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(More customer reviews)Sociologist Jennifer Parker Talwar spent four years working in a Burger King as a part of her research on this book. She interviewed a wide range of immigrant fast-food workers in New York City's ethnic communities. The result is an interesting study in immigration, ethnicity, labor and community in New York City.
As a white American who has worked in fast food before, I was surprised to read about just how much is going on with fast food restaurants in a major metropolis, both in terms of the labor side and the business side. My experience was archtypal middle America - the kid working to make extra money. I think that this description still applies for the vast majority of the country, but the more I think about the faces behind the counter of many fast food restaurants in Washington, DC, Talwar is right - fast food is the entry for many immigrants into the mainstream American workforce. Accordingly, this book is a must-read for those who want to consider how immigrants are assimilated into modern America.
The main limitation is that it is a study of immigrant labor and fast food in New York City. The broad range of ethnic diversity and community experiences that were drawn upon for this book simply do not exist anywhere else in the United States. I cannot think of any other city that could readily provide the "United Nations" workforce of the Chinatwon McDonald's described in this book. Therefore, how applicable Talwar's work is to the country at large must be called into question. Also, do not be fooled by the cover into thinking that this book is anything like "Fast Food Nation." It is a specific (and appropriately narrow) sociological study, and lacks the range of that excellent book.
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Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, And The American Dream
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