Supersize my Essay | Teen Ink

Supersize my Essay

March 12, 2009
By Amber Caldwell BRONZE, Reno, Nevada
Amber Caldwell BRONZE, Reno, Nevada
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I couldn't stop staring. I heard my mother's angry voice in the background but all I paid attention
to was the mountain across from us. He was shoveling a quarter pounder down his big trap and I stared,
jaw hitting the floor and eyes glazing over. I could imagine seeing the extra ten pounds add to his love
handles. I had surprisingly lost my appetite.


It seems that all we see nowadays is an unhealthy person (big or thin) keep plunging fast food
down their mouths. Not only does it make me want to run home and start mindlessly nibbling at a
carrot but it makes me want to slap these people for killing themselves without even
knowing it.


There are many ups and downs to eating fast food. For one, it's much cheaper than these
'healthy' and 'organic' foods the food companies convince us to buy. There are more McDonalds than
Subways in this town. If I lived across the street from a McDonalds (which the majority of us do) it
would be much easier just giving into temptation instead of getting in your car and burning twenty
dollars in your pocket. But it doesn't replace the extra fifty pounds and heart attack lurking behind
every quarter pounder. It definitely doesn't suffice the innocent animals being murdered or even the
humans risking their lives to produce such unnatural foods.


I guess starting at the source would be our best bet of understanding this nasty fast food diet
we've all convinced is good for our bodies. Back in the 70's 175 cattle were processed per hour in a
normal factory. Now it's standard to process 400 cattle per hour. Not only does it cause more mistakes
for the workers but it also becomes hazardous for the cattle being shoved and dragged through small
crates only to soon be killed and packed in tiny packages for our hungry tummies. We don't even consider the kind of stress it puts on those poor animals that only seem to be borne into doing one thing: dying for our own sick enjoyment.


Even if you don't really care what happens to the animals consider what happens to the workers
working their butts off trying to produce meat in such a short period of time day after day. It creates
stress and great deals of mistakes are produced daily. Some cases have been discovered that some
workers had been standing too close to the meat grinder and had slipped in. By the time people try to
shut off the machine they are already mixed with the meat. And guess what, they still produce the meat
even if someone fell in. Maybe that will make you think twice about eating another meat filled patty.


Considering you still wish to chew through a patty that may or may not be filled with another
human plant your brains on the idea of the animals. Not only do they spend their days piled next to
another scared animal but recently detectives have discovered the food they are forced into eating.
Naturally cows are supposed to be fed fresh grains and grass; they have four stomachs in case you didn't
know. Usually the mix of their morning breakfast consists of horses and pig remains. Even unusable cow
remains are mixed in their morning breakfast. It's not cheap enough I guess to allow them fresh grass
and instead force feed them into eating fat and probably disease filled meat. Not only is that illegal but
also down right cannibalism.


Wonder why people become sick after eating too much fast food. They were the lucky ones.
Roughly 200, 000 people each year are sickened by a food borne illness, 900 of those are hospitalized
and fourteen die. Have you ever wondered what exactly they are getting sick from? Exactly what they
are dying from? It's because the animals that are sick and filled with disease's from lack of food and
nutrients are still shoved to the meat grinder and slapped with a healthy stamp before leaving the hell
hole they arrived in. It has come to many people's attention that producing disease filled patties is
illegal and yet billions of companies simply don't care.


It may not occur to you or half the world but more than that have died from heart attacks
because of these unhealthy foods. More than half have suffered and are hospitalized because they
cannot give up their temptation for disease filled hamburgers. More than half lose their mother's and
father's because they can't clearly see the cow between the buns.


My father was one of them. He would run out of the house at about seven each night and
retrieve a number eight with a large coke. It didn't shock me he was thin enough to be a stick. But
slowly and quietly he was killing himself between each bite. He didn't bother going to see a doctor. Why
the need when your metabolism ate everything away? He was wrong. 3 years ago he had been alive
and breathing. He had been my father and a big Wendy's supporter without any clue of the unhealthy
things he was consuming each day. 2 years ago my mother had to tell me he had a heart attack in his
sleep and the cops had said the foods he was consuming had killed him from the beginning. And
because we just brushed it over our shoulders and didn't really consider the risks of what something like
that would cause, we didn't worry about. And because of those people who can't give up on their
temptation, and because they don't want to see the things happening inside them, eating at their life,
they never consider what happens further down the road. I never considered a quarter pounder could
shove me into a life without a father. I never thought supersizing my order would fast forward my life.
Maybe it's time we start considering the inconsiderable.


The author's comments:
I hope people can understand the serious risk of how unhealthy and down righ disgusting fast food is for our bodies. All I wish is to persuade my readers, let them feel what I obviously feel about this situation.

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This article has 1 comment.


Blondie said...
on Mar. 19 2009 at 5:26 am
I really liked your essay. oh wait I wrote it. Hahahahahaha