It’s a sandwich that replaces the bread with two pieces of fried chicken. It’s “hand-breaded and cooked in store!” It’s available for a limited time only. It’s KFC’s Double Down, and it appalls New Yorker business writer Ian Crouch. He explains why in this article from April 2014.
Read it here: Crouch, "Fast Food Doubles Down"
- Crouch is clearly horrified by KFC’s Double Down, describing it as “not only affronting but almost threatening,” and suggests that it’s far worse than other fast food offerings. Do you agree? Why or why not? Would you eat a Double Down?
- Crouch uses descriptive phrases such as “deranged Frankenfood” and “prideful grotesquery” to express his disdain of the Double Down and similar fast food items. Find other examples of lurid descriptive phrases in Crouch’s article. Which ones are particularly evocative for you? Why do they work so well? What effect do they have on you as a reader and an eater? What impression of fast food do you get from Crouch’s descriptions of it?
- Crouch gives a detailed description of a comedy sketch that parodies a fast food restaurant, arguing that the sketch is an example of “a devil-may-care, finger-in-your-eye, patriotic American recklessness.” Did that sketch serve as effective evidence for Crouch’s argument? Why or why not?
- Do you enjoy eating the Double Down or any of the items like it that Crouch criticizes? What is your opinion of the fare at fast food chains such as KFC, McDonald’s, or Taco Bell? Do you agree in whole or in part with Crouch’s arguments about fast food and the industry’s attitudes about health? Using Crouch as your “they say,” write an essay in which you respond to his criticisms of fast food. Use your own experience as evidence, and feel free to draw on any of the essays in Chapter 16 of your text for additional support.
They Say I Blog 
crouch said that eating double down is horrified by KFC’s Double Down, he describe it that it as “not only affronting but almost threatening,” and suggests that it’s far worse than other fast food offerings.
Crouch is clearly not pleased with eating double down in KFC’S. which i agree with .personally as a person i have a lot of friends who eat a lot of double down KFC food and mostly they are out of a shape or unhealthy.It should come as no surprise that obesity is a major consequence of not eating healthy. With the increasing availability of unhealthy foods and convenience foods also came a rise in both adult and childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35.7 percent of adults and 17 percent of children are obese and those things come from not eating healthy foods.but people decide to eat fast foods instead of eating healthy foods.also another big thing The big effect of eating fast foods like double down is its impact on energy levels. Many people skip breakfast or other meals throughout the day, choosing instead to grab a quick snack/Healthy or a soft drink. The Fast food causes energy levels to spike, which people like, but then energy levels will quickly plummet, sending one back into the kitchen for another quick snack. In addition, Fast food can cause moodiness, and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night, so energy levels are never restored to normal.also one big thing people can die from being unhealthy so eating fast food can lead you to a lot of worst things.
I agree with Kaitlin Anderson because she says that ”Burger King doesn’t make people fat, but the person does.” That is what most people do not understand. Just because McDonald gives MC,Chickens doesn’t mean the workers will eat it.i also believe that if people eat and work out, the foods are for the better not for the worst.
Sydney says she disagrees with Kaitlin who I agree with, but she agrees with Tyson and Justin again once with i agree with .the restaurants should do whatever they want to do in their menu they are trying to make money. people should know what they are eating and what kind of restaurants they are going.
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I agree with Brandon when he says “People blame the companies for putting out new menu items and how they don’t help people eat healthier”. It is true that most fast food places are known for their greasy, unhealthy food. Fast food isn’t supposed to make people healthier, so why should it change because of the choices other people are making. I am a strong believer that it is up to the person to make the healthy choice, nobody is going to make the choice for them.
When Crouch says “Most fast food places don’t care about the health of others, they are looking for money” it really makes me wonder. A cheeseburger is only about a dollar, where a salad is about 4 or 5. Katherine Fowler even states “This atrocity can be directly traced to growing obesity that is plaguing the United States” With this being said, it is the choice of the consumer whether or not they buy the food.
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Question 1- After reading this article I agree with everything Crouch is arguing. It seems as if fast food companies are playing a game with the consumers! Restaurants are constantly coming out with new foods that seem like a joke, however, people still buy it. I agree that the Double Down is a disgusting food choice and it is very unhealthy. Coming from somebody who cares about what I put in my body I would never consume that sandwich. In my opinion all fast food is bad and we should not eat it. I really liked Crouch’s statement “Fast-food culture has ebbed and flowed over the past few decades, between celebrating its indulgent, live-for-today food inventions and posturing as a modern, healthy form of inexpensive dining. Many of these changes have been implemented in response to fluctuating consumer habits. And with every pizza cake, stuffed-crust something, or toppling tower of burger, we may be pushed to a limit, a kind of common cultural gag reflex. Maybe next year KFC will have to start selling apple slices.” This was a great closing statement because it filtered everything he was arguing into one paragraph. Yes, the double down is a very unhealthy choice but I believe that all fast food places have something along the same lines.
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I agree with Kaitlin Fulmer’s comment, it is America’s choices on what goes on menu’s. However, there is a certain line that fast food industries should not pass. This “Double Down” sandwich is beyond unhealthy and over 1,000 calories. That is almost the amount of calories you should obtain in one day in one sitting.
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Trent Witte argues a valid point when he states “A cheeseburger is only about a dollar, where a salad is about 4 or 5.” This is a great example of how fast food does not care about health of their consumers. They only care about keeping in business.
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Crouch suggests that the Double Down is one of the worst fast food offerings, when in fact it is not. Near the end of his article discussing KFC he begins to explain their overall menu, stating that there is another sandwich, the Chicken Twister, which is also unhealthy. The Chicken Twister is as bad, if not worse, than the Double Down. I agree that there is much worse than just the Double Down, it just depends on what someone eats and how much someone eats. It’s not always about what someone eats but how much that person consumes. I would not consume a Double Down personally because I am concerned about what I eat and my personal health. When I eat fast food my body feels sluggish so I try and stay away from eating fast food. Therefore I would not eat a Double Down simply because it does not sound appealing to me.
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I agree with Crouch describing it as “not only affronting but almost threatening,” and suggests that it’s far worse than other fast food offerings. I agree because Crouch clearly back ups all that he says with not only facts but some undeniable facts. No I would not eat a double down.
Another example of a lurid descriptive phrase in Crouch’s article is “two-third-pound Monster Thickburger”. This phrase works only because it leaves a picture in your mind about the kind of food that is sold and being bought in a fast food place. From Crouch’s descriptions of fast food I get the idea that it is not only bad for you but that it can easily kill you. The sketch, “a devil-may-care, finger-in-your-eye, patriotic American recklessness” served as a very effective evidence for his argument because it gives good imagery and is a great anecdote to remember and keep in mind. No I do not enjoy eating anything that Crouch criticizes. They charge too much for something that should be healthier but in fact is worse for you. I agree with Crouch in full that fast food is bad for you and makes you feel sluggish and lazy.
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You have the choice of what you eat and how you eat. No one makes that decision besides you. You just have to have self control when you eat
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Fast Food Doubles Downs
I agree that the double down burger is a unhealthy food choices for people to eat. If you look at the nutrition facts about the double down burger, you will see that this contains to about fifty percent of a day’s recommended fat, cholesterol, and sodium level. This burger is contained of two chicken breasts which replace the hamburger buns, two pieces of bacon and also contains a special sauce in between. I agree that the double down is worse than most of the foods out there. Bacon itself is not the best nutritional food out there and put it between two pieces of fried chicken makes it worse. I would not eat the burger because I find it very unhealthy. There are other places that i could eat that would provide me with good tasting, healthy choices of food. I feel like this one burger is a lot on it and it would be a waste to buy because I wouldn’t be able to eat all of it. With all of the fast food restaurants coming out with all of these unhealthy options, the double down and the specialty pizza from Domino’s for example, places such as Chipotle and Panera Bread are starting to become more popular places to eat. “And with every pizza cake, stuffed-crust something, or toppling tower of burger, we may be pushed to a limit, a kind of common cultural gag reflex. Maybe next year KFC will have to start selling apple slices.”(Susan) I agree with this statement because if places such as KFC and Taco bell serve healthier choices then more people would eat there. Like in the comments Justin says that all the unhealthy food are causing people to become obsessed I disagree with this because it is not like the Fast food restaurants are forcing you to eat their food you are picking to eat there on their own. I also agree with Tatiana because she said the thought of the burger turns her stomach upside down and that is how i feel when I read about the burger. To me the burger is just disgusting and i would never eat one. So KFC would be better to just stop selling this burger because it is threatening to some people in the world.
Sarah Bauer
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I personally don’t agree with Ian Crouch at all. People now-a-days would much rather slide through a drive through to grab dinner and i don’t believe that’s okay at all. The food you eat is supposed to be the fuel for your body, if you’re fueling your body junk and fast-food you’ll began to feel sluggish, as if gaining weight isn’t enough. I think that people should start eating organic foods and non processed food. I think this because eating healthier makes you feel better as a whole. I don’t think that fast food should be something that should be advertised as “good food”.
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There needs to be more campaigns pushing the idea that people need to know how bad fast food is. It’s being considered by some the “new age tobacco” which really says a lot. Fast food is probably the worst food that you could possibly eat and it’s probably the most consumed. Some people eat 3 times a day, not even really realizing what they’re actually doing to their body. People need to know.
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In “Fast Food Doubles Down” Ian Crouch talks about the Double Down from KFC which features a chicken sandwich in which the chicken breasts are used as the bun. Crouch talks about how it is far more threatening than any other fast food. I disagree with him, I have had the Double Down plenty of times and nothing is as bad as when I went to McDonald’s and the grease of my burger was leaking through the bag, yes the bag!
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Crouch has a point with the KFC sandwich. when KFC and any other restaurant bring out new items on their menu everybody wants to try it and decide if it’s good and pass the word on. Fried Chicken isn’t good for you because of the grease they use.
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I believe with Ian Crouch that fast food industry is making Americans obese. The thought of the KFC “Double Down” sandwich is ridiculous. So much fast food is at our grasp and we don’t think about what it does to our health to it is to late. We need to take personal responsibility to make healthier choices for us and our children. Make our health a priority and not just something we think about later after enjoying the fast food and discover health problems. Fast food industry is taking over the way we think of food. They are making us numb to fact that it is unhealthy but it is fast and easier for our busy lives and that it is affordable.
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I agree with Crouch. There comes a point when you need to make a decision for yourself on what to eat and what not to eat. But I also don’t think its okay to even make things like the double down available to anyone. Even though we all make decisions, sometimes it is hard to resist and some people will end up getting it. If it wasn’t there in the first place, then nobody would order it. I do agree that fast food restraunts have gotten way out of hand with their advertising but in the end, we are the ones who give in and buy it.
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Personally being a manager at KFC I barely ever sell a double-down. More people now are gearing towards grilled chicken than the fried. It’s our biggest seller, even though the grilled chicken isn’t really a healthy of a choice either, it has high MSG in it. Along with everything else there that’s served at KFC. Eating fast food is a choice people don’t need to be blaming fast food purveyors for their obesity. I’ve worked in fast food my entire teenage/ young adult life while in college and I am average weight because I choose not to eat the nasty food that’s served at fast food places. If people would just stop being lazy and go to the store and buy lunch stuff every two weeks they would save a ton of money and be in better health because they would be packing their own things to eat. Even then you need to know what is healthy and what isn’t. Again its all about choices when it comes to your diet. I see regulars everyday and they sped at least $9 on average five out of the seven day week that’s $45 a week out of their check and hard earned money on junk when you could get healthier things to eat at the grocery store if they would just make the effort and put away the time to do so.
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In the article, “Doubling Down on KFC”, Ian Crouch suggests that the fast food company KFC should be ashamed for selling it’s calorie packed “sandwich” the ‘Double Down’. I agree that it might not be the healthiest choice on the menu but I feel like the company should not be blamed for poor choices of the american people. Eating fast food is a personal choice, as is smoking tobacco. At the end of the day, I dont believe the government or “the powers that be” should be allowed to regulate or control our freedoms as Americans. Allow us as American citizens to make choices for ourselves, to learn from our mistakes, and to fail because thats what makes us individuals. I loved the quote that Crouch used from Saturday Night Live that describes the attitude of liberal Americans “….thirty-eight hundred calories of the greatest goddamn country in the world”.
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Ian Crouch says that the KFC’s Double Down is very unhealthy for people, but it’s very innovative at the same time. I agree with what Crouch is saying because the Double Down is not only unhealthy, but it’s probably life threatening if you were to eat it everyday. Even thought the Double Down is unhealthy, it’s a sandwich that replaces the buns with chicken, that is very creative and people can say what they want about the Double Down, but it’s very creative and it instantly grabs your attention, making you either want to try it or tell someone how good or nasty it is. So in the end, KFC is getting your attention and in result, their making sales which is the most important thing and the end of the day.
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I do agree with Crouch, indeed is terrifying how the fast food industry has come with food full of calories and fat. For example the KFC’s Double Down this new item has been described as “not only affronting but almost threatening.” This reaction can be expected after knowing what it is. The Double down is sandwich which the bon has been replace by chicken. And if I had the option of eating this item definite would not eat it. I don’t know what is worst, not letting yourself hunger and ingress or eat this so unhealthy food. And I really don’t know how people could actually want to buy this type if food. If they just know how bad is for their body.
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I have eaten a double down back when they first came out. Of course it’s not healthy and I don’t think that KFC gave the image that is was supposed to be any healthier than a sandwich without a bun. I don’t think it’s any worse than some of the other fast food creations out there. My opinion on all fast food chains is neutral. I would be lying if I said that I don’t eat fast food, but they serve their purpose and they make millions. As far as health though again, I think that some can be more healthy than others but none of them should be considered healthy. We should know this though. It all comes down to choice. We choose to eat fast food knowing that it isn’t healthy, I don’t know what else to say other than that.
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I disagree with Crouch in saying that fast food has gone too far. I strongly agree with Tyson’s arguments. Fast food is not a place for salads and apples. If you go to KFC expecting a small healthy meal, then you don’t understand the purpose of fast food. The double down is a new way to present chicken, which KFC sells as their main meal. KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, not Kentucky Fruity Salads.
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I also agree with Allison on how its getting more and more difficult to locate healthy food choices at public places such as universities. The food at universities are not half as good for you, it makes you not want to eat much or it makes you over fill yourself. With always having unhealthy foods you will not do your body any good. If you’re bored and laying around you tend to eat and its very rare that it would be something healthy. I feel as if restaurants and many other places should start serving more healthy foods than unhealthy, it could make a big difference in health.
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Many fast food companies have a lot of items on their menu that are bad for you. Some are worse then others, but i think the Double Down is the worst. Its all grease and fat. Fried chicken from KFC was bad for you in the first place, but now its even worse when you get two pieces of fried chicken together. I would not eat the Double Down because of how bad it is for you.
The sketch does help his argument. Its shows that people will keep changing how a food item is just so it tastes better, but will harm you more in the end.
Fast food places will never go away from our life. People will go to them because its a fast way to not be hungry or if you don’t feel like making dinner. For some items i do agree that they shouldn’t be on the menu like the Double Down. In the end its all about money. If it tastes great but is bad for you the item will most likely get the business a lot of money.
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Crouch is clearly horrified by KFC’s Double down, describing it as “not only affronting but almost threatening,” and suggests that it’s far worse than other fast food offerings. Do you agree? Why or why not? Would you eat a Double Down?
Would I eat a double down?
No I disagree
My first reason why is because it’s deep-fried food, if you eat too much of those things you could get diabetes, and could give you blood problems and other health problems. In my opinion it’s more like a once in a while snack but don’t include the bacon. It’s like if you were to eat nothing but jest turbo sticks for a year. .” The Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton didn’t: “A slimy and unnaturally moist thing, with flavor ginned up in a lab.” Sifton called the creation a “new low,” But it is innovated like substituting bread with protein rich chicken but I think it would be better grilled.
My second reason it’s made why you could want to eat a heart attack, if it was made out of grilled chicken and with turkey bacon and the sauce wasn’t disgusting. And for the price its ok but if you get the combo with a drink and a side of mash potatoes and gravy then it’s worth it. But otherwise I wouldn’t eat it.
My third reason why I wouldn’t eat a double down, it’s the end result of the consequences of eating too much double down, the heart would suffer because of the cholesterol, the fat will cause you to gain weight and you become over weight. Then you could get diabetes, cancer and many health issues would come to pass. When it come down to it substituting bread for deep-fried chicken, which could cause us to have a generation with a weight problem like back in the 90s and into the year 2000.
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My whole life I have heard it said that fast food is bad for you. I completely agree with it. When I was a child I used to think McDonalds happy meals were the greatest, now I walk in there and see a bunch of heavy set children with their parents it grinds my gears that parents let their kids get like that. No one should be 100 pounds at 8 years old.
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Ian Crouch’s article brings to light the concern that fast food is not doing anything to help reduce the obesity rate. However, I agree with Justin C.’s statement that “when he claims that fast food restaurants are simply making people obese with its food, that is not entirely true.” I do not believe that fast food restaurants are entirely at fault for obesity in the US. It is completely up to the consumer what they choose to eat, not the company that supplies the food, which is why they can’t solely be held responsible. But, I think that the fact that so many fast food chains are selling such unhealthy foods in such affordable and large quantities does contribute to the obesity problem we are facing in the US today. It is not realistic to completely eliminate fast food, but something should be implemented to help better the situation. Other countries do not face obesity problems to the extent the US does, so I think it would be a good idea to consider adopting their methods of fast food and portion sizes. I think it is important to consider both sides of the spectrum and not just point fingers at one side. However, both parties need to be willing to make some sort of change in order to reduce obesity rates.
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Justin’s claim that Americans can choose to not eat at fast food restaurants rests upon the questionable assumption that Americans actually have a choice. Personally, I believe that Americans don’t always have a choice in the foods they eat. While upper class people can choose what they eat every day, lower-income people often can only afford cheaper food. The government subsidizes the unhealthy foods, while fruits and vegetables remain expensive, forcing some Americans to choose unhealthy foods. And, like Crouch claims in his original article, fast food restaurants are still increasing their unhealthy, cheap food options. I believe that the government needs to stop fast food places from expanding their unhealthy menus, and they need to stop subsidizing the unhealthy foods. The cheaper fast food becomes, the more Americans will consume it and for some, not by choice.
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Transparency is as far as you can go. Any more than that is an infringement on the free market. Some people forget that humans are also animals. There are some innate instincts that humans cannot curb. Who gave Crouch the moral authority to judge businesses for giving the consumers what the want? If people want bacon covered in oil and grease, then they should have it? If the people don’t want it, there is nobody forcing them to eat it? Banning unhealthy foods is not the solution, providing a market alternative is. Bring in some healthy foods, instead of berating businesses for doing what is in their best interests.
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Thinking about eating A Double Down makes me sick to my stomach. I agree with Crouch that the fast food industry is quickly becoming more and more dangerous. Wacky food options, such as the Double Down and the Waffle Taco are ridiculously unhealthy for a person. Yet somehow, the companies are able to trick people into buying it by deceiving them with commercials about people who drool over how good they are. This, in turn, helps persuade people to buy the product and go over the amount of daily calories with just one sandwich. As a result, people get more and more obese and at risk for health issues such as heart attacks. Stop the output of unhealthy, odd food options.
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While the Double Down sandwich is odd, it is exactly what one should expect from KFC; it isn’t a surprise at all. As Tyson Mckercher expressed, KFC is a chicken company and customers go for fried food, not salads or fruit or vegetables. To be upset with a chicken company for serving chicken a certain way is like getting angry after discovering that a record label distributes different genres of music; it is to be expected, it’s what they specialize in. If people truly wanted something healthy, they could turn to many other places that serve food. At this point, if a place like KFC began to sell healthy food, would anyone really believe that it’s actually healthy? KFC is simply doing what it does best and that is serving chicken. One may even argue that reinventing fried chicken in the form of the Double Down is a twisted form of art.
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In this article, Crouch asserts that fast food companies are simply looking for ways to out do each other in attempt to create the most absurd and best selling foods. The prime example that he uses is the Double Down from KFC which is an extremely unhealthy concoction of fried foods. While I do agree that this direction that fast food companies are moving in is harmful to the health of its customers, I think that they are not making a blatant attempt to do the harming. These companies are just looking to give the consumer what will sell so that they can profit as much as possible, and based on the way that they see it, the Double Down sells. Still, it is hard to excuse such powerful companies from the negligence of feeding their customers unhealthy food. In this sense, Crouch is completely right to hold them accountable for their irresponsible ways.
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In my view, Crouch is right, because the Double Down chicken sandwich is yet another excessively greasy, calorie-stuffed food that is supposed to be “appealing” and draw consumers into their store to at least take a try, even if they also find the food slightly gross. Fast food producers are absorbed in their own worlds of trying to shove new products down the throat of consumers, that they are unconcerned with the health and lifestyle of the nation. If being American is finding the most convenient ways to get as much as the greasiest food possible, such as substituting bread in sandwiches for deep-fried chicken, then I would rather be in another country.
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I agree that fast food companies often go over board when creating unique and ultra-fattening concoctions, but the fact that it sells is where the true issue lies. It is the responsibility of the eater to find something healthier, something lighter, something that won’t cash in more than 50% of their daily caloric and fat intake for the day. If health food was advertised and marketed the way that fast food chains seem to shove it down our throats, maybe healthy food would become more popular.
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Crouch is correct in his assertion that fast food companies are getting out of hand with the calorie filled meals they are serving. KFC is just the latest company to bring one of these meals into the eyes of the American public. They know that the ordinary American will eat that meal. Although they may be playing on the eating habits of the American eater, it ultimately comes down to the eater to eat what is best for them. Fast food is an industry with the intention of making money. It should not come down to them having to change their menus just because Americans can not control themselves.
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In a world with fast-food restaurants being on every street corner, it is hard to avoid them or their cumbersome advertising. Crouch argues that these fast-food chains are advertising and selling extremely unhealthy options such as the horrendous chicken sandwich concoction and that the public is only endorsing them even more. He believes that the government should regulate what fast-good companies can sell and what they advertise along with their meals such as the nutritional facts. However, I believe that the fast-food restaurants and the government are not at fault in this situation, but it is the consumers problem to deal with. While I may find many of the products absurd and undesirable myself, that shouldn’t stop others from enjoying the 1000 calorie meal they’ve been looking forward to. When it comes down to it, it should be the buyers choice what they put in their body, not the restaurants or the governments.
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I disagree with Mr. Crouch. In my opinion, Mr. Crouch is being too uptight about fast food and is being far too cynical. I do not believe KFC is poised to bring American culture to its knees. I think people at this time are well aware of the risks of eating healthy food and if they choose to who are we to stop them? Mr. Crouch blames American patriotism for people choosing to eat unhealthy foods. People put dangerous foods in their bodies because they have the right to as free Americans. I can only cringe at this snobbish elitism coming from Mr. Crouch, it makes him sound like he thinks he is better than people who eat at McDonald’s and I think that is an inappropriate claim to make.
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The fast food industry considers the general public to be suckers who will eat any product properly advertised to them. In a sense, they are not incorrect. If the people did not wish to devour such monstrosities as the Double Down, then they would not be sold to begin with. If the majority was so appalled by the sandwich, than they would not have been so popular. The average American, that is those who are not overly health conscious and do not micromanage their food, are more than happy with the greasy, salty, and fatty foods offered to them. It’s all about the flavor. The better the taste, the more successful a product will be, despite any health concerns.
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The article by Ian Crouch depicts the deep fried culture of our society. He notes that in earlier times, no one was obese. Just fat. No one had such a need for grease that sandwich buns or pizza dough were replaced with deep fried chicken. But that is the society we live in today. Which is, in fact, a rapidly growing issue. It shouldn’t be an idea to produce and sell a taco inside a waffle-shell, and it shouldn’t be an idea to consume one either. Labeling menus with these foods’ ingredients and fat content is not stopping the rising issue of obesity. It has nearly no effect at all. There is no angel-devil battle when consumers purchase KFC’s Double Down sandwich. They don’t care that it has “about fifty per cent of a day’s recommended fat, cholesterol, and sodium” because it has bacon in between two pieces of fried chicken.
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I agree that this “Double Down” chicken “sandwich” is inherently outlandish, however I do not blame KFC for going to these lengths. In the end it is important to remember that these companies are not trying to clog their consumers arteries, or add on those extra pounds; rather make a profit. In this modern society where convenience is key, coming up with new ideas can be difficult. Crouch takes a stab at the double down by saying “Tired of wasting bites on mere bread—why not replace that bun with two pieces of chicken?” This links to the idea of profit, the creators did not have “causing heart attacks and diabetes” on their minds. Instead they aimed to create something easy and in order to rake in more attention; and eventually more consumers.
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Although the thought of eating the KFC double down sandwich makes me feel nausea, KFC customers want just that : chicken. KFC is known for its chicken fried in hot grease, expecting anything less than that would be absurd. If a food company is know for its fried chicken, why would consumers expect fruit and vegetables? If a company such as chic-fil-a were to release a product similar to the double down, then yes, it would be absurd. But chic-fil-a has a different reputation than KFC. Not all fast food restaurants are unhealthy. For example, Chipotle and chic-fil-a are both fast and restaurants yet they provide healthy items on their menus. I feel companies release products to make their consumers happy. Some may believe, that KFC should serve healthier items, but society has a choice : eat the greasy chicken from KFC or the healthier chicken from Chic-Fil-a. Companies do what they can to make their customers happy. Holding these companies accountable for releasing foods that their customers demand is wrong. No one is forcing people to eat KFC and only KFC. People have the choice, let the people make it.
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Crouch’s article centers around the increasing rise of bizarre and superfluous products being served in fast food restaurants, each one topping the next in intensity, and why they need to be stopped. While Crouch is correct in his sentiment that these foods are largely unappealing, he completely skips over the question of why. Think about it: why do companies keep creating such crazy foods? The answer simply lies in the wants and wishes of the consumers. For what reason, other than profit, would a company pour millions into market research to ultimately come up with a sandwich held together by two pieces of fried chicken? There is not another reason. Companies release wacky foods because people want it and pay for it. Food and health education has never been more prevalent in society as it is today, and yet people still continue to load up on fat, salts and sugars. Therefore, it is not the job of the government to help these people. The people need to choose to help themselves. Fast-food companies are at the will of the people, and until people want drive thru salad restaurants, they will continue to invent bizarre products. Ultimately, people are fine with this, and thus the government should step back and let society make its own decisions.
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