Journal 4 — The End of Food
In a New Yorker article from 2014, Lizzie Widdicombe delves into the then-incoming era of neo-meal replacements. Founder of Soylent Rob Rhinehart takes Widdicombe for a tour throughout not only Soylent and its processes, but Rhinehart’s mind and ideology as well.
Rhinehart describes Soylent near the beginning of the article as “the best breakfast of [his life]” and having “saved him time and money: his food costs have dropped from four hundred and seventy dollars a month to fifty.” This is the part of article that interests me the most. Food is such a time-intensive activity that people have to deal with at least 2-3 times daily. Taking breaks from daily work and tasks to either go out to a restaurant and purchase food, cooking food, and even eating. This all produces a gap in productivity at certain parts of the day that could be filled with a seamless integration of work and consumption at once. This is where Soylent wants to slide in. Rhinehart even describes this product as being very healthy and complete: “My physique has noticeably improved, my skin is clearer, my teeth whiter, my hair thicker and my dandruff gone.” With health at perhaps the top priority in one’s understandable skepticism of this incoming meal-replacement product, Rhinehart had solidified his and everyone else’s expectations for such.
Later on in the article it becomes clear as to why Rhinehart feels so deeply about his product. He describes farms as “very inefficient factories” that should be “more industrialized, not less.” He talks about how the whole “farm-to-table” movement that is sweeping the country is not helping with the expenses and environmental concerns produced by full meals: ones which require farms for completion on. Farming, typically being done by the underclass, yielding less nutrition per unit, is completely covered by the Soylent product wherein all your daily needs of vitamins, macromolecules, and more are in a few single servings of liquid.
Efficiency is key. Near the end of the article, Rhinehart describes how “cruising” through the day is achieved with Soylent. “If you’re in a groove at your computer, and feel a hunger pang, you don’t have to stop for lunch. Your energy levels stay consistent.” With Soylent, you keep working and maintain a level of energy you feel after a few hours of consuming a heavy meal. This is an incredible leap in the sense of food consumption because Rhinehart talks about the downsides of Soylent as well. Much of your day is revolved around food. “Meals provide punctuation to our lives.” Although meals are social, cultural, and enjoyable, they take time out of your otherwise productive day. However, Rhinehart also goes on to talk about how Soylent isn’t meant to 100% completely replace meals; but be there for you when you are in a time pinch and need the caloric intake equivalent of a meal. Social gatherings are meant for real meals, and I agree with that wholeheartedly.
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