Food In Lizzie Widdicombe's The End Of Food

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In Lizzie Widdicombe’s article “The End of Food”, Widdicombe interviews Soylent’s chief executive, Rob Rhinehart. Throughout the article Rhinehart puts forth compelling arguments for the merits of a diet sustained mainly by synthetic substances like Soylent, citing nutritional benefits as well as hopes for future humanitarian uses. Soylent’s extremely affordable price and claims of better nutrition aimed at busy people make it a breakthrough product for many. The obvious nightmare of drinking pureed humans aside, it is still in debate how surviving on a diet for utility could affect cultural and social customs long linked to traditional meals. Also currently unknown is whether Soylent can really provide all of the nutrients found in real food, …show more content…

Rhinehart seems almost obsessed with the idea of utility, and finding ways to optimize the way he lives. Alternating between two pairs of jeans and freezing his clothes to clean them, he has a very frank and scientific view on life- regarding it as a “walking chemical reaction”. It’s understandable, therefore, that he would be compelled to create a product like Soylent, cheap, fast, but bland. If Soylent does become the mainstream way of eating one day, one can’t help but wonder about how striving to maximize utility will effect the customs of mealtimes. To many cultures, meals are also a vital time to socialize with friends and family, talk about their day and gain some human interaction. But if the goal is utility, these customs may be rendered …show more content…

Yet, with personal experience in having worked in a cubicle setting and being a student, I often found myself looking forward to lunch as much to eat as to socialize with coworkers and friends. In a passage of her article, Widdicombe describes visiting Caltech and witnessing dinnertime, in which most “Skurves” were laying out dishes to get ready for dinner. However, a small minority of students sat surrounded by laptops and problem sets, nursing bottles of Soylent, ignoring the dinnertime commotion. Although they are being arguably more productive in their usage of time, they are missing out on socializing with their peers, an essential part of the college experience. In addition to nutritional value, meals offer an outlet for self-expression, bonding, and socializing that would be lost if everyone were to say- be carrying around a water bottle with a days supply of

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