A survey of "the dark side of the all-American meal."

On the near side of the meal tray are arranged the rice and the soup, both in lacquered lidded bowls.

Mukōzuke: foods in a dish arranged on the far side of the meal tray for each guest, which is why it is called mukōzuke (lit., "set to the far side").

The aim of his book, developed from articles written for Rolling Stone, is to force his readers to stop and consider the consequences of McDonald's and its ilk having become inescapable features of the American (and, increasingly, global) landscape - to contemplate "the dark side of the all-American meal."

From California subdivisions to the New Jersey Turnpike: a survey of "the dark side of the all-American meal."