Tag Archives: obesity

The golden age (1953-1960) of the American society is characterized by its material abundance of merchandise. The word “freedom” changes its meaning to the freedom to choose from a variety of products. The new way of thinking emerged with the expansion of suburban living and having luxury things as necessities of everyday life. As some historians believe at that point the ideology had died and the new era of consumption and capitalism started. Owning a car transformed American travel habits; it symbolized the freedom of mobility and led to construction of the entertainment enterprises and eating establishments on the altered landscape.

As an example the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in 1955 in Illinois. The founders were two brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald who created their famous logo (an overlapping letter “M”). McDonald’s introduced the speedy food service system which led to its worldwide expansion and its famous franchise by another corporate founder Ray Kroc. McDonald’s was the first restaurant to offer drive though food service. But over the years the fast food chain has become a target of health issues that contribute to obesity and heart diseases among the population.

Nevertheless McDonald’s has certainly become the symbol of globalization and the American way of life of comfort and affordability. I consider the creation of McDonald’s an important change in the american nutrition sphere that has tremendously affected millions of citizens who suffer from overweight and see fast food as the only diet