Rhetorical Analysis
In the excerpt “Why the Fries Taste So Good” by Eric Schlosser, Schlosser deeply examines the process of one individual farmer and his process, not to mention takes it as far as going to the International Fragrance and Flavor facilities to see what truly does make the fries taste so good. He does a good job of hitting each individual appeal as a writer in order for us as readers to accept the information he’s handing out. Even in Ian Brailsford’s review of Schlosser’s excerpt, he finds little if any opposition whatsoever. At one point he even says, “By focusing on Ray Kroc’s empire McDonald’s – America’s biggest employer and real estate owner – Schlosser is covering well-travelled academic terrain” (Brailsford 118.) By giving a logical, pathetic, and ethical appeal within the excerpt, we as readers can verify his work as credible and learn from what he has taught us.
All throughout the third page of Schlosser’s excerpt, he provides us with information that adheres to the logical and reasoning portion of the reading. He even adds a little bit of ethical appeal within the paragraphs. By telling us that he personally examined the facilities of the IFF and saw first hand the ingredients and recipes that went in through the manufacturing process from pilot kitchens and laboratories of numerous name brand products that we as readers would be able to familiarize ourselves with. Also, researching the importance of not just the taste of the food but the aroma around it and how 90% of it is responsible for our personal appeal of that particular food (Schlosser 3.) Just to put emphasis of how much actually goes into the artificial taste of a strawberry milkshake at Burger King, Schlosser decides to list the entire group of ingredients that make up that flavor (Schlosser 3.) “Perhaps the real reason behind the popularity of fast food is that it tastes so good. One of the most revealing points in Schlosser’s book is when he interviews the food flavor scientists who are able to synthesize the chemicals to produce the appealing aromas and tastes virtually out of the air” (Brailsford 119.) Also, by providing us with the practically an entire background on potato farmer J.R Simplot (Schlosser 1), it not only tells us that Schlosser has done his research and made sure he knows what the farmer has to go through from start to finish in order to come up with the end product that consumers are willing to buy, but it also narrows the topic to what exactly we as an audience are to key in on and that’s not just artificial flavoring in general but that of potatoes and eventually french fries.
Going back to the story of J.R Simplot, Schlosser added this background information for more than just the logical appeal of it. By telling the readers the story of this young, runaway, multi-billionaire potato farmer, the audience is instantly drawn in right from the beginning because of the fact that they want to know what this guy is going to do next and how far he is willing to go (Schlosser 1.) Everybody loves a good old-fashioned rags to riches story. Not to mention, a humble multi-billionaire that still drives his old Lincoln Continental wearing regular denim blue jeans. By creating that illustration, the reader begins to imagine himself or herself in this situation or at least a structured picture of what’s going on in Simplot’s career (Schlosser 1.)
Schlosser did a fantastic job of making himself seem like the expert of why french fries really do taste so good. Critics could look at just the basic organization of the excerpt; by first introducing and informing us of the potato farmer he initiates the process of gathering all of his information together at the bottom of the ladder. Then he moves onto the second step where he shares the competition factor of the industry and how improbable it is today to be a successful potato farmer unless you’re one of the big time producers and that typical farmers today are going through such hardships just to stay alive and produce (Schlosser 2.) Then, he examines the third and final tier of the information and that’s wrapping it all up into why the french fries really do taste so good. And he does that by establishing himself as a credible, firsthand source of information by placing himself in the facilities of the IFF and seeing up close and personal what the lab professors do to the product to make it the way it is. He even provides a physical description of how to get to one of the plants and what it looks like almost to reinforce the fact that he was there and received all of this information up close and personal (Schlosser 3.)
Schlosser really examined the depths of the french fry industry to a T and provided readers with just about all the information they wanted, if not more. He did it in a variety of ways, by intertwining the logical ingredient components and financial state of what it takes to be a financial farmer, as well as the pathetic appeal of introducing readers to a rags to riches story of a poor farm boy making it big by holding onto a small dream and never selling out, not to mention the ethical appeal of personally examining the steps required to first initiate the farming sequence of getting the potatoes, distributing the potatoes and then finally making them taste the way that they do. After absorbing all this info it’s really no surprise, “..one in four Americans indulge in fast food every day” (Brailsford 118.)

Bibliography
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser Review by: IAN BRAILSFORD Australasian Journal of American Studies , Vol. 22, No. 1 (July 2003), pp. 117-119
Schlosser, Eric. “Why the Fries Taste Good.” Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 26 March 2010. 4 pages. Web. PBS. 16 Nov. 2011.