College Writing II, Chapter one, Fast Food Nation

I am writing my entry in response to Chapter one of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.

Something that caught my attention when reading the first page of chapter one was something that Carl's father had told him which is "The harder you work, the luckier you become". That statement isn't very long but holds good advice, and I would have to agree that the more effort you put into working, the more determination you have, which I believe will you get you farther in life. The first chapter talks about Carl leaving Ohio and traveling to California which was a big step for him, especially being the age of twenty and never traveling up until that point. Carl decided to work for himself by buying a hot dog cart and selling food to local residents. However, he has definitely progressed since then and worked extremely hard to get where he is today. During the time that Carl was struggling to make ends meet and build a life for his wife, kids and himself.. he spent most of his time in competition with others that were opening fast food restaurants and always trying to find new ideas that would make his the best out of all of them. Their restaurant quickly grew and they opened several more restaurants, numbering 100 by 1974 and more than 300 by 1981. Carl Karcher should be noticed for all the effort and hard work he dedicated to serve America with his great ideas. He sets a great example of what his father originally told him.. which i mentioned earlier. "The harder you work, the luckier you become". Carl died January 2007 and left behind his business, CKE Restaurants, Inc. which is the parent company of the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito restaurant chains. Its headquarters are in Carpinteria, California. It was incorporated in 1964 by Carl's Jr. founder Carl Karcher as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc.

Overall, I mentioned that Carl should be an example of what hard work is and how anyone, no matter your age, or talent, can accomplish great things. Carl didn't always have it easy, he was in great debt and struggled to accomplish what he did before he passed away. The end of chapter one, Carl talks about how happy he was about the progress Anaheim made. That part of California had changed a great amount since Carl first arrived from Ohio but he didn't miss the way it used to look, he stated that he was happy because he believes in progress and that's exactly what California had done, the state had progressed with businesses and more population. Because of that, Carl was truly happy and he had been a big part of that progress in California, as well as others that were the founders of our favorite fast food restaurants today. Reading this chapter, it makes you realize how much things have changed since then, from small hot dog stands to fast food drive thru's and restaurants on ever corner in every city. According to the way things were back then, everything has definitely changed a great amount.