Jennifer Parker Talwar is an assistant professor of sociology at Penn State-Berks Lehigh Valley. She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Hailing from China, the Caribbean, Latin America, and India, a colorful sea of faces has taken its place behind one of the most ubiquitous American business institutions ? the fast-food counter. They have become a vital link between the growing service sector in our cities' ethnic enclaves and the multi-billion dollar global fast-food industry. For
1 Searching for the American Dream, 2 It's in the Neighborhood: Race, Place, and the Importance of Culture, 3 Word of Mouth and Getting Your Foot in the Door: Qualifications, Recruitment, and the Path to a Fast Food Job, 4 Day Off, Nothing! The Work's Got to Be Done: Flexibility and Work Time, 5 Pop-o-matic Grills and Redefining Skill: Technologies and Divisions of Labor, 6 It's Hard to Get These Kids to Smile: Managing the Fast Food Personality, 7 Problems on the United Nations Team: Ethnic Conflicts and Interactions, 8 Up the Ladder or Down: A Question of Mobility, 9 Flipping Burgers in a Melting Pot? Looking Ahead to a More Multicultural Society
This book is based on interviews in various fast food restaurants in New York City. It shows that contrary to those arguing that the fast-food industry only represents an increasing homogenization of the American workforce, fast-food chains in immigrant communities do adapt to their surroundings.
