Fast Food Nation: The United States? I Doubt It

ATTENTION: The Fast Food Nation is switching waters.

Eric Schlosser’s hilarious yet terrifying book about the world of the fat loving, gargantuan individuals who are attempting to make a dent in the towering Western food mountains has been cast into a entirely new light given the recent uprising of fast food in Asia. Whereas the West view Fast Food Nation as the simpleton guide to cheap, convenient living the East have grasped the concept and glamourized it so that people are no longer bowing down to the one dollar supersize snack and are instead thrusting it into it’s super neon glare limelight that it fully deserves. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double XL bacon and cheese heaven burgers, fried mushroom filled patties cooked at midday and served till midnight have finally made it, wrapped in foil, through the customs regulations of Vietnam.

In a vague a attempt to mask the predicament of the natural progression toward Western-style consumerism the first fast food chain to hit the Vietnamese streets was Lotteria. Although now more popular in South Korea Lotteria originated in Japan in 1972 where it’s shrimp burger set it apart from other fast food chains which were pressurizing Asia in their fight for Global consumption. Although McDonald’s hit the Asian market in 1975, Lotteria have still come out on top in South Korea where they now have a monopoly on fast food. However, with it’s recent partnership secured with China’s oil giants Sinopec and the Olympic games looming on the horizon McDonald’s will inevitaly pick up their game for the Games and make more of a marked impression on Asia than what they did in the past. But, we can thank our lucky stars that Vietnam and it’s Western neighbours are offering the McResistance necessary to combat the Golitha’s of the business world and offering us instead their own variation on the theme.

Lotteria, by McDonald’s standard is nothing short of replicated. Here in Vietnam their juicy meat patties inevitably consist of mere brains and eyeballs, laughing cow slices and pickled cucumbers. In it’s prime only the highest class citizen could barrage through to the neon glowing, glass house that was Lotteria as minced organ patties wrapped in slightly sweetened bread were certainly not for the lesser half of society. But, with the long awaited introduction of Franchises K.F.C. and Pizza Hut onto the market the poor got richer and the rich simply received a higher fat content.