Morgan Spurlock

Supersize Me is one of my favorite documentaries, and I watch it every so often as a reminder to veer away from those dangerous yet alluring drive-thrus.

"Don't Eat this Book" is a follow up to the film, as Morgan Spurlock takes us through some of the backlash he experienced from the film (lobbyists, Fox News, restaurateurs), as well as more details he gleaned during his research for the film.

Most damning is how evident the marketing of fast food is aimed at our children - and not just fast food, but packaged, processed foods on the supermarket shelves, too. Morgan also bemoans public school lunches, sodas in schools, and the disappearance of the daily Phys-Ed class for students.

The most galling moment to me is when Morgan reveals that McDonalds actually had the balls to open a restaurant right next to Dachau, the German Concentration Camp. Seems like you'd wanna create a little distance there - out of reverence, respect, and common decency. If nothing else, I don't think I'd want my Happy Meal forever linked in memory to genocide. But, there ya go.

This is, above all, a really entertaining book. Morgan's got a great sense of humor - and more than a little ego, but he's charming enough to get by without sounding like an ass. I listened to this as a book on CD and I think it's worth chasing down so you can hear him spin his tales rather than just reading off the page.

I'm surprised Mayor McCheese hasn't issued a hit on this guy.

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