Bk Lounge

Life in the Fast-Food Lane

Life in the fast food industry can be long, strenuous, and very difficult especially growing up without a wealthy background. There are many problems that a man can run into while using the ovens or fryers. From my own experience in the fast food business it was depressing growing up without a mother and finding a way to survive on my own. Of course I had three younger brothers to support but that was beside the point. People in America today want a fast, easy, and convenient method of ordering food. Women now feel it is unnecessary to cook at home for their husband and children since the can drive across town and pick up something to eat. It is not worth working in a gross environment, getting paid minimum wage and working long hours only to be screamed out by customers. Not only are teenagers too young to work in these unstable environments but they lack work experience to make quality food. In fact, most of them are in desperate need to take care and provide for there loved ones for the reason they have such a rough background. However, their' attitude still remained negative about what they did for a living. Although the American classic meal at McDonalds may satisfy your hunger, there are many nasty ingredients and people who cook that meal.

I spent many days near the drive through

window at Burger King receiving orders with my headset on. As a customer would come by I would ask, "How may I take your order?" The customer would usually scream, "WHOPPER". Most of the time I had difficulty understanding what customers said over the intercom because they spoke too loud or softly. The conditions inside I would like to call the "BK Lounge" were hideous. The floor was soaked in grease and the ovens were covered in black mildew. Schlosser explains, "The most common workplace injuries at fast food restaurants are slips, falls, strains, and burns" (Schlosser 83). During the first month of work I had burned the side of my forearm cooking burgers and had bruised hips from when I slipped. Next, the bathrooms were always wet plus the door seemed to be always jammed or broken in. Whenever I used the urinals the walls had graffiti and carvings. Some of the people I worked with use to always show up sick and would never wear gloves when they handled food.

Most of the employee's attitudes were horrible during the time I worked at the "BK Lounge". However, this was the only way to survive and provide for their families. An employee I knew named Carlos Silva spit on all the girls hamburgers one night because he found out his girlfriend was cheating on him. Other times he would urinate in the deep fryer or in the Ice maker until I spoke up to the manager who eventually fired him. Schlosser explains, "Instead of relying upon a small, stable, well-paid, and well-trained workforce, the fast food industry seeks out part-time, unskilled workers who are willing to accept low pay" (Schlosser 68). Many of the other workers would never wash their hands and would accidentally drop the patties on the floor. Our manager Steve Owens would use stroking techniques to encourage some of his younger employees to work harder and to bring in more money. Many of these teenagers would not receive the attention they deserved at home and would resort to the constant praise and recognition from our manager. A number of these kids were either physically or verbally abused by their' parents and were way below the poverty line. Finally, various of the new employees I had the opportunity to work with were involved with gangs and were taking drugs like cocaine, crystal myth, Heroin and LSD. This sure was not an ideal workplace to maintain a sixteen year old kid in.

The food preparation is quick, easy, and disgusting. First I would have to soak the French fries in grease for fifteen minutes then remove