A journalist explores the homogenization of American culture and the impact of the fast food industry on modern-day health, economy, politics, popular culture, entertainment, and food production.

Seven-year-old Mark helps his grandmother and other family members run their seaside hot dog stand and then has a surprise at the end of the day.

Fifteen-year-old Colie, a former fat girl, spends the summer working as a waitress in a beachside restaurant, staying with her overweight and eccentric Aunt Mira, and trying to explore her sense of self.

In this novel by the award-winning author of Gentlehands and Slap Your Sides, a teenager starts to look at life differently when his older brother is sent to the Persian Gulf To sixteen-year-old Gary Peel, Linger is home. His father is manager of the Pennsylvania restaurant; his mom takes care of the books; and Gary's older brother, Bobby, works there as a waiter. That is, until he decides to join the army. The only one from their hometown to enlist,...

Mary Ryan is the pastry chef at American Fare, a premier San Francisco restaurant. But her world is turned upside down after she finds a laundry bag stuffed with the dead body of one of her employees when she arrives at the restaurant one morning. Soon, the dark side of the high-end restaurant industry come to light, and Mary puts it upon herself to solve the mystery.

Describes how using math skills can determine appropriate foods for young students by adding up the number of calories, and then deciding to consume food with less fat and carbohydrates when eating at a fast food or other places to dine out.

Tabitha Catarina is staying at her grandparents' farm/cat hotel for the summer, and she is thrilled when the owner of Queen Lizzie's Pizza Palace brings Queen Lizzie, a Sphynx cat, to Tabby Towers to stay because Lizzie keeps jumping up on the counter too close to the food--but her owner is sad, so Tabitha sets out to research this bad behavior and come up with a solution that will allow Lizzie to remain in the store that is named after her.