Williamsburg Regional Library

Drive-thru dreams, a journey through the heart of America's fast-food kingdom, Adam Chandler

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-266) and index

index present

non fiction

Drive-thru dreams

bibliography

1048937389

Adam Chandler

a journey through the heart of America's fast-food kingdom

"Most any honest person can own up to harboring at least one fast-food guilty pleasure. In Drive-Thru Dreams, Adam Chandler explores the inseparable link between fast food and American life for the past century. The dark underbelly of the industry's largest players has long been scrutinized and gutted, characterized as impersonal, greedy, corporate, and worse. But, in unexpected ways, fast food is also deeply personal and emblematic of a larger than life image of America. With wit and nuance, Chandler reveals the complexities of this industry through heartfelt anecdotes and fascinating trivia as well as interviews with fans, executives, and workers. He traces the industry from its roots in Wichita, where White Castle became the first fast food chain in 1921 and successfully branded the hamburger as the official all-American meal, to a teenager's 2017 plea for a year's supply of Wendy's chicken nuggets, which united the internet to generate the most viral tweet of all time. Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler tells an intimate and contemporary story of America--its humble beginning, its innovations and failures, its international charisma, and its regional identities--through its beloved roadside fare."--Publisher's website

The national meal -- The Colonel -- Soft market -- Freedom from want -- Are we there yet? -- Poultry in motion -- Into the cities -- "Yes, it can be done" -- Drive-thru America -- Glasnost -- Good places -- Crisp digital nuggets -- Belonging -- The fast casual frontier -- The lonesome hours

adult