Draft:
Why Do We Eat?
We’ve all experienced a time in our lives where we had to eat something that we didn’t want to even put into our bodies. Whether it be because of its taste, texture, or perhaps even its calories, this occasional disgust towards some food is something everyone likely understands. However, in general, most people–at least in America–tend to have a positive relationship with food. Lizzie Widdicombe’s article “The End of Food” tells of Rob Rhinehart: a man who has a complex relationship with food, where at times it is such a burden for him, but in an instance, it provides him an opportunity. As an engineer, Rhinehart decided to break down food into its most basic parts, and then mix them together into a nutrient slurry that he called “Soylent”. Originally, he invented it in order to save him time as he worked on other projects, but Soylent became his project. He made Soylent his lifestyle and consumed it for the majority of his diet. Many people, including myself, have a favorite meal, but presumably eat other foods besides the one they enjoy the most. Food, at its core, is meant for our survival and growth. Some people have the privilege of being able to enjoy their food, but not everyone has the time or money for allowing
All living things require basic nutrients in the form of macromolecules for existence, however, organisms acquire these in several different ways. As heterotrophs, humans consume these nutrients as food, for they cannot produce their own. Lizzie Widdicombe’s emphasized these ideas as she processed Rhinehart’s view of food, “‘You need amino acids and lipids, not milk itself,’ he said. ‘You need carbohydrates, not bread.’ Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, but they’re ‘mostly water.’ He began to think that food was an inefficient wat of getting what he needed to survive.” In a way, despite the hint of skepticism in Widdicombe’s tone, she actually supports the argument that foods foremost purpose is to supply nourishment for the individual consuming it, and reality is, that is the reason why we, as humans need to eat. While I do not fully support Rhinehart’s belief of having to eat as being an inconvenience, I agree with his comments about how it can be broken down as needs for survival. There are millions of people in the country, and more around the world that live in states of food insecurity, where for them, eating is not about what the food is, but that there is food. For innumerable people, food is purely an opportunity to make it to their next day.
While I do not want to equate my experiences of having to eat foods that I dislike to those of people who do not know where their next meal will come from, I believe there is a parallel that can be drawn. In my favorite meal essay, I wrote about a time where my family struggled with food while my mom was in the hospital for two years, “families in our church and community prepared meals for us to have a few times a week. However, this meant my five siblings and I were forced to eat chili twelve times per week and to try new dishes, like chicken divan, no matter how disgusting, because we were all thankful to get a hot meal on our plates.” Most people take for granted the enjoyment of their meals: the pauses in life they get to engorge in a large dinner of whatever they crave. Because of my experience of not being able to do this for a portion of my childhood, I look at food differently. This is why I see Soylent as differently than Widdecombe. She titles her essay “The End of Food”, a sort of dystopian look at Rhinehart’s invention, and on multiple occasions, she condescends him, with the assumption a majority of her readers will see him as weird. In contrast with her belief, I see Soylent as an opportunity. Cheap ingredients, minimal work, and all the nutrients needed for survival seem like a solution to this food insecurity that so many individuals struggle with. For those who can only afford the “McDonald’s dollar meals and five-dollar pizzas from Little Caesars”, they do not have the privilege to care about a grainy texture or bland flavor. They have to question how they are going to survive. Soylent could be the answer.
WHY DO WE EAT THEN?
When discussing Widdecombe
about the purpose behind his choices in the ingredients included in Soylent, Rhinehart is quoted to
claim, “It’s a little bit presumptuous to think that we actually know
everything that goes into an optimally healthy diet,’ he told me. You can live
without plant chemicals. ‘But you may not live maximally, and you may not have
optimal function. We’re concerned about much more than just surviving.’” While
this passage is referring to the worry that those living purely off of Soylent
would be lacking in some nutrition, it can be applied in a different context
when asking why it is that we eat in the way that we do. Rhinehart is concerned
about more than just survival, as are most of the readers that are confused by and
disagree with his opinions about Soylent. Although, we enjoy the process of
eating and experiencing flavors, this is because we aren’t just eating because
if we don’t, we will die; we have the privilege to see food differently than
that.
