Wendell Berry's "The Pleasures of Eating" focuses on the effects that a busy schedule has on the foods that people eat, which ultimately will result in an unhealthy lifestyle.  The American lifestyle has become very fast paced which makes it is easy to settle for the fast food industry for meals, but those are the most misleading because most of their products do not come from real agriculture.  Agriculture is the source for healthy food.  While addressing the different social classes, the Berry relates to the busy lives of every American's, and connects that to the subpar food choices, which enables her to prove that many Americans are living an unhealthy lifestyle.  In "The Pleasures of Eating", Berry appeals to the audience's values and personal lives through the use of pathos.

The busyness of the working class directly affects unhealthy eating choices.  Money and social class plays a large role in what Americans consume for meals, which is why obesity has become a growing problem.  Why pay for an expensive salad when you can quickly get a Wendy's 4 for 4 on the go?  The problem with this is that consumers are unaware of how bad the food is for them because they have no other option due to their budget. For lower and working classes, they do not have time to worry about where the food being served originated or where is is coming from.  Berry claims that "when food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous" (Berry 535).  When consumers do not know where their food has been processed, the food becomes subject to danger.  Berry explains this danger as in his concern for the dangerous effects that food may have by saying "we hurry through our meals to go to work and hurry through our work in order to "recreate" ourselves" (Berry).  Hurrying through life has its effects on people, we do not leave enough time to take care of ourselves.   When in a rush, one of the most commonly overlooked ways to not take care of ourselves is through lack of nutrition. 

The people that have the most time for healthy eating choices are typically the wealthy.  Many people associate healthy eating with the wealthy.  Most commonly, eating healthy does cost more because those products come from more reliable and fresh sources.  In "The Pleasures of Eating," Wendell Berry addresses the relationship between unhealthy food and the poor.  Lower class, overweight children are one way that pathos is brought into the argument because it brings sympathy to the audience because no one likes to see a child unhappy due to their weight problems.  In a way, it tells the story that these children are not fortunate enough to have the knowledge of where their own food came from.  

Pathos can be highlighted in this argument, through the the use of fast food industries and the way they commercialize.  These commercials will consist of a happy family sitting around the table, eating what looks to be a feast, for only $20.  The family appeals to the audience and that is where the author grabs the audience's attention.  Everyone loves a nice family dinner, and for a cheap price.  This is the fast food industry's trick to make their food more appealing to the values of their customers.  In the words of the author, "first, purely commercial transaction between him and a supplier and then as a purely appetitive transaction between him and his food" (Berry 536).  The author is emphasizing in this that there is a strong appeal between the commercial, the food and the consumer.  An appeal is only on the surface level because this is exactly how the consumer overlooks the origin of the food.

Berry uses the lower income families as an example of pathos, in order to connect with her audience.  We as consumers do not think about agriculture due to the lack of education on the topic. People in America with lower incomes tend to eat fast food because it is cheap, but "[wealthy consumers] buy what they want ... [and] pay without protest, what they are charged" (Berry).  Lower classes of society cannot afford healthy foods much less have time to stop and think about where the food is coming from.  The lack of knowledge that American consumers have is the reason for poor food choices, which may lead to obesity.  If consumers do not take the time to stop and think about where the food is coming from, they are most likely eating artificial meals, which is a large contributor to the American obesity issue.  

Money is one of the main problems in the obesity epidemic.  Lack of money leads to lack of education and lack of healthy eating because the consumers are unaware of the difference between healthy and affordable.  Wendell Berry points out that people living in urban environments are less likely to associate food with agriculture because they are not surrounded by it.  People living in big cities are not exposed to farmland, which is wear the fresh food would come directly from.  Fast food is more easily accessible in urban environments, in turn that is what the consumers will be purchasing.   The author points out that "we have neglected to understand that we cannot be free if our food and its sources are controlled by someone else" (Berry 535).  When the author refers to someone else, he is addressing the government.  In this statement, Berry calls out the American government stating that the government is the reasons why our healthy food is not affordable and other food is unhealthy.   It is very interesting to think that if healthy food was more affordable, America may be set free from some of its chain fast food restaurants, which, in turn, may eliminate some obesity throughout the company.  

Finally, in general, usually women are the shoppers for the family, therefore that includes grocery shopping as well.  Berry demands for the women's attention by saying "food wears as much makeup as actors" (Berry 536).  He is appealing to things that women value and grabbing his audience's female attention with the use of a simple simile.  This simile is the author's last attempt to prove that the average American is too busy to look beyond the labels and name brands, to see the true agriculture of where the food comes from.  Labels are not everything and they can be "misleading and dangerous" (Berry 535).  Shoppers will identify "healthy" labels as ones that are either catching to the eye or that read "FDA approved".   Even though labels may be FDA approved, it does not mean that that is the best brand to buy for health reasons. 

Through Wendell Berry's strong use of pathos in her writing of "The Pleasures of Eating", she is able to successfully connect with the audience through the relation to the fast-paced American lifestyle as well as the values presented.  Berry effectively conveys her ideas about the importance of knowledge pertaining to food and where it comes from.  The strategic use of stories and examples of low income families eating unhealthy foods, simply because it is affordable, enhances her pathos in her writing.  All in all, Berry stresses the effects of lack of education towards food and agriculture, but also the benefits of healthy, agricultural food and lifestyles.   America should make healthy eating a priority and all of this proves that in order to be aware of healthy eating, you must be educated on this topic and be conscious of what to buy in stores, along with what you're consuming. 

