Analysis Of Eric Schlosser's 'Fast Food Nation'

The Secret of Tasty Fries In Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation: Why the Fries Taste Good”, Schlosser reveals the secret behind the tasty fries from fast food chains and let readers know how the fries are actually made. To give readers a sense of perspective, Schlosser includes history, market supply, science and production of the fries in his investigative piece. In the beginning of his writing, Schlosser writes about the history of the fries. He begins with introducing a prominent potato supplier in the country, J.R. Simplot who started his business venture in the age of fifteen. Simplot was a successful entrepreneur who owned a lot of agricultural land and he grew potatoes in most of his lands. Having had so many potato farms and food processing factories, the farsighted entrepreneur invested heavily in frozen food technology and hoped to commercialize a low cost frozen fry that tasted the same as the fresh one. Initially the sales of the fries were low, because the preparing work to cook the fries was not convenient for housewives. However, Simplot did not cease his business idea and continued to seek for potential customers. All of his hard work had finally paid off when he got the deal to manufacture McDonald’s French
Paul Patterson describes the current market for potatoes as an “oligopsony” because potatoes farmers barely get any profit from the few processing companies that operate near their farming area. A lot of potato farmers in Idaho have lost their job because of the low income. In addition, refraining to join PGI alliance also contributes to the failure of family farms and it has helped corporate farms to expand. Patterson describes, “You increasingly find two classes of people in rural Idaho: the people who run the farms and the people who own them.” With all kind of competitions, it has caused most of the potato farmers live a harsh life in