Project #1 – Emily's Site

Draft 1:

Food has different values to different people. To some, food has a cultural importance and to others, food represents a social gathering. It can also be viewed as strictly a necessary component of survival and the acquisition of nutrients. When I think of food, particularly my favorite meals, I envision time spent with my friends and family where we can relax and be together. Others, however, view eating meals as nothing more than a hindrance to success. One such person is Rob Rhinehart.

Lizzie Widdecombe, a reporter for The New Yorker, closely followed Rob Rhinehart and his creation of Soylent, a liquid meal replacement. She wrote about Rheinheart’s background, his unconventional ideals, and his journey with Soylent. Rhinehart, an ambitious engineer, began to view meals as a “burden” because he thought of buying and consuming food as a hassle. He thought that food wasted too much money and kept him from utilizing all of his time for working. Soon, food became an engineering problem. For instance, Rhinehart tells Widdecombe, “‘You need amino acids and lipids, not milk itself. You need carbohydrates, not bread.” He thought of food as an inefficient way of receiving the nutrients needed to survive.

To combat this problem, Rhinehart went straight to the chemical components of food and created a powder of nutrients that he mixed with water. This mixture was named Soylent and became Rhinehart’s primary diet. Eventually, Rhinehart had his own fan base dedicated to improving and creating more Soylent recipes for primary consumption.

Rhinehart and his followers followed a minimalist lifestyle, but Rhinehart follows it to an extreme. He consumes Soylent as food so he would not have to take time to consume actual food. This way, he is free to spend all of his time working rather than eating or preparing food. Rhineharts actions show that he focuses solely on the minimum required for survival and he tends to cut out any possible frivolous details from his life if possible.

I find Rhineharts actions to be fairly extreme. When I imagine food, I tend to think of the interactions between my friends and family as we share a meal. Myself and many others would find it devastating to no longer be able to enjoy their favorite meals, especially if they were unable to take the time to eat together. To many people, food is much more than just ingesting the necessary nutrients to survive. For instance, in my My Favorite Meal essay, I described my favorite meal-mac and cheese- and what it meant to me. I said, “things like my mother’s homemade dishes can remind us of home and essentially keep us together even when we are all apart.” For many people, the ideal food experience has a more significant meaning, rather than just acquiring nutrients. I would have a difficult time surrendering my favorite meal to Soylent.

In an ideal world, I would prefer to be able to take time for every meal and enjoy it with my friends and family. However, it is hard to balance the time to consume sit-down meals with the time to tend to perhaps more important obligations. As a full time student, consuming meals often takes a backseat to homework and studying. Often, meals are reduced to microwaveable mac and cheese or protein shakes, which do not differ much from Rhinehart’s Soylent.

While it may be considered a “nightmare” if I could no longer enjoy my favorite meals with my family and friends as described in my Favorite Meal essay. Most people would be devastated if they would be deprived of their ice cream socials and family dinners. However, perhaps consuming a liquid meal with all of the necessary nutrients may be better than eating microwave meals during busy times. As Rhinehart noted, “‘Most people’s meals are forgotten,’ he told me. He imagines that, in the future, ‘we’ll see a separation between our meals for utility and function, and our meals for experience and socialization.’ Soylent isn’t coming for our Sunday potlucks. It’s coming for our frozen quesadillas.” In other words, meals like Soylent do not need to replace every meal like it does for Rhinehart. Instead, this liquid meal would only replace the ones we tend to eat when having a meal seems like a burden. Being a student, I tend to supplement meals like breakfast with a protein shake. Having Soylent like Rhinehart does is no different. Actually, Soylent may actually be a healthier alternative, having more nutrients such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Making the decision of what to eat is often a balance between efficiency and comfort-a quick supplement in the interest of time, or a sit-down meal.

Consuming meal supplements does not need to be taken to the extreme like Rhinehart does. Rather, in times where the need to continue work outweighs the need to take the time to eat, it is beneficial to eat like Rhinehart. Other times, the time to eat and spend time with friends and family can be easily afforded, so we can consume our favorite meals.

This surfaces the question “how important really is a sit-down meal?” Ideally, I would love to enjoy every meal like I enjoy my mother’s homemade mac and cheese in My Favorite Meal Essay. However, the time can not always be afforded to create and consume meals like this. Sometimes I tend to value efficiency much more than comfort and relaxation. As a full time student, I do have the time to have a full meal three times each day, or even two. In this way, I relate to Rhinehart and some of his “wacky” ideas. While I do not think it is necessary to go as extreme with his minimalist values, I think he is reasonable in saying that it is far more beneficial to consume a quick meal with sufficient nutrients, than to skip a meal or eat something unhealthy that will probably not sustain a busy lifestyle.

The issue between the two central themes in both my My Favorite Meal essay and Widdecombe’s evaluation of Rhinehart, is an issue of balance. My essay portrays a meal where everyone can relax and enjoy meals as a family. For example, I wrote “regardless of the meal, it is important to spend time as a family and sharing a meal as a family brings everyone together to reflect on our days and laugh together.” To my family, meals are often one of the only times we can gather together, so it is important to eat together sometimes, but it is not always afforded during busy times. In contrast, Rhinehart’s story is that of an extreme disconnect from anything other than what is absolutely necessary. For instance, he refers to life as a “walking chemical reaction.” Rhinehart essentially cuts out all indulgences from his life, only focusing on what is absolutely necessary to free his life for work. While I think it is very important to take time to enjoy a good meal with friends and family, other obligations may outweigh the need to have a sit-down meal. Sometimes it is necessary to disconnect from the social experience, like Rhineheart, and reduce the indulgences we allow ourselves in the interest of time.

With meals, it is important to find a balance between indulgence and neglecting what is “good” about food. Food should be enjoyed, especially with friends and family as described in My Favorite Meal essay. However, it is sometimes necessary to have supplements in the interest of ambitions. The food experience can be easily reduced to just the important nutrients to survive, but it is not ideal. On the other hand, we tend to spend too much time anticipating and indulging in food. The food experience and even the definition of food itself varies from person to person, based on values and ambitions. To some people, consuming prepared meals as a family is vital and reflects their values and culture. To others, such as Rhinehart, the food experience tends to take a backseat to ambitions and food is required to sustain work. I find that many people tend to relate more to Rhinehart than they think, putting their ambitions before socialization. What we eat and how we consume our meals is a reflection of our values, whether we realize it or not.

Draft 2

Lizzie Widdecombe, a reporter for The New Yorker, closely followed Rob Rhinehart and his creation of Soylent, a liquid meal replacement. In her article The End of Food, she wrote about Rheinheart’s background, his unconventional ideals, and his journey with Soylent. Rhinehart, an ambitious engineer, began to view meals as a “burden” because he thought that it wasted too much money and kept him from utilizing all of his time for working. Soon, food became an engineering problem, and Rhinehart went straight to the chemical components and created a powder of nutrients that he mixed with water. This mixture was named Soylent and became his primary diet. Rhinehart tells Widdecombe, “‘You need amino acids and lipids, not milk itself. You need carbohydrates, not bread. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, but they’re mostly water.’” (1). He thought of food as an inefficient way of receiving the nutrients needed to survive, showing a disconnect with the social experience associated with meals. Rhineharts actions show that he focuses solely on the minimum required for survival and he tends to cut out any possible frivolous details from his life if possible.

When I imagine food, I tend to think of the interactions between my friends and family as we share a meal. In My Favorite Meal Essay, I discussed the value of my favorite meal to my family. Myself and many others would find it devastating to no longer be able to enjoy their favorite meals, especially if they were unable to take the time to eat together. To many people, food is much more than just ingesting the necessary nutrients to survive. For instance, in my My Favorite Meal essay, I described my favorite meal-mac and cheese- and what it meant to me. When thinking about my favorite food I said, “my mother’s homemade mac and cheese became a symbol of family time and showed how much we meant to each other”… “things like my mother’s homemade dishes can remind us of home and essentially keep us together even when we are all apart.” For many people, the ideal food experience has a more significant meaning, rather than just acquiring nutrients. I would have a difficult time surrendering my favorite meal to Soylent.

In an ideal world, I would prefer to be able to take time for every meal and enjoy it with my friends and family. However, it is hard to manage the time to consume sit-down meals, with the time to tend to more important obligations. As a full time student, consuming meals often takes a backseat to homework and studying. Often, my breakfasts and dinners are reduced to microwaveable mac and cheese or protein shakes, which do not differ much from Rhinehart’s Soylent.

In daily life, it is difficult to balance efficiency and social life. Is it more beneficial to stay in and finish homework or take the time to eat dinner with my friends? More often than not, the answer is to finish homework. The decisions to skip meals in the interest of work is more similar to Rhineharts unconventional ideas. Upon further inspection, the average person may relate to Rhinehart’s ideas more than they realize. Being a busy person means that meals may not be a priority. Perhaps consuming a liquid meal with all of the necessary nutrients may be better than eating microwavable food during busy times. As Rhinehart noted, “‘Most people’s meals are forgotten,’ he told me. He imagines that, in the future, ‘we’ll see a separation between our meals for utility and function, and our meals for experience and socialization.’ Soylent isn’t coming for our Sunday potlucks. It’s coming for our frozen quesadillas” (3). In other words, meals like Soylent do not need to replace every dish, like it does for Rhinehart. Instead, this liquid meal would only replace the ones we tend to eat when having a meal seems like a burden. Being a student, I tend to supplement breakfast with a protein shake. Having Soylent like Rhinehart does is no different. Actually, it may actually be a healthier alternative, with Soylent having more nutrients such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Making the decision of what to eat is often a balance between efficiency and comfort-a quick supplement in the interest of time, or a sit-down meal.

While I agree with Rhinehart, I think consuming meal supplements does not need to be taken to the extreme like he does. In times where the need to continue work outweighs the need to take the time to eat, it is beneficial to eat like Rhinehart. Other times, eating and spending time with friends and family can be easily afforded, so we can consume our favorite meals.

Essentially, the choice between my favorite meal and a supplement like Soylent depends on my priorities and values. Ideally, I would love to enjoy every meal like I enjoy my mother’s homemade mac and cheese in My Favorite Meal Essay. However, the time can not always be afforded to create and consume meals like this. Sometimes I tend to value efficiency much more than comfort and relaxation. As a full time student, I do not always have the time to have a full meal three times each day, or even two. In this way, I relate to Rhinehart and some of his “wacky” ideas. While I do not think it is necessary to go as extreme with his minimalist values, I think he is reasonable in saying that it is far more beneficial to consume a quick snack with sufficient nutrients, than to skip a meal or eat something unhealthy that will probably not sustain a busy lifestyle.

The issue between the two central themes in both my My Favorite Meal essay and Widdecombe’s evaluation of Rhinehart, is an issue of balance. My essay portrays a dish where everyone can relax and enjoy being together. In My Favorite Meal Essay I noted that, “regardless of the meal, it is important to spend time as a family and sharing a meal brings everyone together to reflect on our days and laugh together. Even as the years go on, it is comforting to know that some things will always stay the same and I can always share my favorite meal with my family in my favorite place.” To my family, meals are often one of the only times we can gather together, so it is important to eat together sometimes, but it is not always afforded during busy times. In contrast, Rhinehart’s story is that of an extreme disconnect from anything other than what is absolutely necessary. For instance, he refers to life as a “walking chemical reaction”(7). Rhinehart essentially cuts out all indulgences from his life, only focusing on what is absolutely necessary to free his life for work. While I think it is very important to take time to enjoy a good dish with friends and family, other obligations may outweigh the need to have a sit-down meal. Sometimes it is necessary to disconnect from the social experience, like Rhineheart, and reduce the indulgences we allow ourselves in the interest of time. In some aspects, I relate to Rhinehart and his willingness to put his responsibilities ahead of his indulgences.

With meals, it is important to find a balance between indulgence and neglecting what is “good” about food. Food should be enjoyed, especially with friends and family as described in My Favorite Meal essay. However, it is sometimes necessary to have supplements in the interest of ambitions. The food experience can be easily reduced to just the important nutrients to survive, but it is not ideal. We tend to spend too much time anticipating and indulging in sustenance. The definition of food itself varies from person to person, based on values and ambitions. To some people, consuming prepared meals as a family is vital and reflects their values and culture. To others, such as Rhinehart, the food experience tends to take a backseat to ambitions and food is required to sustain work. I find that I tend to relate more to Rhinehart than I thought, putting my ambitions before socialization. What we eat and how we consume our meals is a reflection of our values, whether we realize it or not.