English 111 Unit 1 Assignment

The audience for writing project one: summary and response will be my classmates and my instructor, Avon Waters. I am writing this for English 111 – an online Ivy Tech college course. This is the first writing project of four for semester one. The assignment is to select a core reading resource from the group listed and perform a summary and response style paper, using proper APA formatting and introducing the concept of a situation analysis. The core reading piece I have selected is one that personally interested me, as it deals heavily with history and facts versus opinions and controversy. This will be in APA format, as with every other paper written in this course. My goal with this paper is to offer additional insight into the piece I

have researched and to gain a broader and more educated understanding of the topic at hand, as well as to enhance my writing abilities.

Why the Fries Taste Good, written by Eric Schlosser, has very little to do with the literal taste of french fries and everything to do with the success of the man behind the french fry as we know it today – Mr. John Richard Simplot. The convenience and ease of the french fry has made it a staple in American fast-food and burger joints. Regardless of one’s stance on the health risks associated with eating fried foods, no one can deny that the french fry is one of the most common foods to eat in American households. According to Fast Food Nation, also written by Eric Schlosser (2001), french fries and potato chips form about one quarter of the total vegetable servings received by American children.

Written for Fast Food Nation in 2001, this Boston publication by Eric Schlosser offers a history of J. R. Simplot’s exploits from the grade-school dropout to the successful entrepreneur he has become. Schlosser begins by offering insight into J. R. - Simplot’s early childhood, taking note to mention the incredible financially-savvy techniques used early on to procure profits and expand his business. Then, Schlosser explains Simplot’s enthusiasm when accepting new ideas and new avenues of potential business. From military contracts to fast food monopolizing, Schlosser goes into vivid detail of the strategic, albeit humble, mind of Mr. Simplot.

Instead of focusing on the health factors I, much like Mr.

Schlosser, will focus my directive on the impressive entrepreneurship that J. R. Simplot displayed, especially at such a young age with the lack of both parental approval and a proper education. Simplot’s understanding of fiscal growth and intelligent investing at such a young age is extremely rare. Stated in Why the Fries Taste Good, Mr. Simplot left home and school at 15years, and by the age 16 became a potato farmer in his own right. He was most certainly not afraid to take risks, which could be attributed to his young age but never faltered and is still continuing to grow into new investments. Noted in the New York Times (by the Associated Press, Aug 28, 2015), J.R. Simplot Co was approved by the FDA for their groundbreaking genetically engineered potatoes that resist the pathogen that lead to the Irish Potato Famine and other crops worldwide. This type of innovation is exactly what is so remarkable about Simplot’s

endeavors.

For example, World War II was a terrible time for people, country, and certainly money. Simplot was not discouraged by this and instead of allowing the receding economy to dictate his choices and being more conservative with his already growing company, he took advantage of military contracts to expand his business. After the war, J. R. Simplot chose to continue the trend of advancement by expanding into the frozen foods industries, a new horizon that others may have been wary of testing. The road seems to have been a clear and smooth path until this point for Mr. Simplot. The frozen food industry was not initially all that he had hoped, and instead of becoming disheartened, John Simplot decided to expand in a different avenue.

This brings us to his partnering with McDonalds (and other restaurant chains – Schlosser 2001).

Beginning in 1966, McDonald’s began selling Simplot’s frozen fries, which allowed both companies to soar into new opportunities for advancement. Today, Simplot’s legacy lives on in his original company, J.R. Simplot Co. John Richard Simplot passed away in 2008, just seven years after the publication of Fast Food Nation (Simplot.com). The company he founded is still going strong, now with major operations in “the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and China” (Simplot.com, 2015). They also have spread outside of just the food market, offering scientific research and community outreach programs for youth and the

arts.

Without a doubt, J. R. Simplot was one of the most innovative entrepreneurs of his time and had a thirst for growth that allowed both him and his company the proper nourishment to go well beyond where one thought initially possible. Keeping up with the ever-changing world, Simplot was able to go from a young runaway and school dropout into a billionaire with all the land money can buy and a loving family to share it with. The innovative risk-taking Simplot exhibited early on paved the way for his success and allowed his company to rise into the ranks of Fortune 500.