An online blog for students enrolled in FRSM 1000 (Xavier, New Orleans & the World) on the intersections of food culture and popular culture.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Blog 2: The Founding Fathers
How is the essence of the American dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs Schlosser profiles in Chapter 1? What are the hidden ironies that Schlosser subtly points to throughout this chapter?
The American Dream is defined as a promising future for White-Americans. Shows like “I Love Lucy” and “Leave it to Beaver” are perfect examples of a typical American Dream Family. This includes a white-collared father, a stay-home mother, and children. During this era, people were able to afford a newly built house in the suburbs, a car, and other products that were once only seen in a few households. The target was also for middle-class people to be satisfied with being in that economic status, but also see a promotion tangible. Americans were able to afford cars and it was then that some things were focused around cars such as dining and movies with drive-ins. There was much hope during this era to start off in a low-class family becoming successful and reaching the middle-class. Progression was key with the new shopping malls, interstate highways, and suburbs being built and accessible to everyone. The fast food restaurant owners are examples of men who looked for that opportunity to do better than their parents and make a name for their selves while making high-profit. It is said that the baby boom generation is used to expedient service and having things done in a fast matter of time. It is no wonder that the design of a “fast food service” was thought of at this time. Fast food was designated to be good-quality food and affordable while being served as fast as possible. This concept is now a part of Americans everyday life and has reached in other countries overseas. Fast food chain owners such as Carl N. Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, William Rosenberg, Glen W. Bell, Keith G. Cramer, Dave Thomas, Thomas S. Monaghan and Harland Sanders are all prime examples of the American Dream. Although each of these men have different stories of how they became owners of national fast food restaurants, their stories have more than a few similarities. Most if not all started in a low-class family, low-paying job, and didn’t finish high school, yet still entrepreneurs at a young age. These men started their business and became very rich and represent the whole concept behind the American Dream because of their progression from living poor to becoming rich with plenty success.
Everyone in America has their own “American dream” story, whether it is truly their reality or they are still working towards it. Schlosser talks about some of the many founders of fast food restaurants and how they were just regular American citizens trying to pursue their “American dream” of being successful and making enough money to live comfortably. Carl Karcher was born on a small farm in Ohio. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began working for his uncle’s farm in Anaheim, California a few years later following his father’s advice of, “The harder you work the luckier you become.” He moved to Los Angeles for a better paying job as a delivery man for a bakery. Noticing how many hot dog stands there were, he opened his own stand and placed it near the Goodyear plant, paying two workers to man it while at his other job. Then World War II began and the plant was as busy as ever, giving him a boost in sales as well, eventually leading him to open his own restaurant. This is how Carl, Jr’s started. The McDonald brothers had a similar “hustle hard” story. They moved from New Hampshire to south California to find a job. They also found out about the fast food industry and opened their own hot dog stand. Their success is however very different. Growing tired of constantly hiring new workers, they revamped their restaurant that decreased prices and increased speed and, most importantly, sales. They minimized their menu, established an assembly line within their kitchen, and replaced all glassware with paper cups, plates, and bags. This is how McDonald’s started. The story of Harland Sanders is described as “the most remarkable” of all of the people Schlosser discusses. He also left school early and began working on a farm. But he did other various jobs to make money. He did not find the fast food industry until he was sixty-five, dressing up in a white suit and black tie to promote himself. This is how Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) started. All these stories have one factor in common; they all had a business mentality. The people mentioned above wanted to make a profit and would do whatever they could to receive it. They all quit school early and did various odds and ends jobs before they found something that worked for them.
How is the essence of the American dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs Schlosser profiles in Chapter 1? The American dream was much harder to achieve back then than it is today. The American dream in that era was to live a fulfilling life having all of your wants and needs. Some of these wants and needs included cars, houses, and a family. Cars back then gave people a sense of freedom that they can go anywhere anytime. This affected the food people wanted to buy on the go and it gave many restaurateurs opportunities. In Chapter 1, restaurateur Carl N. Karcher left his home with no education to move to the west to work for his uncle, Ben. Carl took such big risk by doing this. He expanded from his uncle's restaurant to selling hotdogs from carts. As he got more money, he expanded even more by getting more carts. Later on, he bought his own restaurant where he served hamburgers. Business there was very good and he bought a house five blocks away from his new restaurant. His restaurant was successful because there were very few fast food places and his was in a hot spot next to Disneyland. Many people who ate there traveled by car and ate inside of their car because they were too lazy to get out. As you can see, Carl took a big risk moving all the way to California. But in the end, it was all for the better because he lived the American dream of their time. There are hints of irony throughout chapter 1. For example, it is funny how everyone who became a success, such as Carl and the McDonald brothers, became successful without an education. All they had was small amounts of money and motivation which drove them to never give up. Becoming successful like these guys doesn't take a high level education. It takes talent and luck that you can only achieve through hard work and sacrifice.
The essence of the American dream was embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs in Chapter 1 because the definition of the American Dream is the promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In Chapter 1 the American Dream was obtained by the numerous entrepreneurs of the fast food industry who came from little or a mediocre lifestyle to owning very well known restaurants and businesses. For example, Carl N. Karcher a pioneer of the fast food industry started off farming with his father and took a chance with buying a hot dog stand. After he gained enough money he bought another hot dog stand and with the expanding population in California he opened up a Drive-In Barbeque restaurant and with the booming economy after World War 2 he would come to have plenty customers. The McDonald brothers are another example of the restaurateurs who have obtained to American Dream. They incorporated the Speedee Service System and the assembly line into their restaurant. The McDonalds quickly became a major powerhouse in the restaurant business and were an example for the other fast food chains like Wendy’s, KFC, and Taco Bell who all of which took a little something from McDonalds to incorporate into their businesses. The hidden ironies the Scholosser subtly points to in this chapter is the fact that everyone who became successful didn’t finish high school and dropped out. That shows that it is possible for anyone to obtain the American Dream. The McDonald brothers didn’t need a Master’s degree to make the largest fast food franchise in the world they just needed determination a drive to make themselves successful. With that being said I think that Schlosser was trying to say that these restaurateurs weren’t successful because of their education but because of their determination to be successful.
In Chapter 1, the American Dream was embodied in the stories that Schlosser described greatly. Schlosser describes many hard working men that grew up on farms eventually becoming the owners of what are now world-known restaurants. The American Dream insists upon someone becoming wealthy and well off in society. For these men to create their own business from the ground up is successfully reaching the American Dream. The main person that Schlosser describes is Carl N. Karcher, founder of Carl’s Jr burgers. Carl grew up on a farm in Ohio. Throughout his life he went through major success, almost having to file for bankruptcy, and then finally getting back on his feet again. Carl, throughout his life, tried to get a deeper relationship with Christ. Carl Karcher is a prime example of someone fulfilling the American Dream. Another example is the McDonald brothers. Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced a new assembly line to the restaurant business, straying away from the traditional carhops. McDonalds also brought about more people to start their own business such as Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC, and even Taco Bell. Throughout Chapter 1 Schlosser hints at ironic points in each successful business owners life. Many of the business owners have similar ironic points. For example, most of the founders of today’s biggest fast food restaurants grew up on a farm. Many of them started out with basically nothing, and ended up with wealth. More irony comes from the fact that many, if not all of the founders Schlosser mentioned became successful in achieving the American Dream with little education. Whether it be dropping out of high school, dropping out of school at the age of fifteen, or not even attending college. I think the biggest irony is the fact that even though no matter how successful Carl Karcher was, he was in major debt. He had achieved the American Dream and even beyond that. When his business started to plunge his “friends” because of a proposal to help the company fired him. He eventually got hired and his friends quit and ironically, his proposal worked. All in all, achieving the American Dream is possible in any day and age, but Schlosser shows that it takes hard work and determination.
In chapter one, the American dream is defined as being successful and basically coming from not too much. I feel as though the American dream is becoming what you dream of being and being successful and having all that you need and want. And being able to achieve all that you want. Chapter one the American dream is embodied in the story because basically the founders of many famous fast food restaurants came from poor or almost poor backgrounds. Meaning that these men worked on farms, dropped out of school at young ages, possibly had to support and/or help to support their families, had multiple jobs just trying to make ends meet but now they are million and billionaires. They didn't have much thought in the process either. No college degree in business or anything, just a dream and an idea. They knew that they could make a business buy selling fast food so they branched off the ideas of other fast food places and they made a selling. They are living the American dream to their full potientials.Living the American dream is everybody's dream. Everyone views their "American dream" is different but they all have the same concept, and that's being all that you can and getting all that you need and want. To fulfill a dream you have to have a dream. And that's what all these founder's had. They stuck to what they knew. They made this crazy competitive world work for them and work well. The founders show that you can build a lot from not too much at all. Most people don't realize that dreams do come true with faith and effort but this chapter alone proves it. These founders created a system and they stuck with it and now they can proudly see they have lived their dream. Not only their dream but most importantly the American dream.
Xavier Hill The American dream was emboided in the stories of the great men who made fast food resturants. Most of the men started out as farms and worked numerous jobs such door-to-door salesman or short order cooks. All but one were middle school or high school drop-outs. Many of the men copied their ideas from the McDonald's food chain and brought it back to the region that they lived in."Entrepreneurs from all over the country went to San Bernardino, visted the new McDonald's, and built imitations of the restaurant in their hometowns." They all worked to get enough money to purchase their first restaurant, copy McDonals's self-service style,and expand there own brand nationwide. The American Dream is that all people can have happy and successful lives if they work hard. Although each of these men had little education they used a desire for happiness and success and plenty of hardwork to accomplish the so called American Dream. The ironies the Schlosser constantly points out that most the these men became successful without the best education but by having plenty of determination and ambition. Throughout the chapter the author told many stories of how the men started off dropping out of school,went through many jobs before they succeeded. They all used the MacDonald brothers system to succeed but they each tweaked it to have some originality. They each perfected the founded system and made it there way of completing the goal called "The American Dream."
The American dream as stated in chapter one is still the same as it will be tomorrow which includes success and prosperity. The essence of the American dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs in chapter one involved what they thought they had to do to be better business man. Reading chapter one realizing ninety percent of the fast-food owners and founders dropped out of high school, entering the world of riches with no form of education. Education to these young individuals did not matter, all they saw was green. Not knowing how they would develop such a business that would forever reign and stay with a child not only through child hood, but through their life as well with out a degree must have been a great challenge. With no internal help they had to strive daily to make ends meet in the beginning to have now grown in to what we know as the largest bulk buyers of meat and fries. Living the American dream has not changed nor is it only through the fast-food industry. It is the overall prospective of society. Everyone wants to be rich with not a concern in the way, trying to live what I would say are false dreams. As an American you must work for what you want in life. While descent work requires a college degree, in which is a form of education in today’s world obtained through hard work and skill? So I say you America take your chance just like these guys did and find out soon and very soon life is no long like it used to be. As an American you need dedication will-power leadership skills and most importantly an education.
In chapter one Schlosser talks about different people having the American dream. The American dream was to become successful in life and be able to live out their dreams. Many people lived the American dream through fast food restaurants. Chapter one mainly talks about a guy named Carl N. Karcher and how he lived the American dream. Carl Karcher grew up near Upper Sandusky, Ohio and worked on the farm with his family after he dropped out of school after eighth grade. His uncle Ben Karcher offered Carl a job in Anaheim, California and he accepted. Carl loved Anaheim a lot. He worked and met a girl named Margaret Heinz then started his own thing selling food from a cart. After cars became popular in California, Carl bought a restaurant and learned how to cook. His restaurant was named Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque, and it became really successful after World War II. Other people began starting their own thing such as Walt Disney building Disneyland and Richard and Maurice McDonald making McDonalds. This made Carl want to make Carl’s Jr. restaurant. William Rosenberg came up with Dunkin’ Donuts. Glen W. Bell, Jr. came up with Taco Bell. Keith G. Cramer and his father-in-law, Matthew Burns, opened Insta-Burger-King. Dave Thomas came up with Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant. Harland Sanders made fried chicken taste good with a secret recipe and came up with the first Kentucky Fried Chicken. All of these restaurants came from a chain meaning the people get ideas from one restaurant and try to make it into their own so they can start a business. Most of these founders started off like Carl Karcher. They come from a poor background like being adopted or dropping out of school and soon working their way up to start a fast food restaurant. So just like Carl these founders lived the American dream.
The American Dream varies from person to person but the general idea of it is to have the opportunity to live a happy and successful life. Each of the restaurateurs all had similar success stories. They were all entrepreneurs who were school drop outs, orphans, door-to-door salesmen, or short order cooks that were looking to gain success from the next big thing. The fast food industry was where they found it. Richard and Maurice McDonald came to southern California in search of a job in Hollywood but ended up starting a drive in. The McDonald Brothers Burger Bar Drive-In was successful and made the brothers rich. They soon grew tired of the drive-in business because they were constantly in search of new carhops and cooks as well as replacing dishes that were broken or ripped off. The McDonald brothers closed their restaurant, installed larger grills, and reopened months later with a new system of preparing food. It was designed to increase speed, lower prices, and raise sales. The removed everything from their menus except for hamburgers and cheeseburgers and replaced all dishes with paper cups, paper bags, and paper plates. They applied the principals of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. The McDonalds brother’s success with their self-service restaurant led others to follow in their footsteps. Carl Karcher was a school dropout who had a similar story to the McDonald brothers. He started off in the food industry with a hot dog stand. Over time he bought and opened a drive-in and after seeing the success of the McDonald brothers opened his own self-service restaurant, Carl’s Jr. Harland Sanders is also a school dropout who entered the food industry . He worked various jobs as a lawyer, obstetrician, sold insurance, sold tires, and operated a gas station all without a degree. At the age of sixty-five he began traveling again offering the “secret recipe” for his fried chicken to restaurant owners. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in 1952. Because he lacked money to promote his new chain, Sanders dressed up in a white suit and a black tie. The majority of these restaurateurs are all school dropouts who were looking for that one hustle that would be the next big thing. It’s ironic that all of these entrepreneurs had little to no education at all but yet they still managed to make millions.
In chapter 1 “the Founding Fathers”, Scholosser embodies the essence of the American Dream because he gives the background of the restaurateurs and their battle to become successful restaurant owners. He tells of how they started with nothing and made a fortune by following a trend and being smart about picking a location for their restaurant and by choosing the right advertisement. Each restaurateur started with little to nothing or starting from the ground up and made their way to the top. They all used hard work to achieve their goal and that is what the American Dream is all about. The American Dream is the belief that all people can live happy and prosperous lives if they work hard. I believe Mr. Carl N. Karcher really is one of the best stories that embodies the American Dream and that is why his story was somewhat the main focus of the chapter. His story goes though different stage as does a person goes through many stages in their life. He had to reinvent his restaurant chain, more than once, in order for it to actually survive. I think his willingness to change should be perceived as insightful because we as humans should never get too comfortable with one trend or else society will pass us by and we will be out of touch with the rest of the world. There were a lot of hidden ironies in the text but two stuck out the most to me. One that stuck out the most to me was that a lot of restaurateurs that started out after McDonalds were eating at McDonalds and were taking notes and learning from them. Even though some of the restaurants didn’t serve hamburgers they still received pointers from McDonalds and added their own little improvements. Another irony that stuck out to me was that Mr. Carl N. Karcher was all for change. As I stated above Mr. Karcher had to reinvent his restaurant a number of times in order to keep up with the competition. One of the reasons that Mr. Karcher had to reinvent his restaurant was because McDonalds had reinvented theirs. If McDonalds would have never upgraded their restaurant there would be no reason to change. For Mr. Karcher to be all for change the public should follow along in his footsteps and accept change also. If you think about it how can we expect to get far in life if we are afraid of progress?
Schlosser provides various examples of men who chased after (and in some cases achieved) the American dream in Chapter One. It is men like Carl Karcher who embody the American dream not just because of his enormous success but because of how far he had come. He was just a kid who lived and worked on farms who grew into a man who took risks and had faith in his decisions despite the fact that he was an armature. This is another major reason he and other restaurateurs embody the American dream. His novice status makes average Americans and foreigners feel empowered because they can identify with their backgrounds and origins. These successful men were not well off, spoiled, silver-spoon fed children. They worked hard since they were young and continued to do so. It makes unattainable, unreachable success seems a little bit closer and all the more possible. All Karcher had was one hot dog stand that eventually became two and then a drive-in. This first major step set him on the path to own “one of the largest privately owned fast food chain in America.” It is this extreme contrast between his origins and where he is now, present day, that gives hope to others and works to restore the diminishing faith our society has in hard work and perseverance. The subtle, hidden ironies pointed out by the author were the fact that these highly successful restaurateurs were not the most educated bunch. Some dropped out of school and some never went. Among these men college seems to be an extreme rarity. Their level of education is ironic because it goes against today’s constant emphasis on education and it being the only true, guaranteed key to success. These men proved to the world that success is more than a degree but it is the fruit of your own labor. They are the perfect examples to prove that resilience is the true key to all success.
The American Dream does not necessarily mean a promising future for White-Americans. It is the hope and dream for prosperity and success for all who come to the United States. This is a concept personally known due to the fact that it is all that I have ever grown up with. This includes: working hard, making risky, but intelligent decisions, accumulating wealth, and living a good life without much hardships. This is the American Dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs Schlosser discusses in Chapter one. Carl Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, William Rosenberg, Glen W. Bell Jr., Dave Thomas, Thomas S. Monaghan, and Harland Sanders all have something in common. They are all the founders of popular fast food restaurants. Their stories are the essence of the American Dream, because these men grew from rags to riches. “America’s fast food chains were not launched by large corporations relying upon focus groups and market research. They were started by door-to-door salesmen, short-order cooks, orphans, and dropouts, by eternal optimists looking for a piece of the next big thing.” These were the guys who stepped back to look at how the community or society was developing, noticed what the public wanted, gave it to them, and produced many ingenious ideas along the way. There are many hidden ironies that Schlosser incorporated into this chapter. It is ironic that the founders of these fast food restaurants are now billionaires, but they do not even have a college degree. Most of these guys are drop outs. These men are just men who took the other path opposite to education. These men took risks and it worked out for them. I find it ironic that even though Carl Karcher was really successful, he is now in debt. After reading this book, I found it interesting how manipulative the food industry could be in order for people to purchase their products.
In Chapter 1, the essence of the American dream is to be successful and being dedicated. Schlosser embodies the story of a couple of restaurateurs and explains how those men became successful. None of those men were high-school graduates; some were orphans, door- to –door salesmen, or short order cooks that worked hard to become successful. Some of the men left their families and went away to work and unexpectedly opened their own businesses. Not knowing if their invention of opening up a fast food restaurant would be successful or not they were confident enough to give it a try. They fast food industry sprouted and increasingly grew larger.
Carl Karcher, the founder of Carl’s Jr. restaurant that opened in 1956 was told by his father when he was an adolescent that “the harder you work… the luckier you become.” From opening up a hot dog stand while managing to keep his job as a bakery deliverer, he had a his own headquarters named Carl Karcher Enterprises (CKE) without having any type of education. Carl opened his own self-service after seeing the McDonald brother successful restaurant, which was his motivation. Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken that opened in 1952, worked as a lawyer without having a law degree, delivered babies as a part-time obstetrician without having a medical degree , sold insurance door to door, sold Michelin tires, and operated a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky did not have any type of education at all but he was able to be successful in the everything he did.
In conclusion, what makes this ironic is that, these founding fathers had no education but still became successful, but what is important nowadays is education. That proves that a person doesn’t have to be smart or always have to have an educational background in order to be successful. The founding fathers worked their way up to success with hard work and dedication. Without education these founding fathers still managed to be successful business men… millionaires.
The American dream is all about living the good life. Taking an average American from a low-class environment and bringing them up to a high middle-class environment. The typical American dream is to be set for life without any problems. Schlosser embodies just that in each of the restaurateur’s stories. Schlosser refers to many popular fast food restaurant owners in order to explain the essence of the American Dream. He refers to many well know franchise owners such as Carl N. Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, Harland Sanders, William Rosenberg and many more fast food beginners. Some may know Carl N. Karcher as the inventor of the fast food franchise Carl’s Jr. He grew up on a farm in Ohio. He dropped out of school in the eight grade and worked many hours on his family’s farm. At the age of twenty Carl set out to California, where the beginning of his career began. He went from a worker at his uncle’s feed and seed store, to hot dog car owner, and finished off as an owner of one of the biggest franchises today, The Carl’s Jr. Fast Food Chain. Richard and Maurice McDonald have a very similar story to that of Carl. N. Karcher’s. Both of the brothers’s moved to California hoping to find jobs in Hollywood after the Depression. Little did they know, they would start a complete fast food revolution. The McDonald’s brothers invented the speedee service system a self-service system. Today McDonald’s is the number one fast food restaurant franchise. Schlosser embodies the theme of the American Dream throughout his profiles of each owner. However Schlosser also subtly points to many hidden ironies throughout the chapter. The major hidden irony throughout the chapter is the fact that most of the “big time” fast food owners had low education levels. Most of the men mentioned never finished high school or dropped out of school at a young age. This is ironic because it goes against one of today’s biggest arguments, “You can’t live a successful life without education”. The men within this chapter prove that argument completely wrong. Anything is possible no matter how many degrees you receive, you can always have a successful future as long as you are determined and work hard. Each restaurateur achieved their idea of the American Dream, living a successful lifestyle with no worries.
The American Dream is usually defined as success and good fortune. In chapter one, Schlosser profiles the founding fathers and their journey to making their American Dream come true. It was not an journey, as one could imagine. There was plenty of hard work, questionable investments, and life changing decisions that was taken into consideration. All of the restauraters had the determination to come from their past, poor lifestyle. That determination and motivation help made it easy for them to give it their all when starting their own businesses. Their previous lifestyles of farm life, drop outs, and all before their success of their businesses helped them to develop ideas on what will satisfy their customers. By living at the same lifestyle level as as some of their customers, it allowed the restauraters to relate to the public and also so made the public relate to them and agreeing to be supportive of the entrepreneurs. The hard work that it took for these lower class citizens to be wealthy Americans paid off in the end cause their businesses are still popular today. The ironies that are mentioned throughout the chapter are the facts that the very successful men came from poor, sometimes uneducated lifestyles. These men who are in charge of some of the most famous restaurants did not have a previous rich lifestyle before or members of the upper class, but came straight from the lower class and through their hard work and determination, worked their way up.
The American dream is the central focus in chapter one. Each individual had a different perspective on how to approach their dream. The main purpose of the American dream was to become successful and pleased with their lives in whatever field they desired. Majority chose to achieve their dream through the fast food industry. Many who had a desire to pursue their dream in the nineties were high school drop outs with low income jobs. They had a desire to grasp whatever they possibly could to develop in their fast food journey.
One name that stuck with me as an astounding dream chaser was Carl Karcher. Karcher flourished in his battle to reach the American dream. He was determined to stay on top or at least in compliance with his competition, McDonalds. Karcher did what he needed to do to not only to reach the American dream, but to stay in the game. He constantly reconstructed his business chain of restaurants just as McDonalds. Karcher is a worthy example of how your past does not have to conclude your future. He started out with minute education, just as the other "chasers", and became a successful business man. Karcher took little steps before he reached his peak of success. He started out with a food stand and finished with a chain of restaurants.
I find it very fascinating that many of the men in chapter one did not have a lot of education and did not start off with six figure jobs, whereas in present day times, Americans emphasis is on education. It is understood that without a stellar education and college degree chances of achieving the American dream is slim to none. The American dream of today’s time does not just reside in the fast food industry, but now in other fields such as Science and Medical departments. More importantly, in today’s time, the American dream is not only an interest of men, but also available and attainable by women. I also realize that to reach the American dream nowadays is more challenging than in Karcher’s time. Although the methods for approaching the American dream are different throughout generations, the dream still remains the same!
Precious Ingram The American dream can be defined as being rich with success and prosperity. In chapter one Schlooser tells the stories of the many fast food pioneers and how they achieved the American dream; even though most of these men started with a low income or in poverty. The life story of Carl N. Karcher who had a poor family background embodies the American dream in several ways. Schlooser explains how Carl basically had many trails in life in order to start his business like leaving his family by choosing to move from Ohio to California. Schlooser also informed readers about how Carl left his job in order to fully focus on his business which was not always thriving finically. Carl’s life was full of ups and downs even when he finally got his business up and running starting from a hot dog stand to a restaurant, but there was always competition. Carl’s competition was the McDonald brothers’ and their method of serving fast food. Carl’s business still strived as well as the McDonald brothers’. Carl and the McDonald brothers were the starters of the fast food business and achieved the American dream. They were successful business men who started out with a little and created something big. There were also other stories that Schlosser pointed out like William Rosenberg who dropped out of school at fourteen and began doing small jobs like selling sandwiches and coffee to factory workers which lead to the creation of Dunkin Donuts in 1984. Glen W. Bell Jr. who was a World War II veteran used McDonald’s speedy service method and created a Mexican fast food chain called Taco Bell. Dave Thomas started working in restaurants at age twelve then dropped out of school at age fifteen and served as a busboy and cook which lead him to start a fast food restaurant called Wendy’s. These fast food pioneers embody the American dream because they all began their lives at a low point and faced problems, but in the end they had created their own businesses. Therefore they fulfilled the American dream because they had much success and prosperity after they worked for several years.
Schlosser is considered to be a sarcastic author based on the many sarcastic themes and sayings in this novel. Schlosser also uses several literary devices throughout this book which grabs the readers’ attention. One of the major hidden ironies that Schlosser ingeniously points out in this chapter will be how many of these businessmen don’t have an education, but are successful businessmen. Schlosser tells the background of each successful businessman and most of them didn’t finish high school or dropped out of school at a very young age. Schlosser is trying to get his readers to understand that “the American dream” can be fulfilled by anyone as long as they work hard. Schlosser also used the life story of Carl Karcher who even though he had the “American dream” he still ended in debt.
The American Dream is a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. It embodies in the stories of the restaurateurs because they started off from nothing to success. They wanted to pursue their American Dream into the fast food industry. Carl N. Karcher is one of the fast food industry's pioneers. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade and worked twelve to fourteen hours a day on the farm. He moved to Anaheim, California and worked at Karcher's Feed and Store seventy-six hours a week, selling goods to local farmers for their chickens, cattle, and hogs. He bought a hot dog stand and told himself that he is in business for himself now. Karcher had the American Dream.
The hidden ironies that Schlosser subtly points to throughout this chapter is that you don't have to have knowledge or education to become successful. He is telling us that if you stride for what you want, it can happen. Karcher dropped out of school and still became very successful. He knew what he wanted and he aimed for it. The American Dream can be achieved by anyone who is dedicated and works hard in achieving their dream.
In Chapter 1, the essence of the American Dream is defined as being successful and how far the restaurateurs have gotten. Schlosser starts the chapter off by telling stories of men who came from nothing and now is successful. These men didn’t come from the best homes and they didn’t have any education. Carl N. Karcher, for example, dropped out in the eighth grade and took on to a twelve to fourteen hour job. His uncle offered him a job in Anaheim, California. After he thought about moving, he consulted with his parents and decided to leave. He went to Anaheim to work for his uncle. He worked at his uncle’s store. One day he met the girl of his dreams, Margaret Heinz. They were married in 1939 and from there, she helped him opened his own hotdog cart. He worked at his cart and still managed to keep his job. He hired two young men to work at the cart while he was delivering bread. He opened his own restaurant and learned how to cook. The McDonald brothers motivated Carl to get his own self service, Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque. His restaurant became very successful after World War II. Carl himself is a great example of the American Dream. Throughout this chapter, one hidden irony that stood out to me was Carl N. Karcher only had little education and he became very successful. Nowadays you have to have a degree to get a decent job. You even have to have a high school diploma to work at fast foods now. Yet the men in this chapter had no education and still became million/billionaires. They all achieved their goals and now have great lifestyles with no worries.
In Chapter 1, every single story that Schlosser told about the restaurateurs had the essence of the “American dream” embodied inside of it. All of these men came from low income families that left to make a better name for them. Carl A. Karcher fulfilled the American dream by going after what he dreamed of. He set his goals in life high, so that he could pursue bigger and better opportunities. He left his family and home at a young age to move out to the West with nothing in his pocket, just hope in his heart. He worked with his uncle on a farm, and he soon started to purchase hot dog stands. His hot dog stands soon turned into restaurants called Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque. Karcher thought his future was secure until he heard of a new restaurant called McDonald’s Famous Hamburgers. The McDonald brothers left the East and headed to the West for opportunity during the Great Depression hoping to find jobs in Hollywood. The brothers worked as set builders and saved up their money so they could open a drive-in restaurant in hopes of cashing in on the new craze (Schlosser 19). The brothers were looking for a new way to make the business flow better, so they got rid of all the carhops and the silverware and dishes. They replaced those things with division of labor cooks and plastic containers and boxes. Harland Sanders was perhaps the most remarkable story according to Schlosser (23). He left school at the age of twelve and worked on a farm and many other things. He became a traveling salesman offering restaurants his secret recipe for fried chicken. He later opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952. Sanders dressed up as a Kentucky colonel and soon Colonel Sanders was a household name and the business took off. Karcher, Sanders, and the McDonalds’ achievements with fast food restaurants came because of the automobile industry. Without the industry rapidly taking off, people would have had no access to the fast food restaurants therefore no success. Working-class families could finally afford to feed their kids restaurant food (20). The fast food system was incredibly cheap and convenient; therefore, the parents could easily pick up food on the way home instead of cooking dinner. There are a couple of hidden ironies that Schlosser suggests in this chapter. It is ironic that none of the fast food chains were started by large corporations, but by door-to-door salesman, short order cooks, orphans, and dropouts looking for a piece of the next big thing (22). This shows that it does not take true talent or education, just pure luck and hard work. Another irony is that what had begun as a series of small, regional businesses became a fast food industry, a major component of the American economy (25). Nobody ever thought that a chain of restaurants would have ever become so practical and popular in our world today, but with a little bit of luck in risk taking and persistence the outcome could never fail!
I would define the American Dream as, achieving success by following your dreams, making enough money to support your entire family, and having ownership of your own car and house. The desire to have the American Dream is what pushed and motivated these restaurateurs to undergo their struggles and shortcomings. These restaurateurs knew that it was not going to be an easy road to get to where they wanted to be. Nonetheless, they kept the sight of a big hillside, sunny California home and happy family in their minds. For example, Harland Sanders risked his career to make money by delivering babies without a medical degree, and posing as a lawyer without a law degree, just to attain the American Dream one day. Still, with his fight, he decided to pursue his own restaurant chain and form his own “secret recipe”. Putting his own pride aside, he decided to dress as a Kentucky Colonel to promote is franchise, and today, he is a household name. It is ironic that during the development of drive-in restaurants and automobile sales driving up, drive-in churches were also created. Sermons were on Sunday morning at a drive-in movie theater. The convenience of the drive-in churches attracted many families. Most devoted Christians believe that church services should be conducted in the “house of the lord”, services conducted in a drive-in movie theater would go against that belief, but because of the convenience of time and location, they would still attend. A motorcycle club nicknamed themselves “Hell’s Angels”, the U.S. Army’s Eleventh Division’s name, decided to migrant to the cheery sunny side of California, with their grimy images. They created their own fashion statement and didn’t coincide with the image or temperature of San Bernardino, California. They continued to flaunt their leather pants, body piercings, and tattoos. It is clear that the fast-food industry attracts any and everyone, including the development of other quick and efficient industries.
The ability to succeed and prosper is and always has been the “American Dream.” In chapter 1, Schlosser talks about living out the American dream from others’ point of view. It all starts out with ambitions and goals. Seeing what people want and need is one thing. How to provide it is a whole other ball game. The founders of McDonalds were able to do both. Though they were not rich nor had a lot of education when they started didn’t deter them from pursuing their vision. If you were to ask them at the time, I doubt that they would have been able to tell you that they thought McDonalds would be what it is today. These founding brothers, little did they know at the time, would completely change the fast food business and competition. Schlosser hints throughout chapter 1 of how most fast food founders started out on the farm. This gives an edge. You see the food around you, what it needs to be prepared, and the procedures thereof. From here one would just think of how to place a farm on a bigger scale. Hence, fast food factories are created. This provides a way to get more food to more people. In turn, this furthermore means more money.
In chapter one the book Fast Food nation starts off by talking about one of the great founders of fast food Carl N. Karcher. This pioneer of fast food relates himself to the American dream. California was the start of the epidemic of who ha a nice automobile and what Americans ate on a daily basis. Carl was born in 1917 and had six brothers and sisters. He never finished school but started working after the eighth grade. Los Angeles was a big agricultural state at this time. Flowers, nuts, fruits, and vegetables were very commonly grown here. Anaheim alone has about 70,000 acres of oranges as well as nuts and lemons. In Ohio oranges weren’t that common and boy love to even get that for Christmas. Carl stayed in Ohio only briefly b before working in Anaheim at Armstrong bakery making twenty four dollars a week. This was enough to start a family. Within a year Carl and Margaret were married. Carl then became amazed by hot dog stands and was looking to purchase one. A loan was taking out the bank to purchase the hot dog cart. Carl had two jobs now. The population out in California had tripled and business was going very well. In 1944 Carl had about four hot dog stands. On Carl’s twenty eighth birthday he opened up a Drive In barbecue. Margaret worked at the register and Carl did most of the cooking. Carl had his own special sauce for his burgers and etc. the barbecue business was going so well that they bought a house five blocks away from the restaurant. They now have 12 children which includes nine girls and three boys. Walt Disney bought 160 acres of land close by the restaurant and started building Disneyland. Carl restaurant really thrived throughout the years.
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ReplyDeleteThe American Dream is defined as a promising future for White-Americans. Shows like “I Love Lucy” and “Leave it to Beaver” are perfect examples of a typical American Dream Family. This includes a white-collared father, a stay-home mother, and children. During this era, people were able to afford a newly built house in the suburbs, a car, and other products that were once only seen in a few households. The target was also for middle-class people to be satisfied with being in that economic status, but also see a promotion tangible. Americans were able to afford cars and it was then that some things were focused around cars such as dining and movies with drive-ins.
ReplyDeleteThere was much hope during this era to start off in a low-class family becoming successful and reaching the middle-class. Progression was key with the new shopping malls, interstate highways, and suburbs being built and accessible to everyone. The fast food restaurant owners are examples of men who looked for that opportunity to do better than their parents and make a name for their selves while making high-profit. It is said that the baby boom generation is used to expedient service and having things done in a fast matter of time. It is no wonder that the design of a “fast food service” was thought of at this time. Fast food was designated to be good-quality food and affordable while being served as fast as possible. This concept is now a part of Americans everyday life and has reached in other countries overseas.
Fast food chain owners such as Carl N. Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, William Rosenberg, Glen W. Bell, Keith G. Cramer, Dave Thomas, Thomas S. Monaghan and Harland Sanders are all prime examples of the American Dream. Although each of these men have different stories of how they became owners of national fast food restaurants, their stories have more than a few similarities. Most if not all started in a low-class family, low-paying job, and didn’t finish high school, yet still entrepreneurs at a young age. These men started their business and became very rich and represent the whole concept behind the American Dream because of their progression from living poor to becoming rich with plenty success.
Mahalia Dees
ReplyDeleteEveryone in America has their own “American dream” story, whether it is truly their reality or they are still working towards it. Schlosser talks about some of the many founders of fast food restaurants and how they were just regular American citizens trying to pursue their “American dream” of being successful and making enough money to live comfortably.
Carl Karcher was born on a small farm in Ohio. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began working for his uncle’s farm in Anaheim, California a few years later following his father’s advice of, “The harder you work the luckier you become.” He moved to Los Angeles for a better paying job as a delivery man for a bakery. Noticing how many hot dog stands there were, he opened his own stand and placed it near the Goodyear plant, paying two workers to man it while at his other job. Then World War II began and the plant was as busy as ever, giving him a boost in sales as well, eventually leading him to open his own restaurant. This is how Carl, Jr’s started.
The McDonald brothers had a similar “hustle hard” story. They moved from New Hampshire to south California to find a job. They also found out about the fast food industry and opened their own hot dog stand. Their success is however very different. Growing tired of constantly hiring new workers, they revamped their restaurant that decreased prices and increased speed and, most importantly, sales. They minimized their menu, established an assembly line within their kitchen, and replaced all glassware with paper cups, plates, and bags. This is how McDonald’s started.
The story of Harland Sanders is described as “the most remarkable” of all of the people Schlosser discusses. He also left school early and began working on a farm. But he did other various jobs to make money. He did not find the fast food industry until he was sixty-five, dressing up in a white suit and black tie to promote himself. This is how Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) started.
All these stories have one factor in common; they all had a business mentality. The people mentioned above wanted to make a profit and would do whatever they could to receive it. They all quit school early and did various odds and ends jobs before they found something that worked for them.
Minh Luan Nguyen
ReplyDeleteHow is the essence of the American dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs Schlosser profiles in Chapter 1? The American dream was much harder to achieve back then than it is today. The American dream in that era was to live a fulfilling life having all of your wants and needs. Some of these wants and needs included cars, houses, and a family. Cars back then gave people a sense of freedom that they can go anywhere anytime. This affected the food people wanted to buy on the go and it gave many restaurateurs opportunities.
In Chapter 1, restaurateur Carl N. Karcher left his home with no education to move to the west to work for his uncle, Ben. Carl took such big risk by doing this. He expanded from his uncle's restaurant to selling hotdogs from carts. As he got more money, he expanded even more by getting more carts. Later on, he bought his own restaurant where he served hamburgers. Business there was very good and he bought a house five blocks away from his new restaurant. His restaurant was successful because there were very few fast food places and his was in a hot spot next to Disneyland. Many people who ate there traveled by car and ate inside of their car because they were too lazy to get out. As you can see, Carl took a big risk moving all the way to California. But in the end, it was all for the better because he lived the American dream of their time.
There are hints of irony throughout chapter 1. For example, it is funny how everyone who became a success, such as Carl and the McDonald brothers, became successful without an education. All they had was small amounts of money and motivation which drove them to never give up. Becoming successful like these guys doesn't take a high level education. It takes talent and luck that you can only achieve through hard work and sacrifice.
The essence of the American dream was embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs in Chapter 1 because the definition of the American Dream is the promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In Chapter 1 the American Dream was obtained by the numerous entrepreneurs of the fast food industry who came from little or a mediocre lifestyle to owning very well known restaurants and businesses. For example, Carl N. Karcher a pioneer of the fast food industry started off farming with his father and took a chance with buying a hot dog stand. After he gained enough money he bought another hot dog stand and with the expanding population in California he opened up a Drive-In Barbeque restaurant and with the booming economy after World War 2 he would come to have plenty customers. The McDonald brothers are another example of the restaurateurs who have obtained to American Dream. They incorporated the Speedee Service System and the assembly line into their restaurant. The McDonalds quickly became a major powerhouse in the restaurant business and were an example for the other fast food chains like Wendy’s, KFC, and Taco Bell who all of which took a little something from McDonalds to incorporate into their businesses. The hidden ironies the Scholosser subtly points to in this chapter is the fact that everyone who became successful didn’t finish high school and dropped out. That shows that it is possible for anyone to obtain the American Dream. The McDonald brothers didn’t need a Master’s degree to make the largest fast food franchise in the world they just needed determination a drive to make themselves successful. With that being said I think that Schlosser was trying to say that these restaurateurs weren’t successful because of their education but because of their determination to be successful.
ReplyDeleteDillon Glapion
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 1, the American Dream was embodied in the stories that Schlosser described greatly. Schlosser describes many hard working men that grew up on farms eventually becoming the owners of what are now world-known restaurants. The American Dream insists upon someone becoming wealthy and well off in society. For these men to create their own business from the ground up is successfully reaching the American Dream.
The main person that Schlosser describes is Carl N. Karcher, founder of Carl’s Jr burgers. Carl grew up on a farm in Ohio. Throughout his life he went through major success, almost having to file for bankruptcy, and then finally getting back on his feet again. Carl, throughout his life, tried to get a deeper relationship with Christ. Carl Karcher is a prime example of someone fulfilling the American Dream. Another example is the McDonald brothers. Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced a new assembly line to the restaurant business, straying away from the traditional carhops. McDonalds also brought about more people to start their own business such as Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC, and even Taco Bell.
Throughout Chapter 1 Schlosser hints at ironic points in each successful business owners life. Many of the business owners have similar ironic points. For example, most of the founders of today’s biggest fast food restaurants grew up on a farm. Many of them started out with basically nothing, and ended up with wealth. More irony comes from the fact that many, if not all of the founders Schlosser mentioned became successful in achieving the American Dream with little education. Whether it be dropping out of high school, dropping out of school at the age of fifteen, or not even attending college. I think the biggest irony is the fact that even though no matter how successful Carl Karcher was, he was in major debt. He had achieved the American Dream and even beyond that. When his business started to plunge his “friends” because of a proposal to help the company fired him. He eventually got hired and his friends quit and ironically, his proposal worked. All in all, achieving the American Dream is possible in any day and age, but Schlosser shows that it takes hard work and determination.
Kelly Johnson
ReplyDeleteIn chapter one, the American dream is defined as being successful and basically coming from not too much. I feel as though the American dream is becoming what you dream of being and being successful and having all that you need and want. And being able to achieve all that you want. Chapter one the American dream is embodied in the story because basically the founders of many famous fast food restaurants came from poor or almost poor backgrounds. Meaning that these men worked on farms, dropped out of school at young ages, possibly had to support and/or help to support their families, had multiple jobs just trying to make ends meet but now they are million and billionaires. They didn't have much thought in the process either. No college degree in business or anything, just a dream and an idea. They knew that they could make a business buy selling fast food so they branched off the ideas of other fast food places and they made a selling. They are living the American dream to their full potientials.Living the American dream is everybody's dream. Everyone views their "American dream" is different but they all have the same concept, and that's being all that you can and getting all that you need and want. To fulfill a dream you have to have a dream. And that's what all these founder's had. They stuck to what they knew. They made this crazy competitive world work for them and work well. The founders show that you can build a lot from not too much at all. Most people don't realize that dreams do come true with faith and effort but this chapter alone proves it. These founders created a system and they stuck with it and now they can proudly see they have lived their dream. Not only their dream but most importantly the American dream.
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ReplyDeleteXavier Hill
ReplyDeleteThe American dream was emboided in the stories of the great men who made fast food resturants. Most of the men started out as farms and worked numerous jobs such door-to-door salesman or short order cooks. All but one were middle school or high school drop-outs. Many of the men copied their ideas from the McDonald's food chain and brought it back to the region that they lived in."Entrepreneurs from all over the country went to San Bernardino, visted the new McDonald's, and built imitations of the restaurant in their hometowns." They all worked to get enough money to purchase their first restaurant, copy McDonals's self-service style,and expand there own brand nationwide. The American Dream is that all people can have happy and successful lives if they work hard. Although each of these men had little education they used a desire for happiness and success and plenty of hardwork to accomplish the so called American Dream.
The ironies the Schlosser constantly points out that most the these men became successful without the best education but by having plenty of determination and ambition. Throughout the chapter the author told many stories of how the men started off dropping out of school,went through many jobs before they succeeded. They all used the MacDonald brothers system to succeed but they each tweaked it to have some originality. They each perfected the founded system and made it there way of completing the
goal called "The American Dream."
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ReplyDeleteAsia Harris
ReplyDeleteThe American dream as stated in chapter one is still the same as it will be tomorrow which includes success and prosperity. The essence of the American dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs in chapter one involved what they thought they had to do to be better business man. Reading chapter one realizing ninety percent of the fast-food owners and founders dropped out of high school, entering the world of riches with no form of education. Education to these young individuals did not matter, all they saw was green. Not knowing how they would develop such a business that would forever reign and stay with a child not only through child hood, but through their life as well with out a degree must have been a great challenge. With no internal help they had to strive daily to make ends meet in the beginning to have now grown in to what we know as the largest bulk buyers of meat and fries.
Living the American dream has not changed nor is it only through the fast-food industry. It is the overall prospective of society. Everyone wants to be rich with not a concern in the way, trying to live what I would say are false dreams. As an American you must work for what you want in life. While descent work requires a college degree, in which is a form of education in today’s world obtained through hard work and skill? So I say you America take your chance just like these guys did and find out soon and very soon life is no long like it used to be. As an American you need dedication will-power leadership skills and most importantly an education.
Peter Huynh
ReplyDeleteIn chapter one Schlosser talks about different people having the American dream. The American dream was to become successful in life and be able to live out their dreams. Many people lived the American dream through fast food restaurants. Chapter one mainly talks about a guy named Carl N. Karcher and how he lived the American dream. Carl Karcher grew up near Upper Sandusky, Ohio and worked on the farm with his family after he dropped out of school after eighth grade. His uncle Ben Karcher offered Carl a job in Anaheim, California and he accepted. Carl loved Anaheim a lot. He worked and met a girl named Margaret Heinz then started his own thing selling food from a cart. After cars became popular in California, Carl bought a restaurant and learned how to cook. His restaurant was named Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque, and it became really successful after World War II.
Other people began starting their own thing such as Walt Disney building Disneyland and Richard and Maurice McDonald making McDonalds. This made Carl want to make Carl’s Jr. restaurant. William Rosenberg came up with Dunkin’ Donuts. Glen W. Bell, Jr. came up with Taco Bell. Keith G. Cramer and his father-in-law, Matthew Burns, opened Insta-Burger-King. Dave Thomas came up with Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant. Harland Sanders made fried chicken taste good with a secret recipe and came up with the first Kentucky Fried Chicken.
All of these restaurants came from a chain meaning the people get ideas from one restaurant and try to make it into their own so they can start a business. Most of these founders started off like Carl Karcher. They come from a poor background like being adopted or dropping out of school and soon working their way up to start a fast food restaurant. So just like Carl these founders lived the American dream.
The American Dream varies from person to person but the general idea of it is to have the opportunity to live a happy and successful life. Each of the restaurateurs all had similar success stories. They were all entrepreneurs who were school drop outs, orphans, door-to-door salesmen, or short order cooks that were looking to gain success from the next big thing. The fast food industry was where they found it.
ReplyDeleteRichard and Maurice McDonald came to southern California in search of a job in Hollywood but ended up starting a drive in. The McDonald Brothers Burger Bar Drive-In was successful and made the brothers rich. They soon grew tired of the drive-in business because they were constantly in search of new carhops and cooks as well as replacing dishes that were broken or ripped off. The McDonald brothers closed their restaurant, installed larger grills, and reopened months later with a new system of preparing food. It was designed to increase speed, lower prices, and raise sales. The removed everything from their menus except for hamburgers and cheeseburgers and replaced all dishes with paper cups, paper bags, and paper plates. They applied the principals of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. The McDonalds brother’s success with their self-service restaurant led others to follow in their footsteps.
Carl Karcher was a school dropout who had a similar story to the McDonald brothers. He started off in the food industry with a hot dog stand. Over time he bought and opened a drive-in and after seeing the success of the McDonald brothers opened his own self-service restaurant, Carl’s Jr.
Harland Sanders is also a school dropout who entered the food industry . He worked various jobs as a lawyer, obstetrician, sold insurance, sold tires, and operated a gas station all without a degree. At the age of sixty-five he began traveling again offering the “secret recipe” for his fried chicken to restaurant owners. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in 1952. Because he lacked money to promote his new chain, Sanders dressed up in a white suit and a black tie.
The majority of these restaurateurs are all school dropouts who were looking for that one hustle that would be the next big thing. It’s ironic that all of these entrepreneurs had little to no education at all but yet they still managed to make millions.
Ira’neshia Buckley
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 1 “the Founding Fathers”, Scholosser embodies the essence of the American Dream because he gives the background of the restaurateurs and their battle to become successful restaurant owners. He tells of how they started with nothing and made a fortune by following a trend and being smart about picking a location for their restaurant and by choosing the right advertisement. Each restaurateur started with little to nothing or starting from the ground up and made their way to the top. They all used hard work to achieve their goal and that is what the American Dream is all about. The American Dream is the belief that all people can live happy and prosperous lives if they work hard. I believe Mr. Carl N. Karcher really is one of the best stories that embodies the American Dream and that is why his story was somewhat the main focus of the chapter. His story goes though different stage as does a person goes through many stages in their life. He had to reinvent his restaurant chain, more than once, in order for it to actually survive. I think his willingness to change should be perceived as insightful because we as humans should never get too comfortable with one trend or else society will pass us by and we will be out of touch with the rest of the world.
There were a lot of hidden ironies in the text but two stuck out the most to me. One that stuck out the most to me was that a lot of restaurateurs that started out after McDonalds were eating at McDonalds and were taking notes and learning from them. Even though some of the restaurants didn’t serve hamburgers they still received pointers from McDonalds and added their own little improvements. Another irony that stuck out to me was that Mr. Carl N. Karcher was all for change. As I stated above Mr. Karcher had to reinvent his restaurant a number of times in order to keep up with the competition. One of the reasons that Mr. Karcher had to reinvent his restaurant was because McDonalds had reinvented theirs. If McDonalds would have never upgraded their restaurant there would be no reason to change. For Mr. Karcher to be all for change the public should follow along in his footsteps and accept change also. If you think about it how can we expect to get far in life if we are afraid of progress?
Anthony Poché
ReplyDeleteSchlosser provides various examples of men who chased after (and in some cases achieved) the American dream in Chapter One. It is men like Carl Karcher who embody the American dream not just because of his enormous success but because of how far he had come. He was just a kid who lived and worked on farms who grew into a man who took risks and had faith in his decisions despite the fact that he was an armature. This is another major reason he and other restaurateurs embody the American dream. His novice status makes average Americans and foreigners feel empowered because they can identify with their backgrounds and origins. These successful men were not well off, spoiled, silver-spoon fed children. They worked hard since they were young and continued to do so. It makes unattainable, unreachable success seems a little bit closer and all the more possible. All Karcher had was one hot dog stand that eventually became two and then a drive-in. This first major step set him on the path to own “one of the largest privately owned fast food chain in America.” It is this extreme contrast between his origins and where he is now, present day, that gives hope to others and works to restore the diminishing faith our society has in hard work and perseverance.
The subtle, hidden ironies pointed out by the author were the fact that these highly successful restaurateurs were not the most educated bunch. Some dropped out of school and some never went. Among these men college seems to be an extreme rarity. Their level of education is ironic because it goes against today’s constant emphasis on education and it being the only true, guaranteed key to success. These men proved to the world that success is more than a degree but it is the fruit of your own labor. They are the perfect examples to prove that resilience is the true key to all success.
The American Dream does not necessarily mean a promising future for White-Americans. It is the hope and dream for prosperity and success for all who come to the United States. This is a concept personally known due to the fact that it is all that I have ever grown up with. This includes: working hard, making risky, but intelligent decisions, accumulating wealth, and living a good life without much hardships. This is the American Dream embodied in the stories of the restaurateurs Schlosser discusses in Chapter one.
ReplyDeleteCarl Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, William Rosenberg, Glen W. Bell Jr., Dave Thomas, Thomas S. Monaghan, and Harland Sanders all have something in common. They are all the founders of popular fast food restaurants. Their stories are the essence of the American Dream, because these men grew from rags to riches. “America’s fast food chains were not launched by large corporations relying upon focus groups and market research. They were started by door-to-door salesmen, short-order cooks, orphans, and dropouts, by eternal optimists looking for a piece of the next big thing.” These were the guys who stepped back to look at how the community or society was developing, noticed what the public wanted, gave it to them, and produced many ingenious ideas along the way.
There are many hidden ironies that Schlosser incorporated into this chapter. It is ironic that the founders of these fast food restaurants are now billionaires, but they do not even have a college degree. Most of these guys are drop outs. These men are just men who took the other path opposite to education. These men took risks and it worked out for them. I find it ironic that even though Carl Karcher was really successful, he is now in debt. After reading this book, I found it interesting how manipulative the food industry could be in order for people to purchase their products.
Courtney Jackson,
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 1, the essence of the American dream is to be successful and being dedicated. Schlosser embodies the story of a couple of restaurateurs and explains how those men became successful. None of those men were high-school graduates; some were orphans, door- to –door salesmen, or short order cooks that worked hard to become successful. Some of the men left their families and went away to work and unexpectedly opened their own businesses. Not knowing if their invention of opening up a fast food restaurant would be successful or not they were confident enough to give it a try. They fast food industry sprouted and increasingly grew larger.
Carl Karcher, the founder of Carl’s Jr. restaurant that opened in 1956 was told by his father when he was an adolescent that “the harder you work… the luckier you become.” From opening up a hot dog stand while managing to keep his job as a bakery deliverer, he had a his own headquarters named Carl Karcher Enterprises (CKE) without having any type of education. Carl opened his own self-service after seeing the McDonald brother successful restaurant, which was his motivation. Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken that opened in 1952, worked as a lawyer without having a law degree, delivered babies as a part-time obstetrician without having a medical degree , sold insurance door to door, sold Michelin tires, and operated a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky did not have any type of education at all but he was able to be successful in the everything he did.
In conclusion, what makes this ironic is that, these founding fathers had no education but still became successful, but what is important nowadays is education. That proves that a person doesn’t have to be smart or always have to have an educational background in order to be successful. The founding fathers worked their way up to success with hard work and dedication. Without education these founding fathers still managed to be successful business men… millionaires.
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ReplyDeleteKierra Hitchens
ReplyDeleteThe American dream is all about living the good life. Taking an average American from a low-class environment and bringing them up to a high middle-class environment. The typical American dream is to be set for life without any problems. Schlosser embodies just that in each of the restaurateur’s stories.
Schlosser refers to many popular fast food restaurant owners in order to explain the essence of the American Dream. He refers to many well know franchise owners such as Carl N. Karcher, Richard and Maurice McDonald, Harland Sanders, William Rosenberg and many more fast food beginners.
Some may know Carl N. Karcher as the inventor of the fast food franchise Carl’s Jr. He grew up on a farm in Ohio. He dropped out of school in the eight grade and worked many hours on his family’s farm. At the age of twenty Carl set out to California, where the beginning of his career began. He went from a worker at his uncle’s feed and seed store, to hot dog car owner, and finished off as an owner of one of the biggest franchises today, The Carl’s Jr. Fast Food Chain.
Richard and Maurice McDonald have a very similar story to that of Carl. N. Karcher’s. Both of the brothers’s moved to California hoping to find jobs in Hollywood after the Depression. Little did they know, they would start a complete fast food revolution. The McDonald’s brothers invented the speedee service system a self-service system. Today McDonald’s is the number one fast food restaurant franchise.
Schlosser embodies the theme of the American Dream throughout his profiles of each owner. However Schlosser also subtly points to many hidden ironies throughout the chapter. The major hidden irony throughout the chapter is the fact that most of the “big time” fast food owners had low education levels. Most of the men mentioned never finished high school or dropped out of school at a young age. This is ironic because it goes against one of today’s biggest arguments, “You can’t live a successful life without education”. The men within this chapter prove that argument completely wrong. Anything is possible no matter how many degrees you receive, you can always have a successful future as long as you are determined and work hard.
Each restaurateur achieved their idea of the American Dream, living a successful lifestyle with no worries.
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ReplyDeleteThe American Dream is usually defined as success and good fortune. In chapter one, Schlosser profiles the founding fathers and their journey to making their American Dream come true. It was not an journey, as one could imagine. There was plenty of hard work, questionable investments, and life changing decisions that was taken into consideration. All of the restauraters had the determination to come from their past, poor lifestyle. That determination and motivation help made it easy for them to give it their all when starting their own businesses. Their previous lifestyles of farm life, drop outs, and all before their success of their businesses helped them to develop ideas on what will satisfy their customers. By living at the same lifestyle level as as some of their customers, it allowed the restauraters to relate to the public and also so made the public relate to them and agreeing to be supportive of the entrepreneurs. The hard work that it took for these lower class citizens to be wealthy Americans paid off in the end cause their businesses are still popular today. The ironies that are mentioned throughout the chapter are the facts that the very successful men came from poor, sometimes uneducated lifestyles. These men who are in charge of some of the most famous restaurants did not have a previous rich lifestyle before or members of the upper class, but came straight from the lower class and through their hard work and determination, worked their way up.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream is the central focus in chapter one. Each individual had a different perspective on how to approach their dream. The main purpose of the American dream was to become successful and pleased with their lives in whatever field they desired. Majority chose to achieve their dream through the fast food industry. Many who had a desire to pursue their dream in the nineties were high school drop outs with low income jobs. They had a desire to grasp whatever they possibly could to develop in their fast food journey.
ReplyDeleteOne name that stuck with me as an astounding dream chaser was Carl Karcher. Karcher flourished in his battle to reach the American dream. He was determined to stay on top or at least in compliance with his competition, McDonalds. Karcher did what he needed to do to not only to reach the American dream, but to stay in the game. He constantly reconstructed his business chain of restaurants just as McDonalds. Karcher is a worthy example of how your past does not have to conclude your future. He started out with minute education, just as the other "chasers", and became a successful business man. Karcher took little steps before he reached his peak of success. He started out with a food stand and finished with a chain of restaurants.
I find it very fascinating that many of the men in chapter one did not have a lot of education and did not start off with six figure jobs, whereas in present day times, Americans emphasis is on education. It is understood that without a stellar education and college degree chances of achieving the American dream is slim to none. The American dream of today’s time does not just reside in the fast food industry, but now in other fields such as Science and Medical departments. More importantly, in today’s time, the American dream is not only an interest of men, but also available and attainable by women. I also realize that to reach the American dream nowadays is more challenging than in Karcher’s time. Although the methods for approaching the American dream are different throughout generations, the dream still remains the same!
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ReplyDeletePrecious Ingram
ReplyDeleteThe American dream can be defined as being rich with success and prosperity. In chapter one Schlooser tells the stories of the many fast food pioneers and how they achieved the American dream; even though most of these men started with a low income or in poverty. The life story of Carl N. Karcher who had a poor family background embodies the American dream in several ways. Schlooser explains how Carl basically had many trails in life in order to start his business like leaving his family by choosing to move from Ohio to California. Schlooser also informed readers about how Carl left his job in order to fully focus on his business which was not always thriving finically. Carl’s life was full of ups and downs even when he finally got his business up and running starting from a hot dog stand to a restaurant, but there was always competition. Carl’s competition was the McDonald brothers’ and their method of serving fast food. Carl’s business still strived as well as the McDonald brothers’. Carl and the McDonald brothers were the starters of the fast food business and achieved the American dream. They were successful business men who started out with a little and created something big. There were also other stories that Schlosser pointed out like William Rosenberg who dropped out of school at fourteen and began doing small jobs like selling sandwiches and coffee to factory workers which lead to the creation of Dunkin Donuts in 1984. Glen W. Bell Jr. who was a World War II veteran used McDonald’s speedy service method and created a Mexican fast food chain called Taco Bell. Dave Thomas started working in restaurants at age twelve then dropped out of school at age fifteen and served as a busboy and cook which lead him to start a fast food restaurant called Wendy’s. These fast food pioneers embody the American dream because they all began their lives at a low point and faced problems, but in the end they had created their own businesses. Therefore they fulfilled the American dream because they had much success and prosperity after they worked for several years.
Schlosser is considered to be a sarcastic author based on the many sarcastic themes and sayings in this novel. Schlosser also uses several literary devices throughout this book which grabs the readers’ attention. One of the major hidden ironies that Schlosser ingeniously points out in this chapter will be how many of these businessmen don’t have an education, but are successful businessmen. Schlosser tells the background of each successful businessman and most of them didn’t finish high school or dropped out of school at a very young age. Schlosser is trying to get his readers to understand that “the American dream” can be fulfilled by anyone as long as they work hard. Schlosser also used the life story of Carl Karcher who even though he had the “American dream” he still ended in debt.
Anh Phuong Dang
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream is a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. It embodies in the stories of the restaurateurs because they started off from nothing to success. They wanted to pursue their American Dream into the fast food industry. Carl N. Karcher is one of the fast food industry's pioneers. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade and worked twelve to fourteen hours a day on the farm. He moved to Anaheim, California and worked at Karcher's Feed and Store seventy-six hours a week, selling goods to local farmers for their chickens, cattle, and hogs. He bought a hot dog stand and told himself that he is in business for himself now. Karcher had the American Dream.
The hidden ironies that Schlosser subtly points to throughout this chapter is that you don't have to have knowledge or education to become successful. He is telling us that if you stride for what you want, it can happen. Karcher dropped out of school and still became very successful. He knew what he wanted and he aimed for it. The American Dream can be achieved by anyone who is dedicated and works hard in achieving their dream.
In Chapter 1, the essence of the American Dream is defined as being successful and how far the restaurateurs have gotten. Schlosser starts the chapter off by telling stories of men who came from nothing and now is successful. These men didn’t come from the best homes and they didn’t have any education. Carl N. Karcher, for example, dropped out in the eighth grade and took on to a twelve to fourteen hour job. His uncle offered him a job in Anaheim, California. After he thought about moving, he consulted with his parents and decided to leave. He went to Anaheim to work for his uncle. He worked at his uncle’s store. One day he met the girl of his dreams, Margaret Heinz. They were married in 1939 and from there, she helped him opened his own hotdog cart. He worked at his cart and still managed to keep his job. He hired two young men to work at the cart while he was delivering bread. He opened his own restaurant and learned how to cook. The McDonald brothers motivated Carl to get his own self service, Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque. His restaurant became very successful after World War II. Carl himself is a great example of the American Dream. Throughout this chapter, one hidden irony that stood out to me was Carl N. Karcher only had little education and he became very successful. Nowadays you have to have a degree to get a decent job. You even have to have a high school diploma to work at fast foods now. Yet the men in this chapter had no education and still became million/billionaires. They all achieved their goals and now have great lifestyles with no worries.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Reuther
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 1, every single story that Schlosser told about the restaurateurs had the essence of the “American dream” embodied inside of it. All of these men came from low income families that left to make a better name for them.
Carl A. Karcher fulfilled the American dream by going after what he dreamed of. He set his goals in life high, so that he could pursue bigger and better opportunities. He left his family and home at a young age to move out to the West with nothing in his pocket, just hope in his heart. He worked with his uncle on a farm, and he soon started to purchase hot dog stands. His hot dog stands soon turned into restaurants called Carl’s Drive-In Barbeque. Karcher thought his future was secure until he heard of a new restaurant called McDonald’s Famous Hamburgers.
The McDonald brothers left the East and headed to the West for opportunity during the Great Depression hoping to find jobs in Hollywood. The brothers worked as set builders and saved up their money so they could open a drive-in restaurant in hopes of cashing in on the new craze (Schlosser 19). The brothers were looking for a new way to make the business flow better, so they got rid of all the carhops and the silverware and dishes. They replaced those things with division of labor cooks and plastic containers and boxes.
Harland Sanders was perhaps the most remarkable story according to Schlosser (23). He left school at the age of twelve and worked on a farm and many other things. He became a traveling salesman offering restaurants his secret recipe for fried chicken. He later opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952. Sanders dressed up as a Kentucky colonel and soon Colonel Sanders was a household name and the business took off.
Karcher, Sanders, and the McDonalds’ achievements with fast food restaurants came because of the automobile industry. Without the industry rapidly taking off, people would have had no access to the fast food restaurants therefore no success. Working-class families could finally afford to feed their kids restaurant food (20). The fast food system was incredibly cheap and convenient; therefore, the parents could easily pick up food on the way home instead of cooking dinner.
There are a couple of hidden ironies that Schlosser suggests in this chapter. It is ironic that none of the fast food chains were started by large corporations, but by door-to-door salesman, short order cooks, orphans, and dropouts looking for a piece of the next big thing (22). This shows that it does not take true talent or education, just pure luck and hard work. Another irony is that what had begun as a series of small, regional businesses became a fast food industry, a major component of the American economy (25). Nobody ever thought that a chain of restaurants would have ever become so practical and popular in our world today, but with a little bit of luck in risk taking and persistence the outcome could never fail!
Chinedu Echebelem
ReplyDeleteI would define the American Dream as, achieving success by following your dreams, making enough money to support your entire family, and having ownership of your own car and house. The desire to have the American Dream is what pushed and motivated these restaurateurs to undergo their struggles and shortcomings. These restaurateurs knew that it was not going to be an easy road to get to where they wanted to be. Nonetheless, they kept the sight of a big hillside, sunny California home and happy family in their minds. For example, Harland Sanders risked his career to make money by delivering babies without a medical degree, and posing as a lawyer without a law degree, just to attain the American Dream one day. Still, with his fight, he decided to pursue his own restaurant chain and form his own “secret recipe”. Putting his own pride aside, he decided to dress as a Kentucky Colonel to promote is franchise, and today, he is a household name.
It is ironic that during the development of drive-in restaurants and automobile sales driving up, drive-in churches were also created. Sermons were on Sunday morning at a drive-in movie theater. The convenience of the drive-in churches attracted many families. Most devoted Christians believe that church services should be conducted in the “house of the lord”, services conducted in a drive-in movie theater would go against that belief, but because of the convenience of time and location, they would still attend.
A motorcycle club nicknamed themselves “Hell’s Angels”, the U.S. Army’s Eleventh Division’s name, decided to migrant to the cheery sunny side of California, with their grimy images. They created their own fashion statement and didn’t coincide with the image or temperature of San Bernardino, California. They continued to flaunt their leather pants, body piercings, and tattoos. It is clear that the fast-food industry attracts any and everyone, including the development of other quick and efficient industries.
TaiRhe Turner
ReplyDeleteThe ability to succeed and prosper is and always has been the “American Dream.” In chapter 1, Schlosser talks about living out the American dream from others’ point of view. It all starts out with ambitions and goals. Seeing what people want and need is one thing. How to provide it is a whole other ball game. The founders of McDonalds were able to do both. Though they were not rich nor had a lot of education when they started didn’t deter them from pursuing their vision. If you were to ask them at the time, I doubt that they would have been able to tell you that they thought McDonalds would be what it is today. These founding brothers, little did they know at the time, would completely change the fast food business and competition. Schlosser hints throughout chapter 1 of how most fast food founders started out on the farm. This gives an edge. You see the food around you, what it needs to be prepared, and the procedures thereof. From here one would just think of how to place a farm on a bigger scale. Hence, fast food factories are created. This provides a way to get more food to more people. In turn, this furthermore means more money.
In chapter one the book Fast Food nation starts off by talking about one of the great founders of fast food Carl N. Karcher. This pioneer of fast food relates himself to the American dream. California was the start of the epidemic of who ha a nice automobile and what Americans ate on a daily basis. Carl was born in 1917 and had six brothers and sisters. He never finished school but started working after the eighth grade. Los Angeles was a big agricultural state at this time. Flowers, nuts, fruits, and vegetables were very commonly grown here. Anaheim alone has about 70,000 acres of oranges as well as nuts and lemons. In Ohio oranges weren’t that common and boy love to even get that for Christmas. Carl stayed in Ohio only briefly b before working in Anaheim at Armstrong bakery making twenty four dollars a week. This was enough to start a family. Within a year Carl and Margaret were married. Carl then became amazed by hot dog stands and was looking to purchase one. A loan was taking out the bank to purchase the hot dog cart. Carl had two jobs now. The population out in California had tripled and business was going very well. In 1944 Carl had about four hot dog stands. On Carl’s twenty eighth birthday he opened up a Drive In barbecue. Margaret worked at the register and Carl did most of the cooking. Carl had his own special sauce for his burgers and etc. the barbecue business was going so well that they bought a house five blocks away from the restaurant. They now have 12 children which includes nine girls and three boys. Walt Disney bought 160 acres of land close by the restaurant and started building Disneyland. Carl restaurant really thrived throughout the years.
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