Fast food and junk food : an encyclopedia of what we love to eat /

This two-volume ready reference work by Smith (New School Univ.) updates and expands existing entries in an earlier edition titled Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food (CH, Feb'07, 44-3027), while adding 270 new entries to bring the total to 700-plus. Entries on the fast food and junk food that people enjoy are alphabetically and topically arranged. Of concern is the role these foods play in the larger social, historical, and cultural contexts, and what they say about Americans. Smith discusses problems associated with globalization and with people's health. Included with the introductory material is a chronology of fast foods and junk foods starting in 1783, when the Schweppes Company began manufacturing Schweppes Tonic Water, and continuing through 2010 with the US Department of Agriculture issuing dietary guidelines calling for Americans to decrease their consumption of junk foods and fast foods. Overview entries (e.g., on addiction, fast foods, junk foods, obesity) explain the term and give its significance. Specific entries (e.g., Ben & Jerry's, Coca-Cola, Doritos) give brief histories of a product and its significance. Cross-references and a list of suggested readings are provided at the end of each entry. Readers will also benefit from a helpful glossary of terms and a resource guide including books, films, and websites. The index is detailed and complete. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. M. A. Kascus emerita, Central Connecticut State University

An updated version of his 2006 work, The Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, Smith's new two-volume set includes 270 more entries on fast-food restaurants, junk-food brands, and related topics. Smith defines junk food as commercial products . . . that have little or no nutritional value other than calories, salt, and fat, so in addition to entries on Twinkies and Oreos, there are sections on yogurt and energy drinks. Most entries provide a brief overview of the history of the restaurant or food item, along with a bibliography for further reading. The most significant additions are the entries highlighting fast food's inroads in specific countries and regions. However, these entries are not all consistently informative. The entry on China, for example, has a strong overview of McDonald's and Yum! Brands' infiltration of the Chinese market, and it concludes with a good list of recent sources for further reading. Entries on India and Russia are too brief, with unsatisfactory bibliographies that rely on only one book (for Russia) or corporate websites (for India) for their information. An entry on Mexico has an intriguing, short section on increased obesity rates and concerns that they are due to the heightened presence of American fast food, but the entry does not provide source information or where the reader can learn more about this issue (instead, the bibliography lists three corporate websites). Entry bibliographies are problematic throughout the work, with some topics represented by a single website or book. New restaurant additions, such as Chik-fil-A, are short (as are most entries on restaurants and food items) and do not provide the reader with information that could not be easily found elsewhere. Updates to entries covered in the 2006 edition are not extensive enough to recommend updating to the new edition and do not seem to justify the nearly doubling in price. This work is suggested as an optional purchase for school and public library collections that do not own the 2006 edition.--Elliott, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist