Did you know

Chatterbox: Down to Earth

Did you know

Did you know that I haven't eaten fast food in four years? That's right. And i don't miss it. I read a book called Chew on This, and my life was changed forever. Do you know how they kill the chickens for patties at McDonald's? Warning: This is not for the fainthearted! First, they hang them upside down from a machine. Then they dunk them in electrified water to electrocute them. Sometimes, a chicken will live though this, or they will escape, so the workers take the chickens and slam them against the walls. Yep.

And soda? I saw a picture of how much sugar is in one can. The mound is about a foot tall. Yep.

And hamburgers? It hardly even has any beef. Most of it is crushed bones and by-products, like stomach, brain, intestines, and muscles. Yep.

Do you know how they raise the chickens for sandwiches? They pack them tightly in a warehouse-looking building. They're so tightly packed togeher, they can't even move. The people feed them other chickens from factories. Yep. Chicken cannibals. They also give them hormones to have the chickens grow faster. They grow so fat, they can't even stand on their legs. Sometimes, a chicken will be fed so much fat, they'll have heart attacks.

And milkshakes? Do you know why they're pink? Because they use some kind of bug. I'm not kidding. Read Chew on This to see if I'm joking.

Does anyone else know gross things about fast food? Admins, you can post, too.

submitted by Bookbug
(June 25, 2014 - 1:07 pm)

back to the Down to Earth

Fast food is bad for you.

Gelatin is gross.

I have not been to McDonald's in forever.

I am vegetarian.

Kind of eliminates burgers.

Also my mum is like no sugary stuff so....

yeah. 

submitted by goyle, age 13, Baltimore MD nothome
(June 25, 2014 - 2:53 pm)

Nice job for not eating fast food! Mel read Chew On This and said it was gross. Her friend is now a vegetarian partly because of it. The hamburgers have pink slime or something, right? I don't want chicken stuff from there ever again. Ever.

submitted by ~Blue Fairy~, age 13, Neverland
(June 25, 2014 - 2:59 pm)

I read Fast Food Nation and...yeah. Basically everything BookBug said. Good for you, Bookbug! I'm never going to eat fast food again, unless I have no other option or I'm broke or something.

Another nasty little tidbit: the author of Fast Food Nation discovered that many of the fast foods are only appealing because they have special flavorings or scents. He actually went to one of these enormous secret factories that produces these things. It's all very scientific...and gross, since the thing about the food we love so much is completely manufactured with chemicals!

submitted by WritingWarrior
(June 26, 2014 - 9:06 am)

Ooh, sounds delicious...

I'm actually gluten-free (darn celiac disease), so I don't eat that stuff in the first place. Plus, even before I was diagnosed, McDonald's just tasted bad to me. It's so unnatural. Like, ew.

I read this book...I forget what it was called; it was like The Omnivore's Something-or-other, and it talked ALL ABOUT THAT.

I was pretty much scarred for life. 

submitted by Nora the Singer
(July 8, 2014 - 4:32 pm)

The Omnivore's Dilemma? I read it, too!

Oh, and you have celiac disease? That's a bummer. i recommend the book The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue. This woman sneaks healthy purees into seemingly-bad food, and you don't even know! She made a whole section for gluten-free recipes. There's gluten-free pancakes, chicken pieces, cookies, and some other stuff. I tried them; they're sooo good!

submitted by Bookbug
(July 8, 2014 - 6:17 pm)

YES! That's what it was called!

I'll totally check that out! Sounds amazing! Thanks! 

submitted by Nora the Singer
(July 9, 2014 - 9:15 am)

I stay away from fast food as much as I can, especially McDonalds. Bleck :P Those chicken nuggets aren't actually chicken nuggets... 

I was a vegetarian, but I couldn't really stay that way for long. So occasionally I have grass-fed hamburgers (only with cheese on them). These are basically like the classic beef made into a hamburger before McDonalds showed up. Oh, I don't think I could go vegan either. I mean, goat cheese is amazing... and cheese omlettes, which of course are the organic kind of eggs. Yeah, my family is big on organic things. 

submitted by Moss, age 13
(July 9, 2014 - 7:55 am)

I could NEVER go vegan, or even vegetarian. I love salads a lot though, it used to bethe only thing I got from McDonald's when I was five. I love meat too much. When I was starting 6th grade, I said my name "Hi, I'm Meeghan." Most people thought I said vegan! I was like, nope!

submitted by ~Blue Fairy~, age 13, Neverland
(July 9, 2014 - 9:18 am)

Eww, I had NO idea about this stuff. It's crazy how McDonald's is promoting "healthy eating" when the food there isn't actually healthy. It's packed with calories and fat. Read the Nutrition Facts and see for yourself. Also, I didn't know they used chicken for beef patties, especially when the packaging says 100% "pure beef". :/

submitted by Nina, age 12, Florida
(July 14, 2014 - 3:34 pm)