Krissiebrown’s Weblog

This week, analyzing the rhetoric of restaurants has been truly interesting.  The articles we read for class ranged in styles, some were ridiculous and others were comical.  I especially enjoyed “A Critic at Every Table” by Frank Bruni.  (The title is a quote from this article, I thought it was funny )  In this article, Bruni describes the life of a server.  He goes into extreme detail of a week in the life of a server.  In order to accurately report his findings, Bruni himself shadows servers to get a first hand experience on what servers do and what they go through.  He even uses a quote by Chris Schlesinger and says, “Like a shark, you’ve got to keep moving or you die.”  I found this article particularly interesting since I work in a restaurant; I live and breathe what he accounts.  I could relate to everything he said.  Also, I not only share his experiences, but I appreciate it.  He is taking a bold attempt to get the everyday person to realize that serving is a grueling job.  Many people do not realize this fact and it is clear by the way they act while eating out.  He wants the readers, who are most likely also customers, to just be aware of this fact.  Bruni wants to tell the reader, “Hey!  Be nice.  Don’t be an ass hole when you go out to eat, show some courtesy, and be polite.”  This was by far my favorite article out of the ones we read.  I still am contemplating what I want to write about for my third paper…hopefully inspiration will hit sometime soon!

This week in class we have been discussing rhetorical space of restaurants.  Different restaurants send different messages depending on many factors.  For example, the lighting, the appearance and attitudes of the servers, the structure of the building, the music, the whole ambiance of the restaurant sets the message and argues a point.  Working in a restaurant, I can observe the rhetoric all around me.  In a restaurant like Macaroni Grill, where I spend many grueling hours, many of these factors set the mood and tone of the restaurant.  Our servers are dressed in white, button up, long sleeve dress shirts, accompanied by a tie.  These ties not only de-sexualize the servers, but they create an appearance of professionalism and class.  The servers can’t just where anything they want, they have to be in uniform.  At Macaroni Grill, we are taught not just to be good servers, but to act like a host at a house party.  The Mac Grill team is supposed to make the customer feel like a guest in their home, giving the best service possible.  Granted, this does not occur 24/7 because, let’s face it, MANY people that come to eat are rude, obnoxious, and you just don’t feel like treating them with respect when they snap their fingers at you and expect you to make their wildest dreams come true.  As well as the server’s appearance and attitudes, the lighting at Macaroni Grill sets the mood.  The lighting is fairly bright during the day, but during the dinner shift the lights get dimmed, as well as the music.  During the day we are not as fancy and romantic, but as soon as the sun goes down, romance is in the air.  Also, the building itself has a classy feel.  Wine bottles along the wall, the stone structure, fireplaces, flowers on every single island (those are main tables that the servers use to keep easy accessible items they use throughout the shift… water, lemons, ice, wine, coffee, etc.).  Overall, Macaroni Grill has a romantic vibe that attracts everyone from high schoolers out for prom dinner to “regulars” that just can’t get enough of the Mac Grill.  Every restaurant is different and sends a special message.  The rhetoric of restaurants are particularly fascinating because it alters how you, as a customer, act and behave while you are in that restaurant.  This form of rhetoric affects our behavior, making it not only interesting to observe but powerful as well.

During class this we have been discussing “A Cook’s Tour”.  Throughout the novel, Bourdain expresses his true love and passion for food.  His down to earth personality and screw the world attitude are clearly demonstrated through his writing and make the book a page turner.  As he travels to different places throughout the world, different cultures are discovered.  I made a note of how each country he travels to, they have a different national drink.  For example, in Spain there was wine with every meal, in Russia there was vodka, etc.  This relates back to our class concept about how in America we lack a food culture, we steal everyone else’s.  We have Italian food, Chinese food, Mexican food…and hamburgers.  Are hamburgers and french fries truly our national culture?  I found it interesting that this concept related to drinks as well.  It’s the same situation, we have tequila imported from Mexico, wine imported from Italy, vodka imported from Russia.  What’s our drink?  Diet Coke?  This surprised me and also made me once again, upset with our food culture.  As well as discussing “A Cook’s Tour” we have also been talking about visual arguments.  In chapter 14, they state that images make arguments of their own.  Going through life we see visual arguments everywhere.  In advertisements, magazines, television, every form of media argues through imagery.  I found a pamphlet that clearly demonstrates this idea.  It’s a pamphlet called “what they never told you…” that tries to convince people to become vegetarians.  They use images to try and argue why eating animals is bad.  Some of the images are gruesome and graphic and even make me cringe (a full supporter of eating meat).  These images even get me to feel guilty about eating animal products.  They then take these images and follow them up with actual facts on why you shouldn’t eat meat, how it’s destroying the earth, famous people who are becoming vegetarian, and then they provide some recipes that make the transition easier.  Taking a look at the website (peta2.com) it was clear who their audience was…college students.  The website seems to attract a teen/young style, mentioning famous actors and showing people our age.  The visual argument of this pamphlet was powerful, but not successful.  I still plan on eating meat…yum!

Recently in class, we have been focusing on eating disorders that have grown to be so popular in our nation.  After watching Thin this topic has become real to me.  Before watching the movie, I was aware of eating disorders and I was even personally touched by them since some of my friends have them, but I NEVER thought they were that extreme.  I myself struggle with my weight, but watching those girls in the movie, I could not see how someone could put their selves through that.  When considering the rhetoric of eating disorders, it is clear that people viewing the patients and the patients themselves have similar feelings.  The observers view the people suffering from this disease as disgusting (not the people themselves but their appearance) and the process that they are going through as sad.  While, the patients also view themselves as disgusting but for a different reason all together, they view themselves as fat, and truly feel they look disgusting.  Also in class we looked at pro-anorexia websites that were truly disturbing.  These girls provide personal experiences while also providing reassurance to other women suffering from anorexia.  The tone of both Thin and these websites are depressing and you really get a sense that these women are unhappy and miserable with themselves.  Reading some of the blogs makes me want to yell at them Get Help!  you are killing yourself!  For example, one of them blogs about how she only ate 155 calories in a day.   It is sad to witness and even sadder to think about what these women put themselves through.  I almost wish this site didn’t exist because these girls get positive feedback about how what they are doing is right.  I also feel guilty because I don’t want to judge, but I seriously hope these girls can realize that anorexia is not the way.

When one thinks of the word obesity many terms come to mind, such as: fat, unhealthy, gross, fast food, BMI, McDonalds, premature death, etc.  In American society, obesity has become such a widespread problem, that for the first time, our children are statistically predicted to live shorter lives.  In chapter 10 of Everything’s an Argument casual arguments include arguments about every day actions.  There are three types of casual arguments: arguments that state a cause and then examine its effects, arguments that state an effect then trace the effect back to its causes, and arguments that move through a series of links.  In terms of obesity in our country, and recent studies involving obesity, all of these styles of casual arguments are utilized.  Scientists use these types of techniques in many obesity studies, and then use this style to argue their findings.  Also, a characteristic of casual arguments is that they are often definition based.  Many studies conducted about obesity are definition based, which takes us back to the definition of obesity.  What is obesity?  How is it identified?  Technically speaking, a BMI of over 30 is considered obese, but factors such as bone structure and other factors are not taken into account when it comes to BMI.  So while a person looks normal or healthy, their BMI considers them obese.  Fair?  I think not.  The definition of obesity relies on unsubstantial information.  In terms of class discussion, I have found it particularly interesting that the women have a lot more to say on this subject matter than the men.  Why is this?  Is it because men do not constantly ponder what they are eating, like many women do?  If this is the case, it proves that the media and society’s standard of perfection forces women to conform to their standards.  If women fail to obey the rules, they are not considered beautiful.  Men can escape the media’s criticism, but women are continuously reminded about what is attractive and what is not

As we continue the book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, the different voices and rhetorical techniques of the three contributors seem to stand out to me more and more.  By using Barbara, Steven, and Camille, different audiences can be pulled into this novel, making the book open to a wider public.  While Kingsolver herself focuses on a down to earth, conversational, funny style (which my mother would love), Steven utilizes factual evidence (which my father would appreciate), and Camille uses a lighthearted, youthful approach (which I prefer).  These different points also differ in appeal, for example, Steven: logos, Camille: pathos, and Kingsolver: ethos, pathos, and logos.  I can appreciate the book more because of Camille’s contribution, I can relate to her; therefore, I can relate more to her experiences than I would Kingsolver.  Moving on to Chapter 8 of Everything’s an Argument, certain attributes of arguments of definition apply to Kingsolver’s novel.  For example, “definitions by example” is a perfect way to describe Camille’s contribution to the novel.  By incorporating her recipes into the novel, she is giving an example of the way this style of living can be successfully achieved, therefore she is arguing through the use of definition.  I am fully enjoying Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and the realizations it is bringing into my own life.  I am finding myself more conscientious about what I purchase in the supermarket and I am also finding myself lecturing/informing my friends of the facts I’ve been oblivious to my whole life.

While walking through H.E.B. last night I educated my best friend on our focus in class lately and how corn is in everything we consume.  We started to look at the ingredients of everything we picked up and sure enough, corn was somewhere to be found on pretty much every item.  I am still shocked at this fact and frustrated that I cut Diet Coke out of my diet (because the high fructose corn syrup was haunting me with every sip) and all I’m drinking is water.  In King Korn a lot of specific things stood out.  One statistic that really caught my ear was when they claimed they can produce four times as much corn as their great grandparents could thanks to technology and recent developments.  An increase by four is a significant increase and made me think about how much our culture has developed when it comes to agriculture.  Also, they said it only took 18 minutes to plant 31,000 seeds.  I couldn’t believe one could accomplish so much in so little time.  One fact that really disturbed me was when they talked about the liberty chemical and how they use this chemical to kill the weeds but not the corn.  How safe can this be?  A chemical that can kill weeds being sprayed all over our food…fabulous.  Later in the film they said an Iowa farmer can no longer feed themselves because the corn has to be processed before you eat it, making these millions of acres of food useless until processed.  How ironic, the biggest farming state and all the food is inedible.  After watching King Korn it was clear that our food concerns are off balance, which we probably have the Farm Bill to thank for.  All we are concerned with is purchasing cheap foods, without acknowledging or caring what we are doing to our bodies.  Hopefully, though doubtfully, something in the near future will shake the American culture and force some kind of change in our so malnourished diet.

Recently discussed during class, when it comes to Pollan’s argument involving whether society should be aware of what they are consuming and where it comes from, I think we have a right to know.  Maybe if everyone in the US was educated about the negative chemicals and ingredients that go into our foods we would all be healthier and diabetes and obesity wouldn’t be so predominant in our society.  I think as a culture, we would be better as a whole if we were in the know about our foods and where it all comes from.  Although, just to ease my conscience, I personally do not want to be informed about how my meat is prepared.  I enjoy my meat, but in this particular instance, I would prefer to remain in the dark.

CLAIM: Throughout Chapter 9 the claim that Michael Pollan repeatedly makes it that the word “organic” on products is meaningless. 

GROUNDS: The use of real life examples provides hard facts to his claim.  For example on page 144 he talks about his visit and experiences at the Cascadian Farm.  By providing reasoning, his claim is fully supported. 

WARRANT: When he talks about having to industrialize in order to meet consumer standards he is legitimizing his opinion. 

BACKING: On page 182, Pollan relays some questions that make us think.  When considering organic he asks, “Is it better for the environment? Better for the farmers who grew it?  Better for the public health?  For the taxpayer…”  And then he provides an answer along with an explanation.  He answers the reader’s questions, providing support for the warrant. 

QUALIFIER: Again on page 182, Pollan guarantees his claim when he talks about how his “industrial organic meal is nearly as drenched in fossil fuel as its conventional counterpart.”  Once again proving his claim that organic is meaningless. 

REBUTTAL:  On page 173, Pollan describes a dinner of his where he purchases food from Whole Foods and cooks dinner, proving that the foods tastes the same if it were bought at a regular supermarket.  By doing this Pollan is providing evidence, therefore preventing any counterarguments to his claim.

I have been to the Whole Foods Market on 6^th and Lamar various times, although I have never fully interpreted my surroundings while there.  Normally I’ll go there if I’m craving something healthy and feel like splurging on myself, but I never truly realized what was going on around me.  But this time with the sole purpose of interpreting the argument of the store and the surroundings, many things were revealed that I neglected to make notice of in previous visits.  The whole argument behind the store itself is pretty clear.  If you want to be fit and consume products that are good for you that will ultimately make you a better, healthier, more environmentally conscious person, you will shop at Whole Foods (keep in mind the price is your soul).  First of all, the thing I noticed as soon as I walked through the doors was the colors the marketers used when building the store.  All the colors had an earthly hue, browns and greens were attacking the whole store.  The idea of nature isn’t only apparent in the products but is also when it comes to the store itself.  While walking through the store another thing I noticed was that everything screamed ORGANIC.  Organic was everywhere and on everything.  There was even a section of the market that included organic clothing for adults and even babies.  “Organic cotton” was printed on the label as well as $110.  While I do understand that certain individuals want to consume organic products because they take pride and care of what they put in their body, I do not understand why one would pay 110 dollars for an organic t-shirt.  As I moved throughout the store another sign stood out to me.  The containers to put your food in had a sign printed above it that said something to the affect of how their containers are biodegradable and can biodegrade in 90 days!  (The exclamation included).  From make-up to clothes to food, everything was advertised toward consumers that are extremely aware of organic/environmentally friendly products.  But when does it become ridiculous?  Does this argument support an absurd way of living?  And are people really willing to pay and arm and a leg for this lifestyle?

Throughout the first section of Everything’s an Argument, many various styles and ways to convey an argument are described.  One writer’s technique might be to win the reader over by appealing to pathos while another might take a different route and appeal to logos or ethos.  Basically, every writer has a different style of arguing a point and every unique style works for that individual person and author. 

When considering pathos, a writer has to consider the situation and deem whether or not the situation is appropriate or inappropriate in using this particular style of arguing.  For instance, a writer can use subtle uses of emotion to further enhance their point but once the author begins to use fear threats or degrades themselves to the point of using race/gender this passes the boarder of inappropriate.  You might not only lose your audience but you will lose credibility, never being able to convince them or argue a point ever again.  In class, a perfect example of pathos was the use of young children and pictures of little kids in a food pyramid, trying to convey the message that kids need a certain amount of food in each section of the pyramid to be healthy.  People are softened by children; therefore, this formed an emotional connection with the audience, making it a successful pathos argument.

Another style of arguing is using ethos, arguments based on character, to argue a point.  In this style the author or writer must have authority to speak about a certain topic, must be trustworthy and credible on the issue at hand, and must have good purpose for addressing the subject.  Respect from the audience is crucial to this style of arguing and without that, you fail to win over the audience, and therefore, fail to make your point.  In class, the same food pyramid was also using ethos to argue its point when they use the US Department of Agriculture as its source.  Clearly, this department has the authority to speak about this subject, therefore making it a successful ethos argument.

Logos, on the other hand is arguing through facts and reason.  In the chapter this is described as arguing through statistics, surveys and polls, testimonies, narratives, and interviews, etc.  Pretty much anything that backs up your claim with hard evidence.  Readers are more likely to accept what the author is declaring when evidence is used to back up the claims

Whether using pathos, ethos, or logos, authors can successfully make claims and convince the reader.  Each style is unique in its own way but each way can be extremely successful if used properly.  Although no matter how many statistics or emotional strings are pulled, it doesn’t matter how convincing the argument is if the writing is dull or offensive. In order for all these techniques to be successful, the case must be made creatively.    Creativity and originality is the key when it comes to writing.