Kayla Lowe
Prof. Miller
17 September 2018
ENG 110-H2
Essay 1, Draft 1
Imagine waking up in the morning. You have already smashed the snooze button a million times making you horrible late for work. By the time you get out of bed you realize this and scramble through your normal morning routine. You find yourself stumbling into the kitchen looking for something to eat because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are conflicted. Do you sit down and have a proper meal or grab a granola bar and run? How about chugging a magical bottle of sludge and suddenly being full and ready to tackle the day? That scenario can be a reality and is what author Lizzie Widdecombe explores in her article titled “The end of food”. The report follows entrepreneur Rob Rinehart and his ironically named creation soylent. Soylent is a total meal replacement. It contains all the key nutrients a human being needs to survive. The invention has people predicting the end of traditional chewable food. While soylent is a legitimate source of sustenance it could not replace all mealtime entirely.
Everyday life revolves around a lot of things like family, friends, money and so on. One reoccurring theme in a human’s day to day is food. Our lives and a good portion of our time is spent preparing and consuming meals. Some meals are very labor intensive and require hours and hours of work to produce. Soylent offers a quick solution. It’s very popular among lifehackers and college students. While the drink is convenient in a time crunch it would not be good long term. By forgoing normal mealtime you’re missing out on the social aspect of eating. Our meals aren’t just meant for eating they are also a time to socialize and connect with others. At Caltech students “Laying out dishes and getting ready for dinner” (Widdicombe) is a common sight. That ritual however inconvenient it may seem is an opportunity to connect and bond with fellow people over a common necessity: the need to eat. At Caltech those who were drinking soylent continued with their school work and ignored the social hour. Those assessing soylent have to ask how the change in lifestyle will affect the rest of our food related interactions. In my experience having meal time is one of the only times I get to interact with my friends outside of the classroom. We all walk to the dining hall together. We sit in the same spot. Sometimes we are eating the exact same thing. The time we take eating is transformed from a basic survival into a collective experience with those around us. Eating is something that connects us all by getting rid of that we would be losing a major part of our social integration and isolating ourselves in the name of progress.
The time we take to eat food holds a special spot in our hearts. Everyone has a favorite food or at least a general idea of what they like or dislike. The idea behind soylent is purely to aid us in surviving. We are eating to live not living to eat. Its stripping away all the emotional ties we have formed with food and making eating a cold act. For many people we have formed some of our happiest memories while eating. For an essay I wrote about my favorite meal I talked about Stuffed shells. I don’t like them because of their great nutritional value I enjoy the food because “It brings my family and I together” (Lowe). Many other people can relate to my experiences. By replacing meal time with a simple drink, you lose that memory. There isn’t much bonding to be done in the 20 seconds it takes to chug a bottle of soylent.
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Kayla Lowe
Prof. Miller
17 September 2018
ENG 110-H2
Essay 1 Draft 2
Imagine waking up in the morning. You have already smashed the snooze button a million times making you horribly late for work. By the time you get out of bed, you realize this and scramble through your normal morning routine. You are stumbling into the kitchen looking for something to eat because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are conflicted. Do you sit down and have a proper meal or grab a granola bar and run? How about chugging a magical bottle of sludge, suddenly being full and ready to tackle the day? That scenario can be a reality and is what author Lizzie Widdecombe explores in her article titled The End of Food. The report follows entrepreneur Rob Rhinehart and his ironically named creation soylent. Soylent is a total meal replacement. It contains all the key nutrients a human being needs to survive. The invention has people predicting the end of traditional chewable food. While Soylent is a legitimate source of sustenance it could not replace all mealtime entirely. Regular food is rooted deep in our culture and daily routines and its absence would be detrimental to us socially and emotionally.
Everyday life revolves around a lot of things like family, friends, money, work, and more. One reoccurring theme in a human’s day to day life is food. Our lives and a good portion of our time is spent preparing and consuming meals. Some meals are very labor intensive and require hours and hours of work to produce. Soylent offers a quick solution. It’s very popular among lifehackers and college students because of its efficiency. While the drink is convenient in a time crunch it would not be a good long-term solution. By forgoing normal mealtime, you are missing out on the social aspect of eating. Our meals aren’t just meant for obtaining nutrients, they are also a time to socialize and connect with others. At Caltech, students “Laying out dishes and getting ready for dinner” (Widdicombe) is a common sight. That ritual however inconvenient it may seem is an opportunity to connect and bond with fellow people over a common necessity: the need to eat. At Caltech, those who were drinking soylent continued with their school work and ignored the social hour. Those assessing soylent must ask how the change in lifestyle will affect the rest of our food-related interactions. In my experience having mealtime is one of the only times I get to interact with my friends outside of the classroom. We all walk to the dining hall together. We sit in the same spot. Sometimes we are eating the exact same thing. The time we take eating is transformed from a basic survival into a collective experience with those around us. Eating is something that connects us all. By getting rid of that we would be losing a major part of our social integration and isolating ourselves in the name of progress. One major argument soylent drinkers harp on is the time wasted consuming chewable food. It is true the time we take out of our day eating could be used in a more productive way but if we continue pursuing time-saving methods will we ever reach a point where we are happy? All the extra time you would have drinking soylent would be pushed over into other Areas of your life. People would constantly be working themselves into the ground in the name of productivity. Humans have two major biological processes they need to complete. The first is sleeping and the other is eating. If eating as it currently stands is both a benefit socially and physically why should we change it? Instead, we should keep our current food practices the same and use soylent as a supplement for situations when a normal meal is not an option.
The time we take to eat food holds a special spot in our hearts. Everyone has a favorite food or at least a general idea of what they like or dislike to eat. The idea behind soylent is purely to aid us in surviving. We are eating to live not living to eat. It is stripping away all the emotional ties we have formed with food and making eating a cold act. For many people, we have formed some of our happiest memories while eating. For an essay, I wrote about my favorite meal I talked about Stuffed shells. I don’t like them because of their great nutritional value I enjoy the food because “It brings my family and I together” (Lowe). Many other people can relate to my experiences. Sitting around a table with all your loved ones is a valuable experience. We have whole festivals and holidays dedicated to food. Thanksgiving is a holiday based around a giant feast bringing separate cultures together. By replacing that precious mealtime with a simple drink, you lose that memory. In an essay, when talking about the significance of my favorite meal I explain one of the things my father and I share is “Our food taste” (Lowe). For families who are busy most of the day that meal time is a break for them. They can de-stress from the day and bond with their loved ones. There isn’t much bonding to be done in the 20 seconds it takes to chug a bottle of Soylent.
Chewable food recipes are reliable, Soylent recipes are still extremely experimental and not always used properly. Most people have some handed-down recipe for a favorite dish or dessert. Over years of tweaking and experimentation has built the perfect meal. Soylent underwent a similar process. The creator Rhinehart did a lot of online research and test batches before settling on his current formula. The major difference between Soylent and chewable food is the ingredients and known effects they have on our bodies. For regular food, we know exactly what nutrients we need. Our government has policies and food initiatives in place so we know what we’re eating. Every box or can has a black box listing the exact ingredients and serving sizes. We all learn in health and gym class at an early age what food groups there are and how much we need of them. What food groups are in Soylent? According to Rhinehart, it holds all the key food groups; lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. These are very different from the meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and oils we are told as children. In actuality, doctors aren’t 100% sure about soylent saying “The science behind how our bodies use these chemicals isn’t precisely understood” (Widdecombe). So, if doctors don’t know why soylent works or the long terms effects of a Soylent-only diet why should we take the risk? We know we can survive on a chewable diet and have been doing it for our entire existence. Soylent is a huge risk to our health and wellbeing because of its mysteries. Because of this putting all your stock in the soylent diet isn’t advised. Until more research and testing is done of this new product chewable food shouldn’t be trashed just yet. For all, we know the long-term effects could be detrimental. Sticking with real food is a reliable and time-tested option.
Soylent is an interesting and perplexing alternative to chewable food. It promotes the idea of efficiency and optimal health. What it doesn’t address is the loss socially and the uncertainties behind the recipes. Soylent would get rid of the treasured meals we hold dear and limit us socially. Biologically it a big risk to our health. Soylent is not capable of replacing all food as we know it as suggested in Lizzie Widdecombe’s Report The End of Food. Instead of replacing all meals soylent would be better suited a normal meal supplement. If more research and doctor approved studies were conducted backing up Soylent’s supposed benefits, then as a society we would have to reevaluate our current relationship with food and decide where it could fit in our daily food routines.
Work Cited
Widdicombe, Lizzie. “The End of Food.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/12/the-end-of-food.
Lowe, Kayla. “Project 1-Part 1: My Favorite Meal Essay”. 2018.TS.
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Kayla Lowe
Prof. Miller
3 October 2018
ENG 110-H2
Soylent: Sludge or something more?
Imagine waking up in the morning. You have already smashed the snooze button a million times making you horribly late for work. By the time you get out of bed, you realize this and scramble through your normal morning routine. You are stumbling into the kitchen looking for something to eat because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are conflicted. Do you sit down and have a proper meal or grab a granola bar and run? How about chugging a magical bottle of sludge, suddenly being full and ready to tackle the day. That scenario can be a reality and is what author Lizzie Widdecombe explores in her article titled The End of Food. The report follows entrepreneur Rob Rhinehart and his ironically named creation Soylent. Soylent is a total meal replacement. It contains all the key nutrients a human being needs to survive. The invention has people predicting the end of traditional chewable food. While Soylent is a legitimate source of sustenance it could not replace all mealtime entirely. Regular food is rooted deep in our culture and daily routines and its absence would be detrimental to our interactions with our fellow human beings and our overall physical and emotional health.
Everyday life revolves around a lot of things like family, friends, money, work, and more. One reoccurring theme in a human’s day to day life is food. Our lives and a good portion of our time is spent preparing and consuming meals. Some meals are very labor intensive and require hours and hours of work to produce. Soylent offers a quick solution. It’s very popular among lifehackers and college students because of its efficiency. While the drink is convenient in a time crunch it would not be a good long-term solution. By forgoing normal mealtime, you are missing out on the social aspect of eating. Our meals aren’t just meant for obtaining nutrients, they are also a time to socialize and connect with others. At Caltech, students “Laying out dishes and getting ready for dinner” (Widdicombe) is a common sight. That ritual however inconvenient it may seem is an opportunity to connect and bond with fellow people over a common necessity: the need to eat. At Caltech, those who were drinking Soylent continued with their school work and ignored the social hour. Those assessing Soylent must ask how the change in lifestyle will affect the rest of our food-related interactions. In my experience having mealtime is one of the only times I get to interact with my friends outside of the classroom. We all walk to the dining hall together. We sit in the same spot. Sometimes we are eating the exact same thing. The time we take eating is transformed from a basic survival into a collective experience with those around us. Eating is something that connects us all. By getting rid of that we would be losing a major part of our social integration and isolating ourselves in the name of progress. One major argument Soylent drinkers harp on is the time wasted consuming chewable food. It is true the time we take out of our day eating could be used in a more productive way but if we continue pursuing time-saving methods will we ever reach a point where we are happy? All the extra time you would have drinking Soylent would be pushed over into other Areas of your life. People would constantly be working themselves into the ground in the name of productivity. Humans have two major biological processes they need to complete. The first is sleeping and the other is eating. If eating as it currently stands is both a benefit socially and physically why should we change it? Instead, we should keep our current food practices the same and use Soylent as a supplement for situations when a normal meal is not an option.
The time we take to eat food holds a special spot in our hearts. Everyone has a favorite food or at least a general idea of what they like or dislike to eat. The idea behind Soylent is purely to aid us in surviving. We are eating to live not living to eat. It is stripping away all the emotional ties we have formed with food and making eating a cold act. For many people, we have formed some of our happiest memories while eating. For an essay, I wrote about my favorite meal I talked about Stuffed shells. I don’t like them because of their great nutritional value I enjoy the food because “It brings my family and I together”. Many other people can relate to my experiences. Sitting around a table with all your loved ones is a valuable experience. We have whole festivals and holidays dedicated to food. Thanksgiving is a holiday based around a giant feast bringing family and friends together. While the thought of an oven roasted turkey and cranberry sauce makes our mouths water it is not why we made the holiday. The holiday was created to connect us as humans and gather us around a relatable topic: Food. By replacing that precious mealtime with a simple drink, you lose that memory. In an essay, when talking about the significance of my favorite meal I explain one of the things my father and I share is “Our food taste”. For families who are busy most of the day that meal time is a break for them. They can de-stress from the day and bond with their loved ones. There isn’t much bonding to be done in the 20 seconds it takes to chug a bottle of Soylent.
Chewable food recipes are reliable, Soylent recipes are still extremely experimental and not always used properly. Most people have some handed-down recipe for a favorite dish or dessert. Over years of tweaking and experimentation has built the perfect meal. Soylent underwent a similar process. The creator Rhinehart did a lot of online research and test batches before settling on his current formula. The major difference between Soylent and chewable food is the ingredients and known effects they have on our bodies. For regular food, we know exactly what nutrients we need. Our government has policies and food initiatives in place, so we know what we’re eating. Every box or can has a black box listing the exact ingredients and serving sizes. We all learn in health and gym class at an early age what food groups there are and how much we need of them. What food groups are in Soylent? According to Rhinehart, it holds all the key food groups; lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. These are very different from the meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and oils we are told as children. In actuality, doctors aren’t 100% sure about soylent saying “The science behind how our bodies use these chemicals isn’t precisely understood” (Widdecombe). So, if doctors don’t know why Soylent works or the long terms effects of a Soylent-only diet why should we take the risk? We know we can survive on a chewable diet and have been doing it for our entire existence. Soylent is a huge risk to our health and wellbeing because of its mysteries. Because of this putting all your stock in the soylent diet isn’t advised. Until more research and testing is done of this new product chewable food shouldn’t be trashed just yet. For all, we know the long-term effects could be detrimental. Sticking with real food is a reliable and time-tested option.
Soylent is an interesting and perplexing alternative to chewable food. It promotes the idea of efficiency and optimal health. What it doesn’t address is the loss socially and the uncertainties behind the recipes. Soylent would get rid of the treasured meals we hold dear and limit us socially. Biologically it a big risk to our health. Soylent is not capable of replacing all food as we know it as suggested in Lizzie Widdecombe’s Report The End of Food. Instead of replacing all meals Soylent would be better suited a normal meal supplement. If more research and doctor approved studies were conducted backing up Soylent’s supposed benefits, then as a society we would have to reevaluate our current relationship with food and decide where it could fit in our daily food routines.
Works Cited
Widdicombe, Lizzie. “The End of Food.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/12/the-end-of-food.
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