Tanner McDougal
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110 H5
27 September 2019
What Is Food
In this day in age, there are almost too many food possibilities to wrap one’s head around. From vegetables to meat and America to India, one can find varieties of food beyond his or her wildest dreams. One of the most interesting things about food today is the way that we are able to calculate components of food and apply that to the way certain foods may benefit our health. Beyond the pure need of nutrition, food also has a way of bringing groups of people and cultures together. Virtually all food types have some cultural background and many people have certain foods that comfort them.
This desire for comfort food holds true with many people all over the world. However, some others have opposing or different views regarding the significance of food to our everyday lives. In Lizzie Widdecombe’s essayThe End of Food, there is a man by the name of Rob Rhinehart, who has a very unique opinion on food and its significance in the lives of people. Rhinehart is the inventor of a product known as Soylent, and the pioneer to a new way of thinking regarding food in the lives of people. Soylent is a mixture of all required nutrients one needs to survive in powder form that can then be mixed with water and consumed.
Rob Rhinehart’s views of food and his invention of Soylent have caused me to re-think my own opinions on what food is and its significance in my life. In Lizzie Widdecombe’s essay, The End of Food, Rob Rhinehart argued that “Food was such a large burden… You need amino acids and lipids, not milk itself…You need carbohydrates, not bread” (1). I can somewhat sympathize with Rhinehart’s idea since he was an incredibly busy engineer and did not have very much spare time, yet this is completely different than any view on food that I have ever heard. I know where Rhinehart is coming from, since already in my short few weeks of being a college student, I have had to skip some meals due to the fact that I have had work to do or had a class I needed to go to. Had I been carrying a bottle of Soylent, I would not have had to completely miss a meal. The other part of my opinion is that replacing meals with Soylent may have a large impact on the quality of my life. I feel this way because when I eat, I am around people. This is significant not only because I am around others, but I also am able to converse and make memories with my friends. It also creates a much more enjoyable time. This makes for many fun social experiences that I would not get to enjoy if I were to live exclusively on Soylent.
Rhinehart’s views are unique since the average person most likely does not feel that food is a “burden” and does not account for the social value of a solid meal with friends or family. It is a fundamental thing that we must do to stay alive, and many of us take pleasure in eating food. I believe that the mass majority of people have not thought about food in this way. That is because the way that many people were raised has taught them to think about food in a way that shows their specific values and traditions. This is one thing that might make it difficult for Rhinehart to prove when he says Soylent is the better or more convenient option compared to regular food.
Since food was a burden to him, Rhinehart decided to live almost exclusively on his Soylent. Rhinehart also believed that this product of his was helping his overall health and believed that others should also give Soylent a try. Rhinehart explains this in Widdecombe’s essay when he says, “My physique has noticeably improved, my skin is clearer, my teeth whiter, my hair thicker and dandruff gone… I haven’t eaten a bite of food in thirty days, and it’s changed my life” (2). It sounds to me like in this quote, Rhinehart is trying to sell his product to the reader. However, I also think that he believes this product is revolutionary in that it could be a much more convenient way for people to meet their nutritional needs while also benefitting their health compared to eating traditional food. The fact that Rhinehart says his health is better indicates that he believes this product could truly help others. Had he not disclosed this to me, I would find it very difficult to believe that Rhinehart wanted anything more than a profit off of his invention.
I admire the fact that Rhinehart wants to help society, but this product brings up a few concerns for me. The most important is that Rhinehart would like to see to it that everyone lives exclusively on Soylent. By marketing this idea, he is in a way calling for a complete culture change, which is very significant to me. This is because as explained in my essay entitled Favorite Meal Essay, my mother explained enjoying our favorite food by saying, “Whoopie pies to me are a family tradition. My great grandmother would make them for family special occasions. They taste the way they taste to me because they are a special treat to the family.” These whoopie pies are a “family tradition” that I can enjoy with family and friends. This ties directly back to why I worry about Rhinehart calling for a complete culture change because I and others hold food to a higher standard than something that just fills a need for nutrients. Many people have lived their entire lives consuming food the way that they do, and many meals are much more than just meals. They represent other things such as family, which is something very hard to try to get people to abandon.
Another possible issue I notice in Rhinehart’s proposal is that since the beginning of time, humans have lived off of solid foods. Rhinehart asks the entire population to almost abandon their life-long traditions regarding the way that they eat, which could be considered a very bold strategy to sell a product. This is because the best way to convince someone to think the way you do is to find some common ground, and then show them how there could be a better way; not just to introduce a brand new idea and then claim that it is the be all end all of food as the way we think of it.
Although Rhinehart’s views on food may be different than mine, I do believe that we may share some common ground. In Widdecombe’s essay, The End of Food,Rhinehart explained how Soylent would not take away our meaningful meals, but only our forgettable ones. This made me think about how Soylent could be a great supplement to solid food. Rhinehart explaining how Soylent is not coming for my “Sunday potlucks” is important to me. This is because as explained in my essay, Favorite Meal Essay, I stated the importance of what Rhinehart described as “Sunday potlucks”. I argued that “These whoopie pies are not something that I get to enjoy every day, and I am honestly glad that I do not. This is because part of what makes them so special is that they are a rare delicacy.” I believe that this shows how solid food supplemented with Soylent could be a viable option. This is because our important meals that are special to our happiness would not be taken away, and Soylent could be used as a convenience food for when one may need a quick meal.
All in all, Rhinehart has certainly put my views and values regarding food in my life into question. This is because I believe that food is sacred to myself and many, and the culture of food in my life is very prevalent due to my family traditions. Along with this, I think that Rhinehart has a revolutionary product which he feels can benefit society greatly. I feel that keeping the cultural value of food in my life is vital for my happiness, but I also think that Soylent may be a great supplement to my current habits of eating food.
Works Cited
- Widdecombe, Lizzie. “The End of Food”. The New Yorker, May. 2014, pp. 1-18.
