colorado, born?

In-N-Out Burger.

Which California-based restaurant chain boasts no microwaves, heat lamps, or freezers?

McCain.

Which Canadian firm becomes the number-two fry company after buying Ore-Ida in 1997?

Green Burrito.

Which company does Carl Karcher team up with to save Carl's Jr.?

McDonald's.

Which company required that meatpacking houses slaughter cattle more humanely or lose their business?

Archer Daniels Midland.

Which company's catch phrase is "supermarket to the world"?

ConAgra.

Which company's name translates to "partnership with the land"?

Sweden.

Which country's beef has a vastly lower rate of Salmonella than the U.S., at .01%?

El Paso.

Which county was planning to build a highway right through the heart of Hank's ranch?

White Castle.

Which fast food chain made hamburgers popular in the 1920's?

Dunkin' Donuts.

Which fast food company is one of the first to start selling franchises?

The National Maritime Union.

Which group quickly agrees to a large pay cut for its workers when Monfort takes over a Grand Island, Nebraska slaughterhouse?

Stephen Dorrell.

Which health secretary surprises the British Parliament by declaring that mad cow disease might jump species and infect humans?

Texas.

Which is the only state in the union to allow companies to leave the worker's comp system and set up its own system for dealing with injuries?

Argentine.

Which kind of grass-fed, lower fat beef considered a gourmet item and may be less likely to spread E. coli?

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Which law is passed that makes it illegal for fast food websites to ask for personal information from children?

Railway.

Which transport industry is intentionally wiped out in Southern California?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob.

Which variant of mad cow disease literally destroys the brains of ten young people in Britain?

McDonald's Deutschland.

Who announces that it is putting a new restaurant in every Wal-Mart in Germany?

Wealthy gentlemen ranchers.

Who benefits most from the big tax deductions from donating to the Colorado land trusts?

Thomas Jefferson.

Who brings the Parisian recipe for pommes frites to America in 1802?

Fred Turner.

Who comes up with the idea for the Chicken McNugget in 1979?

A teleservices representative.

Who does sales pitches at FutureCall?

William Rosenberg.

Who founds Dunkin' Donuts?

Christopher Reeve.

Who is last to speak at the "Success" seminar and "cuts through all the snake oil", saying that all the conventional goals people have don't really matter?

ConAgra.

Who is the largest employer in Weld County, Colorado?

Nancy Donley.

Who is the president of STOP (Safe Tables Our Priority)?

A group of Ute Indians.

Who kills Nathan Meeker in a dispute in 1879?

Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc.

Who owns Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut?

Tyson Foods.

Who purchases IBP in this chapter?

The sticker.

Who slits the neck of a steer every ten seconds in the meatpacking house?

Peter Lowe.

Who stages the "Success" seminar that Feamster and his employees attend at McNichos arena?

Mary Lou Makepeace.

Who was elected for a second term in the 1999 Colorado Springs mayoral race?

Kay Orr.

Who was the newly elected governor of Nebraska told by Mike Harper that his company needed more tax breaks or it would pick up shop and leave the state?

Upton Sinclair.

Who writes the book, The Jungle, in 1906?

Osha Gray Davidson.

Who wrote the book, Broken Heartland?

Margaret Heinz

Whom does Carl Karcher marry?

Ronald Reagan's.

Whose previous appearance at the "Success" seminar spurs other celebrities to speak at them?

Is a schoolteacher.

Feamster's wife does what for a living?

Nutritious school meals.

The 1980 Education Act eliminates government subsidies for ___________.

Red Top Restaurant.

Rich Conway helps run which family business?

Frederick DeLuca.

Subway is founded in 1965 by whom?

A trip to Disneyland.

At the "Success" seminar, what is the prize for winning the dance contest?

Spudnik.

At the writing of this book, which company manufactures the latest new, bright red potato harvesting equipment?

Jack Greenberg.

At the writing of this book, who is the current CEO of McDonald's Corporation?

McStore.

Before entering the Ray A. Kroc Musem, visitors pass through what?

General Dynamics.

Disney's broadcast of "Our Friend the Atom" is sponsored by which manufacturing company?

Stock.

During a rough period for the McDonald's corporation, Ray Kroc pays his secretary in what?

Synthetic wool.

During the communist rule of East Germany, the successful manufacturing of what product causes high pollution in the city?

Chain mail.

What are the apron and gloves made of that workers put on to protect themselves from knife wounds?

According to anthropologist, Yunxiang Yan, McDonald's represents Americana and the promise of modernization for Beijing customers. Thousands of people wait patiently for hours to eat at Beijing's first McDonald's opening in 1992.

According to anthropologist, Yunxiang Yan, what does McDonald's represent for Beijing customers?

The 1950's.

According to historian Harvey Levenstein, when was the "Golden Age of Food Processing"?

According to one account, the deal to put McDonald's in Disneyland initially falls through because Disney's company asks Ray Kroc to raise the price of his french fries by a nickel. Kroc didn't want to gouge his loyal customers. However, the author believes this account is highly unlikely.

According to one account, why does the deal to put McDonald's in Disneyland initially fall through?

According to the author, one of President George W. Bush's first acts in office is to rescind new OSHA ergonomics standards. This move was applauded by the National restaurant Association and the American Meat Institute.

According to the author, what is one of President George W. Bush's first acts in office?

According to the author, the purpose of the episodes of the television show, Disneyland, was to sell products. They are thinly disguised infomercials designed to promote films, books, toys and the amusement park.

According to the author, what is the purpose of the episodes of the television show, Disneyland?

Christianity.

According to the founder of the "Success" seminar, which faith is considered to be hopelessly out of date?

Obedience.

After working at Burger King for about a year, what does sociologist Ester Reiter conclude was the trait most valued in fast food workers?

Besides his success in the food business, investment in Micron Technology, a company that is worth $1.5 billion has contributed to J.R. Simplot's wealth. He is also one of the nations biggest landowners.

Besides his success in the food business, what else has contributed to J.R. Simplot's wealth?

Lagoons.

Cattle manure is not sent to waste treatment plants but dumped into ______.

Pets.

Cattle remains that were previously fed to cattle are now fed to _____.

Captive supplies.

Cattle that are either maintained in a company-owned feedlot or purchased in advance through forward contracts are known as ________.

Old.

Chicken meat had been traditionally provided by hens too ______ to lay eggs.

USDA.

Chickens are regulated by what federal agency?

1.5 million.

Colorado has lost how many acres of ranch land to development in the last twenty years?

Germany.

Companies from which country have bought Chrysler, Random House, and RCA Records?

Princeton.

Dale Lasater's father, Tom, dropped out of which college?

Foster Farms.

David M. Theno helped which California poultry processor eliminate Salmonella from most of its birds?

Despite differences between the two men, Walt Disney is a role model for Ray Kroc because he applied Ford's mass production model to all his projects. He left the Midwest at twenty-one and opened a movie studio, becoming famous before the age of thirty.

Despite differences between the two men, how is Walt Disney a role model for Ray Kroc?

FDA.

Eggs are regulated by what federal agency?

The Small Business Administration.

For more than three decades, the fast food industry uses what federal agency to finance new restaurants?

Transaction analysis.

For years, McDonald's provides training for its managers in a set of psychological techniques called ________.

Tyson Foods.

Gaining the McNugget contract turns which company into the nation's largest chicken processor?

Happy Meals.

Greatly reducing the fat content of ________ could have and immediate effect on the nation's kids, according to the author.

Most jobs performed in the beef industry are still done by hand. The poultry industry is largely mechanized now, thanks to breeding chickens that are uniform in size. Steers are still varied in size and shape.

How are most jobs performed in the beef industry and how is it different than the poultry industry?

Poultry contracts are constructed in such a way that the grower has no power over the processing company. They are short term contracts and growers can be easily replaced.

How are poultry contracts constructed?

Suicide.

How did Hank die?

Ranchers become victim to their own fallacy of composition in the 1970's by giving their cattle growth hormones. As a result, cattle are much bigger today and fewer cattle are sold. The European Union bans the use of bovine growth hormone and will not import most American beef.

How do ranchers become victim to their own fallacy of composition in the 1970's?

The patterns of land ownership in the American West seem to closely resemble those of rural England because two classes of people are being increasingly found in Idaho. There are those who own the land and those who run the farms. Family farmers are driven off their land by bigger companies, then hired to manage it.

How do the patterns of land ownership in the American West seem to closely resemble those of rural England?

The problems McDonald's is having with expansion resemble those of the British Empire a century ago because rapid expansion exposes underlying weaknesses. It now costs McDonald's a great deal of money to open franchises overseas.

How do the problems McDonald's is having with expansion resemble those of the British Empire a century ago?

In-N-Out Burger does business differently than other restaurants by being run by the Snyder family. They have refused to sell or franchise. The starting wage for part-time employees is $8/hour.

How does In-N-Out Burger do business differently than other restaurants?

As "circular meccas of neon".

How does Michael Witzel characterize the drive-in restaurants of the early 1940's?

World War I destroys the culture of Plauen, Germany by rendering its Victorian values obsolete. Suddenly, the Victorian lace that made it rich as a result of a long-standing weaving tradition in modern textile mills became obsolete.

How does World War I destroy the culture of Plauen, Germany?

A friend of Jesus, a late-night cleaning crew member, vomits when he enters the rendering room. The stench is so powerful that it won't wash off and comes home with you no matter how much soap you use.

How does a friend of Jesus, a late-night cleaning crew member, react when he enters the rendering room and why?

The McDonald's Corporation reviews Fast Food Nation unfavorably. McDonald's says he has everything all wrong and that the description in the book bears no resemblance to the way McDonald's does business.

How does the McDonald's Corporation review Fast Food Nation?

The character Ronald McDonald came to be when Willard Scott was hired to create a new clown that could do restaurant appearances. Scott had been the clown on the local televisions show, Bozo's Circus. When he made appearances as Bozo, children flocked to him. McDonald's wanted to take advantage of his popularity.

How does the character Ronald McDonald come to be?

The consumer doesn't even notice McDonald's switch from fresh to frozen french fries. Simplots invention of the frozen fry made french fries the most profitable thing on the menu.

How does the consumer react to McDonald's switch from fresh to frozen french fries?

The software program Quintillion is an automated site selector for McDonald's. It combines satellite imagery with detailed maps, demographic information, CAD drawings, and sales information from existing stores to find the most profitable locations.

How does the software program Quintillion work?

The vegetarian community reacts with outrage when it is brought to light that there is a beef additive in the McDonald's french fries. The cow is sacred in India and many Indians are vegetarians who thought french fries were vegetarian.

How does the vegetarian community react when it is brought to light that there is a beef additive in the McDonald's french fries?

Fifty percent.

How high can the percentage of cattle that carries E. coli O157:H7 get in the summer?

Sprawling and horizontal.

How is the metropolis of Los Angeles characterized?

The poultry industry is transformed in the 1980's by a wave of mergers. The high demand for a product that was traditionally a bird to be carved at the dinner table becomes something that people can eat behind the wheel of a car.

How is the poultry industry transformed in the 1980's?

32,000.

How many pounds of ground beef can a single infected animal contaminate with E. coli O157:H7?

One million.

How many pounds of potatoes does the J.R. Simplot plant in Aberdeen, Idaho produce?

$30,000 to $60,000.

How much do people who speak at the "Success" events make?

$1500.

How much does it cost per acre to grow potatoes in Bingham County?

$200,000.

How much money does Dave Feamster owe Little Caesar's before he sells his first pizza?

Screen Cartoonists Guild.

In 1941, hundreds of Disney animators go on strike, expressing support for what organization?

Nixon.

In 1972, Ray Kroc gives $250,000 to whose presidential campaign?

The Arab oil embargo.

In 1973, what causes the fast food industry to temporarily lose stock value?

The National Academy of Sciences.

In 1988, a panel from which organization warns that the nation's public health infrastructure is in serious disarray, limiting its ability to track or prevent the spread of newly emerging pathogens?

Ruben Ramirez.

In 1993, who becomes the first Latino head of the UFCW in Packingtown (Chicago)?

USDA.

In 1996, which agency investigates the concentration of large meat-packing companies?

The Teenie Beanie Baby.

In 1997, what does Rod Taylor of Brandweek say was one of the most successful promotions in the history of American advertising?

In James Dobson's (Focus on the Family founder) opinion, children should be raised by being spanked with a "neutral object" when they are disobedient. He blames weak parents for the excesses of the sixties youth counterculture.

In James Dobson's (Focus on the Family founder) opinion, how should children be raised?

Suicides.

In the 1920's, Plauen has the most millionaires in Germany and the most _____.

Flying squad.

In the 1960's and 1970's, the moment union activity was suspected at a McDonald's restaurant, a group of experienced managers and corporate executives called a ______ is sent in.

Dioramas.

In the Ray A. Kroc museum, what appears when certain buttons are pushed?

The kill floor.

In what area of the packing plant do workers use a power saw to slice cattle into halves?

Orange.

In what county does Anaheim, California reside?

Waiver.

Injured workers at IBP who can't claim worker's comp almost always sign a ________ or risk losing their jobs.

Alka-Seltzer.

McDonald's has to get rid of its mascot, Speedee, because which company has a mascot with the similar name, Speedy?

The Magic Kingdom.

McDonaldland borrows its distinctive look from where?

Lysine.

Michael Andreas gets sent to prison in 1999 for conspiring with foreign rivals to control the international market for what feed additive?

German Democratic Republic.

Plauen becomes part of the communist _______ after World War II.

Prohibition.

Ray Kroc is a jazz musician what time period?

Whiny butts.

Republican Congressman Andy Ireland calls franchisees who want legal reform of regulations ______ in congress.

North Carolina.

Republican Congressman Howard Coble, who introduces legislation to regulate franchising, is from which state?

Amicus brief.

The Colorado Cattlemen's Association files a/an ___________ in Mike Callicrate's lawsuit against IBP, demanding a competitive marketplace.

Stasi.

The East German Secret Police are called ______.

A military communications network.

The Internet at the heart of today's economy started out as what?

Lockheed Martin.

The Titan II missiles at which company's plant northwest of Colorado Springs were originally designed to carry nuclear warheads?

Low injury rate reports.

The annual bonuses of plant foremen and supervisors are often based on what?

Trusts.

The leading sectors of the nation's economy are controlled by corporate alliances known as _______.

Conservation easement.

The receipt of a tax break by ranchers for donating future development rights to a Colorado land trust is called a ________.

Primals.

The sections of beef known as chucks, loins, ribs, and rounds are known as _______.

Throughput.

The speed and volume of a factory's flow is called what?

The NAZI party.

To which organization is Wernher von Braun a member during World War II?

Wellingtons.

What are the knee high rubber boots that the author puts on before entering the meatpacking plant?

Orange Groves.

Walt Disney buys 160 acres of what in Anaheim to build Disneyland?

Die Heavies.

What are long-haired, working class German fans of American heavy metal music called in Plauen?

Some of Carl Karcher's ideas that should have remained on the drawing board are Carl's Whistle Stops, where the employees were dressed as railway workers, "Hobo Burgers" were on the menu, and toy electric trains that took orders to the kitchen. Three were built in 1966 and later converted to Carl's Jr.'s. He also had a Scottish coffee shop chain that didn't work out.

What are some of Carl Karcher's ideas that should have remained on the drawing board?

Some of the requirements made in franchise contracts offered by fast food chains stipulate that the franchisee cannot file any complaint under state law against the company for any reason. The franchisee must also use approved suppliers. Their contract can also be terminated at any point at the sole discretion of the chain.

What are some of the requirements made in franchise contracts offered by fast food chains?

The two main reasons that most migrant workers look for jobs in America are so they can either save their earnings and return home, or try to establish roots in meatpacking communities. Others briefly wander from plant to plant looking for a company that treats its workers well.

What are the main reasons that most migrant workers look for meatpacking jobs in America?

Feeding off the sprawl aspect of the city's growth causes the fast food chain expansion in Colorado Springs to thrive so well. They put fast food restaurants anywhere that traffic is anticipated to increase.

What causes the fast food chain expansion in Colorado Springs to thrive so well?

Long-standing social, cultural, and economic divisions cause the wide gulf between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. The gap, however, is starting to narrow due to what seems to be a coming boom to Pueblo.

What causes the wide gulf between Colorado Springs and Pueblo?

Glycerine and borax.

What chemicals described in The Jungle are used to disguise the smell of spoiled beef?

In 1948, the McDonald's brothers change the retail food business by firing their carhops and installing larger grills to increase speed, lower prices, and raise the volume of sales. They also eliminate two-thirds of their menu, creating the McDonald's System of Self-Service.

What do the McDonald brothers do in 1948 to change the food retail business and why?

Klansmen I Greet You.

What does KIGY stand for?

Global realization.

What does McDonald's call its hope for the conquest of foreign markets?

Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value.

What does Ray Kroc's philosophy of QSC and V stand for?

Gold dust.

What does Simplot call the dehydrated onion powder he sells to the U.S. Army in World War II?

MR. SPUD.

What does Simplot's Lincoln Continental license plate say?

"The new white flight"

What does William H. Fry of the University of Michigan call the migration from southern California to the Rocky Mountain West?

One of Dale Lasater's grandfather's fights against the Beef Trust by testifying before Congress and demanding strict enforcement of antitrust laws. He is head of the cattlemen's association during the early 1900's.

What does one of Dale Lasater's grandfather's do to fight against the Beef Trust?

A captive bolt stunner.

What does the "knocker" use to shoot the live cattle in the head as they enter the building?

The effect the growth of fast food chains has on the beef industry is that it encourages consolidation in the meatpacking industry. McDonald's, for example, reduces its number of beef suppliers in order to achieve greater product uniformity.

What effect does the growth of fast food chains have on the beef industry?

The factors that may have contributed to the rancher Hank's suicide are the consolidating effect of the growth of fast food chains. Hank tried to maintain a conservationist style of ranching amidst overwhelming economic pressures.

What factors may have contributed to the rancher Hank's suicide?

When a franchise operator fails to follow the McDonald's operation and training manual, he could lose his franchise. The manual describes in precise detail how to greet customers, cook the food, and operate all machinery and must be followed to the letter.

What happens when a franchise operator fails to follow the McDonald's operation and training manual?

The IBP revolution.

What has the upheaval caused by fundamental changes that sweep the meat-packing industry come to be known as?

Hemolytic uremic syndrome.

What illness caused by the toxin in E. coli O157-H7 can lead to kidney failure, anemia, internal bleeding, and the destruction of vital organs?

Carl Karcher's personal philosophy is to never give up. He believes in having a great attitude and watch your pennies. He also believes in progress and is not nostalgic for his past history.

What is Carl Karcher's personal philosophy?

To stop cursing.

What is Harlan Sanders' "lifelong struggle"?

Selling milkshake mixers.

What is Ray Kroc doing when he first visited McDonald's in 1954?

A development agent is someone who sells franchises for a living. Created by Subway to sell more franchises, often these hired agents sell too many Subway stores too close together in a certain area causing the stores to lose business. This practice is known as "encroachment".

What is a development agent?

A stock car race track.

What is built near Hank's land that can be seen from the top of one of his hills?

A sharp knife.

What is considered the most important tool in the modern slaughterhouse?

The term "bulk commodity" refers to a product that has evolved into being manufactured at high volume with a low profit margin. Price difference of just a few pennies per pound can mean the difference between winning and losing a major potato contract.

What is meant by the term "bulk commodity"?

Coca-cola.

What is now the favorite drink among Chinese children?

Fertilizer.

What is phosphate used for in potato farming?

The Snake River Reclamation Project.

What is responsible for converting the Idaho desert into lush farmland?

300 to 400%.

What is the annual turnover rate in the fast food industry at the writing of this book?

Zero training.

What is the apparent ideal for employees in the restaurant industry?

Dresden.

Which other German city is less heavily bombed in World War II by the Allies, but sustains more damage?

Ken Monfort.

Which packing house owner is one of the two people from Colorado to be put on President Nixon's enemy list?

Pedigree Master Foods.

Which pet food company was responsible for contracting a feline variant of mad cow disease?

Eisenhower.

Which president enacts the Interstate Highway Act, modeled after Adolph Hitler's autobahn system?

The fabricating room.

Which room in the meatpacking plant contains machines that assemble cardboard boxes and vacuum seal meat in plastic?

Disctrict 11.

Which school district in Colorado Springs starts a nationwide trend to place fast food ads in its hallways?

Meatpacking workers routinely develop cumulative trauma disorders because of the speed and repetition that is required of them. Many get back and shoulder problems, along with carpal tunnel syndrome and "trigger finger", as disorder where a finger becomes stuck in one position.

Why do meatpacking workers routinely develop cumulative trauma disorders?

Carl Karcher thinks Anaheim is "heaven" when he moves there from Ohio because he sees palm trees and orange groves and smells citrus in the air. He has never set foot outside of Ohio and California seems like a wonderland to him.

Why does Carl Karcher think Anaheim is "heaven" when he moves there from Ohio?

Carl's Jr. stock falls during the 1980's because the company opened restaurants in Texas that did poorly. Karcher added some higher-priced menu items that did not do well, either. He and his family were accused of insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission because they sold large amounts of stock just before the price fell.

Why does Carl's Jr. stock fall during the 1980's?

Colorado Springs gains a series of new military bases after World War II because of its location. It is the middle of the continent and has good weather. Nearly half the jobs in Colorado Springs today are dependent upon military spending.

Why does Colorado Springs gain a series of new military bases after World War II?

Dave Feamster gets into business owning a Little Caesar's because of a back injury he sustained in the NHL. He knew the sons of company founder, Mike Ilitch.

Why does Dave Feamster get into business owning a Little Caesar's?

Disney creates "Tomorrowland" because he had a passion for science. This is a section of his theme park devoted to everything from space travel to appliances of the future. Two of the producers of his science shows are former German NAZI's, which creates some controversy.

Why does Disney create "Tomorrowland"?

East German parliament member, Ernst Doerfler, calls for a ban on McDonald's in East Germany because he is expressing a last gasp of collectivism. He calls McDonald's and other fast food chains "garbage-makers". Burger King already had a presence there.

Why does East German parliament member, Ernst Doerfler, call for a ban on McDonald's in East Germany?

General Motors gets into the franchise business in 1898 because it lacks the capital to hire salesmen for its new automobiles. It was an ingenious way to grow a new industry.

Why does General Motors get into the franchise business in 1898?

Ray Kroc tells a reporter in 1972 that it is ridiculous to call the fast food industry an "industry" because it is really "rat eat rat, dog eat dog". This high-minded analysis of something that is, in Kroc's eyes, survival of the fittest, is ridiculous.

Why does Ray Kroc tell a reporter in 1972 that it is ridiculous to call the fast food industry an "industry"?

Sandra Gallegos disagrees with Lee Harding's assumption that he got E. coli poisoning from a chicken taco at a Mexican restaurant because DNA samples showed that the strain of E. coli he had was the same strain as had been found in hamburger meat. He had eaten Hudson Beef Patties at a backyard barbecue and it had taken some time to make him sick.

Why does Sandra Gallegos disagree with Lee Harding's assumption that he got E. coli poisoning from a chicken taco at a Mexican restaurant?

The author says that the "market" is a tool because many sectors of the American economy are not free markets and have been subsidized by the government all along. Apparently, the software, computer, aerospace, and satellite industries have been subsidized by the pentagon for decades.

Why does the author say that the "market" is a tool?

Red Top Restaurant is a good place to work because they pay cooks $10/hour. They also provide employee health insurance because they want their workers to remain healthy.

Why is Red Top Restaurant a good place to work?

Grain-fed beef is preferable to grass-fed beef because it is fatty and tender. Unlike grass-fed beef, it doesn't need to be aged for weeks and can be eaten within days of slaughter.

Why is grain-fed beef preferable to grass-fed beef?

The automobile industry is not content with just reaping the rewards of government-subsidized road construction because it wants to wipe out the railway competition by any means necessary. GM secretly purchases many of the trolley systems throughout the U.S. and dismantles them.

Why is the automobile industry not content with just reaping the rewards of government-subsidized road construction?

The high turnover rate in the meatpacking industry is not a concern for large companies because, according to Arden Walker, the head of labor relations for IBP, there is very little correlation between the turnover rate and profitability. By having policies that allow health insurance benefits for workers after six months, they avoid paying much of those benefits because people leave the job before they actually kick in.

Why is the high turnover rate in the meatpacking industry not a concern for large companies?

The impact of fast food readily apparent in Germany it is the most Americanized country in Europe. Children are taught to speak English in school, which facilitated a spread of pop culture, facilitating a need to eat American fast food.

Why is the impact of fast food readily apparent in Germany?