America: Land of Fast Food?!
- Topics:
- Blog, Meat Industry
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009, 5:05 PM
Meredith Niles wrote a great article for Gristmill about Burger King’s new marketing scheme, a seven-minute film called Whopper Virgins. You might have seen it earlier from the FoxNews clip of my mother debating the Burger King ad-guy about it. (see below)
The filmmakers fly to remote locations and give the locals their first taste of a Burger King burger as they discuss so-called “American culinary culture” and refer to the United States as the “land of fast food.”
Niles asks, “What is the point of this film? And what about the health and climate impacts of this type of food? I doubt that the crew took the time to tell them that if they actually ate the whole Whopper they consumed 40 grams of fat. They also probably failed to mention the greenhouse gas emissions tied to animal production (18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions according to the U.N.) or the other environmental pollution problems associated with mass-produced animals. And I wonder if they bothered to note that the beef they were eating was probably confined in its own feces for the better part of its life.”
Misdirected advertising concept? We thought so, too.
January 17th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Nice post! I thought the same thing too – Wondering how these “virgins” would feel if they saw a feedlot, knew that the cows ate blue jeans and carboard… That 100 different souls might be in that one burger -
That the cow might have been butchered “live”… and there’s poop in the meat – and it’s been irradiated & made to look fresh with poison – Hey! I’m may blog this story myself… it’s too good to pass!
Thanks for inviting comment
March 31st, 2009 at 12:17 am
I must say, this video really disturbed me. To begin with, there is no way this “taste test” says anything about the taste of either burger. Most likely, people tasting a burger for the first time (who have never before heard of one) will not even share the same taste palette as people who do consume burgers. What exactly is Burger King trying to prove?
Additionally, Burger King should maybe think about a few things, some of which have already been mentioned. The reality of the meat industry and feedlots, for one. But also the exploding obesity and diabetes epidemics in the US thanks to the fast and processed food industries. I’m not sure a fast food “culinary culture” is anything to brag about or to spread to others.
Beyond that, from an anthropological perspective, I question the ethics of bringing such food (with all its social, environmental, political, and cultural problems… am I forgetting any?) to people to eat without their having any idea about where it came from, or what is implicated in its production. Burger King just doesn’t get it (or, as is more likely, is in complete, and public, denial).