Food defined by speed of service, responding to the needs of a population on the go—by automobile, between errands, or in fragmented family visits. Food combinations stressing meat, carbohydrates and sugar provide rapid satisfaction (with attendant dangers of obesity and other health problems). Franchises mean food is also standardized, familiar and relatively cheap. Toys lure children, while teenagers (and the elderly) find part-time jobs in fast-food outlets. Whether offering hamburgers, pizza, tacos, French fries, sodas, icecream, or even salads, chains like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken and many others have also become symbols—albeit incomplete—of American food and eating abroad.