In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser writes about the fast food industry. Schlosser tells the story of JR Simplot, the man behind the McDonald's potato source. He started his own business in the eighth grade, after dropping out of school. He started modestly, but eventually became one of America's richest men. He then owned 160 acres of land to start this business. He sold his potatoes to primarily all-natural companies. But he soon discovered that if you dry the food, it will last longer, and more and more companies will buy from him. Then, in the 1950s, he discovered how to freeze them and the method of freezing foods. McDonald's began buying and selling Simplot fries. The customers seemed to like it, the change didn't bother them and they didn't even realize it. As a result, freezing potatoes caused them to lose much of their natural flavors. Companies began cooking their foods with a high percentage of animal fat to capture that flavor, but quickly changed course. They traded beef fat for more chemicals. The flavor of the fries depends on chemicals, it's all fake, and their fries have even more saturated fat than their burgers. The fries people eat today are so unnatural that every fast food place tastes different. “Their distinctive taste does not come from the type of potatoes McDonald's buys, the technology that processes them, or the restaurant equipment that fries them” (Schlosser 119). McDonald's and other companies now use fries with a distinguished taste, different from its competitor. They also put chemicals in other things like their milkshakes and burgers. Almost everything there is chemically enhanced. They also rely on the smell of their product, Schlosser says, middle of paper... Even if the public knew all the chemicals that make up all the flavor, again, they would eat it. Americans love fast food. As Americans, we eat a ton of fast food. We even give more money to fast food than to education. Childhood obesity is also very high and continues to rise. Here, people eat a lot of fast food, without exercising. Americans are in poor health in general, and it's happening very quickly. We need to make people aware of the many side effects of fast food. They need to know what they are doing to their bodies. And if America still wants fast food, we need to get people to exercise more. Many Americans eat a lot of fast food and simply don't exercise. Many don't exercise at all. America is becoming obese. Work cited Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: perennial, 2002.