By Logan M.
At 8,750 ft, with one of the largest ski areas in Colorado, the small town of Telluride Colorado is teeming with young adventure seekers, ski bums, and hippies, but one thing that you won’t find are fast food restaurants. That’s right you would have to drive 65 miles talking about 1 hour and 30 minutes to sink your teeth into a juicy Big Mac, and the locals are proud of that. The goal of this defiance is to help small businesses, and keep the citizens healthy, which has seemed to work. The Adult obesity rate in the town is only 16%[i] compared to the Colorado and national averages of 22.6% and 32.2%[ii], respectively. The Idea of the “Healthy Town” drives this fight, and banning fast food is shown to improve people’s health, but can also make poor populations struggle. The price of everything is inflated in resort towns, and no cheap food makes it hard for low-income families, that are the backbone of the resort. Is the removal of fast food good for the people?
An anthropologist using Marxist Theory studies the reality of life for people, and social constructs, within a historical context, usually focusing on working and poor classes. In this situation, they would focus on the class conflict between the working class, and upper-class populations. They would observe how the upper-class movement for healthy food options has made life more difficult for the working class. Much of the working class in Telluride is made up of Hispanics, who have historically been mistreated in Colorado, and forced to work lower paying jobs. This has caused only a few of them to be able to afford higher education, so they may get better jobs and living standards. Life is difficult for them as they work long hours and pay increased expenses such as housing in a resort town, which is only made more difficult by no source of cheap food. These are not problems for the wealthy population. Though their cause of trying to create a healthier community is noble, the wealthy seem to forget the strain they are placing on the already struggling lower class community.
Practice Theory in anthropology analyzes “the relationship between established structures of culture and how the people in reality act within that structure”[iii]. An anthropologist using this theory would notice how many supporters of the anti-fast food movement and their children can be seen eating at the very restaurants they have banned when they are shopping in neighboring towns. They appear to have no problem-saving money by eating at the establishments they protest, as long as it’s not in there town. The anthropologist would also notice how many of the Working class, can’t afford to drive to these places often, and rarely are able to eat there, even though they are supposed to be it’s target audience.
Examining this with Marxism and practice theory, we can see Telluride’s fight against fast food has shown that movements for a healthier living still have many people that will still eat unhealthy if they have access to it, and also put members of this population in difficult situations.
Anthropology 2100 
This is a very interesting phenomenon that I hadn’t even heard of before. Although I know of some areas that are trying to support small, local businesses I didn’t know that certain cities were completely banning fast food as a whole. I hadn’t thought about how a ban like this could affect a main part of the population that resides in Telluride. I think it’s crazy that because of this lack of cheap food, some families aren’t able to afford higher eduction which then goes on to effect the rest of their lives. I don’t think a food band like this in the entire city should be able to stop the residents from getting the education they need.
I didn’t realize that banning certain foods was something that cities were able to do. Thank you for bringing to light this situation in such a well-evaluated way. I don’t think cities should be able to make decisions like what kind of food is not allowed, as I think grown adults should be able to decide what they want to do with their own bodies regardless of socioeconomic status, but knowing how much it harms those of low socioeconomic status just makes it ten times worse.
I think an interesting question to ask moving forward on this sort of topic might be, why is ‘healthy food’ so expensive in comparison?
I would just like to say I live in a small town that has the same phenomenon, but not having fast food doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t cheap options. The only two franchises we have are Domino’s and Starbucks. We used to have a McDonald’s, On top of that, we have a local pizza joint, a cheap Italian, a wrap place, a tiki place, a snack shop, etc. Now while none of this is $1 burgers and fries, it’s not as if everything is ridiculously expensive or entirely healthy. I think part of it is knowing where you’re going. I agree that there should be options, but in an independent town, if they choose to promote that lifestyle and the local residents agree, what can you do?
Coming from Crested Butte (another small mountain town), there aren’t any fast food places there either unless you drive 30 minutes to Gunnison. The town population definitely ranges from wealthy to college ski bums living out of their cars, but one thing I have found is the community comes together, no matter how much money you have. I think this is important in terms of eating, because there are services available to those in need that reflects the type of community only a closely knit small town can have. No doubt it’s still an issue for people trying to live off of minimum wage, but there are many instances when I’ve seen the community come together to support each other when they’re in need.
This is a super interesting essay! I had never thought about how something as simple as a fast food restaurant could affect an entire population of people. I wonder if there is some sort of compromise the town of Telluride could come up with to keep the food options healthy, but also affordable for the lower class, maybe some sort of food bank? I have never been to Telluride before, so I can’t really comment on how this actually affects the lower class civilians, but I would hope there would be some sort of affordable option for them! Overall, this essay was very well written, great job!
I really enjoyed your essay! This is a topic that I have never thought about before, and it makes me think about other times in my life that I might not have been cognizant to how minorities are being affected by city legislature. I agree with you that residents should have the option to choose between fast food and small business in their community, but I also wonder what percent of the population in Telluride are in favor of this fast food ban.
This was a great essay! I was surprised and impressed to find that Telluride does not have any fast food restaurants, but also frustrated and angry that it’s virtually impossible for anyone except upper/middle class to live there sustainably. It’s fine if you don’t have fast food restaurants, but you would only think that they would lower the prices so the food is accessible to everyone. As you pointed out, though, it’s usually not the case with resort towns. There’s been a lot of stigma against working class people who don’t “eat healthy”, but the reality is that organic foods/healthier options aren’t affordable. You also made an interesting point when you said that people eat fast food in other towns while protesting against it in their own.
I understand the intention of the town of Telluride and don’t think it is a bad idea in concept. However, as you explained, I don’t think it was very well thought out, because you can’t just take away resources without replacing it with something equivalent and expect no negative consequences. Now if healthy food or any of the other restaurants in that town were as cheap as fast food, that would be a different story. So maybe a compromise would not be to bring back McDonald’s, but to instead start up a locally owned business that still sells that type of food at a reasonable price.
I really enjoyed reading this essay. I think this is a very interesting topic that I haven’t seen addressed too much. The idea that fast food provide cheap meals for income families is a point that many people don’t even consider. The people who do look at fast food this way are usually those from low-income families who have had to scape by. I think the use of both Marxist and practice theory creates a well-rounded analysis of this topic. I think that this analysis could be taken a step further to include culture and personality and how living in a small town like this creates a personality type that values ‘health’ (even if harmful to others) vs. living in a bigger city which allows you to see other perspectives. Overall, I think this essay was well written, interesting, and engaging.
I thought this essay was super interesting because it made me think in ways i haven’t really before. As a Colorado native I know all about the price increases in mountain towns. I thought this was super interesting because the idea is there. Mountain people are very into being healthy – eating right and exercise – so it makes sense that they would want to get rid of fast food joints that don’t provide that healthy essence and mountain town ambiance. However, it is screwing over a lot of other lower and working class families because it getting rid of jobs, it is getting rid of easy access to cheap food for those days both parents are working late and don’t have time to cook, and it is hurting their financial stability because mountain towns don’t exactly have other cheap alternatives. So while it is helping one group of people it is hurting the other, which is a hard position to be in! I thought your use of marxist theory and practice theory were two excellent choices in theories to support your essay and you executed it very nicely
I grew up in a resort town and have experienced a similar situation to this. I think the common lifestyle in Colorado and resort towns too frequently fits an overly aggressive focus on health. I feel as though it was hard to decide whether eating healthy or supporting less well off families is more beneficial or “correct” overall great essay!
What a great occurrence to shed an anthropological insight on! The demographics were helpful to see how unique of a community Telluride is and the type of individuals that are involved in the situation. I recently completed a volunteer project which taught my team a lot about food desserts. The people that we met we forced to purchase unhealthy, packaged foods at convenience stores due to a discrepancy of grocers in their communities. Even when government sanctioned grocery stores were opened in the areas, they still out-priced individuals from buying fresh or perishable products. In small communities like Telluride, the limited access to affordable food doesn’t always encourage healthy alternatives, but affordable alternatives. Think these theories are great ways to analyze a very importance topic!
Great essay! I had no idea some towns were just cutting out fast food completely so that was a shock. I agree that although it seems like good idea and they have the right intentions it was not very thought out. It is good for our bodies and nice to eat healthy but the truth is eating healthy is not always affordable. For a lot of families out there fast food is their only option otherwise they starve. For some kids the food they get as school lunch is the only food they will eat that day. Fast food is the next best option if they are eating out. I think it is a bit aggressive approach wise and needs some more review.
I really enjoyed the socio-economic analysis of this apparent hypocrisy you performed using Marxist theory. I think that many NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) attitudes could be analyzed from the same standpoint, though I had not considered doing so until I read this piece.
I think the socio-economic discrepancy present in this issue is parallel with many of the local issues Boulder itself faces– such as the impact ‘right-sizing’ traffic lanes has had on those who must commute from lower-cost-of-living areas in Denver to economically important but lower paying jobs within Boulder county– jobs like janitorial services at the university– and speaks to the power the wealthy wield over the lower class.
I think it’s really important to think about the people behind the scenes who are running the vacation and resort towns for wealthy visitors. Often times visitors are envious of the locals, as they get to live in beautiful mountain towns with access to skiing and hiking any day they want. However, as your essay pointed out, that’s not the reality since they cannot afford those luxuries on a daily basis. The ban of fast food restaurants in Telluride was not something that I was aware of. I understand their desire to create a healthy town, but it’s hard to sustain a working class individual, none the less an entire family, when food options are limited to pricey 5 star restaurants. I think this essay also points out to the difficulties within fast food restaurants, and how a processed burger can be bought for a dollar, but a nutritional salad is going to cost a lot more.
Really interesting essay. This is something that I’ve never really thought of. I feel like there is a march larger emphasis on the health repercussions of fast food than the ecomonimc affects of low-income families who don’t have access to cheaper foods. When fast food is being discussed, it’s usually in a negative context, and I really like how you shed light on the fact that these restaurants are able to help people who are struggling financially. I’ve never really thought of it, but this also reminds me of my home town. There are very few fast food restaurants and an abundance of health food stores and it makes me think that places like Telluride, or my home town, might actually need fast food restaurants, even though they are so frowned upon.
I have heard the argument before that healthy food is more expensive than fast food or unhealthy alternatives but this is realistically just not true, for example, you can buy 144 eggs at Costco for around 6 dollars allowing for a massive variety of healthy foods through cooking. The businesses you buy your food from want you to believe that healthy food costs more as they experience the economic benefit of your willingness to pay. Another piece of evidence against the idea that wealth equates to healthy food is that we live in the wealthiest country on earth and yet over 30% of people are overweight, however, the idea that healthy food is easier to access when wealthy is undeniable.
Great essay bringing light to one the many Colorado mountain towns with “healthy” lifestyles face. Although Telluride isn’t a food desert, with high costs of living access to affordable and nutritious foods must be a struggle. Aside food assistance programs like SNAP, many Coloradans supplement their nutritional needs with foraging, hunting and growing their own food which can be difficult in alpine environments such as Telluride . Maybe this is one of the issues that contribute to the many who take their own lives in the “suicide belt” where Colorado is one of the leading states in the U.S. for suicide rates.
I have never really taken a second to stop and think about this. I feel that a majority of the reason there is so much success by fast food chains, is because of their accessibility and ability to target those part of the lower income percentage of the world. I actually love the fact that you pointed out the ban of fast food restaurants in Telluride. I can’t help but wonder also, if its a class thing though. the reason being, that Telluride is typically a location known for having high prices of living, and eliminating fast food, typically only seems to maybe potentially raise the cost of living, seeing as healthier food options are also relatively expensive. Well done on your essay.
The reason why McDonalds and fast food restaurants have gotten so big and prevalent is because most people love the idea of quick, convenient and most importantly cheap food. For a town like Telluride to not have any fast food options, I would agree it specifically targets the poorer class because the wealthy usually don’t eat fast food anyways. This makes me question if the point of banning low cost fast food restaurants in expensive resort towns is to try to get the lower class people out of town because they can’t afford to live there? You also make a good point that the wealthy will in fact go to fast food restaurants when they are not in their town because it is convenient for them.
Really interesting analysis. You would think that banning fast food would be all around better for a town, and I have never thought of the negative repercussions of this. I think this is a perfect example of a much larger scale issue in our society. The fact that America is so reliant on big chains to run the economy and provide jobs, as well as feed much of the lower class population. It reminds me of the “issue” of gentrification. In hopes of renovating or in this case keeping places renovated, they rid the area of many things such as cheap food spots and housing. This drives less affluent residents out of town, forcing many to live in less expensive, poorer neighborhoods which leads to more of a societal gap.
Thank you for this information as I was unaware that any town in America had banned fast food. It certainly creates a major issue for the poor in Telluride and creates a positive feedback loop in which they cannot escape poverty. I agree that higher food prices traps them in a system where their chances to ever be able to escape poverty are slim. This is both sad to read and deficnetly structural violence against working class populations.
I was surprised to know that there are any towns left in America that had no fast food restaurants especially here in Colorado. It is strange however that Telluride, being a ski town has no easily accessible cheap food. It is extremely frustrating that most of America is so heavily tied to fast food restaurants and something that many people can not live without. What is even more frustrating is that so many low income individuals are forced to work for large fast food companies and never make enough to support themselves. This is a tough story to read and it shows how dysfunctional the US is.