~PAPER #1 PART #1~
Katie Gordon
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110- H6
My Favorite Food
The scent of pumpkin and spices fills the tiny kitchen. The window above the sink is cracked slightly, letting a bit of the autumn breeze in through the kitchen, and spreading the aroma further throughout the house. The counter is littered with empty cans of pumpkin and various containers of spices. The KitchenAid is resting in the sink, and my mom is sitting at the dining room table. I would come home from soccer practice to the messy kitchen and the yummy smell, and I would know that my mom had made her pumpkin whoopie pies. My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies are the best. Once it started to get a little chilly at night, my mom would start making her pumpkin whoopie pies for my brother and I to bring and share for after our soccer games. At my high school they became famous, and after each home game my team would flock around her when she would bring them down to the field. No matter the result of the game, my teammates would walk back over to the bench with one in each hand and smiling. The whoopie pies that would take her all day to make would be gone within the hour, but she loved it. Everyone loves my mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies, and I love them because it means that my favorite time of year was upon us.
My mom would coordinate both my brother and my game schedules so that she could plan which games she would make the whoopie pies for, and whether she was making them for the girls or the boys team. She would head to the grocery store early in the week, and stock up on can of pumpkin filling and cream cheese- the two major ingredients. She would use at least three cans of pumpkin for one of her batches, and she would basically buy the cream cheese in bulk to make sure she would have enough for the frosting. The ingredients to make the whoopie pies are pretty standard, and it was never too expensive unless my mom was making a really big batch for some game. Her week would be planned around the whoopie pie making. I would always feel bad when she would stay up late or spend the day in the kitchen, but she never wanted any help. When it came to the pumpkin whoopie pies she always wanted to make sure they were perfect, and my brother and I were not necessarily the best bakers in the kitchen. Each pumpkin whoopie pie consisted of two cookie sized halves and cream cheese frosting in the middle. My mom would pipe the halves to make sure that they would all look the same, and she would place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. She would usually make the cream cheese frosting later on so that the halves would have plenty of time to cool. The finished whoopie pies would look like a perfect little pumpkin sandwich.
Back when my mom first started making her whoopie pies, she explains that “originally I was looking for a dish to use some special spices I had picked up”. However, after finding the recipe for the pumpkin whoopie pies she was able to add these spices to the original recipe and make it her own. She does not share her variation of the recipe with anyone, and when family friends ask for the recipe my mom admits that “I have only shared a version of my original. I do not share the actual recipe with anyone”. When asked why she thinks everyone likes the pumpkin whoopie pies so much, my mom smiles and says “well, pumpkin whoopie pies just make everyone happy, you just can’t help but smile when you have one.” My mom is always the one to be involved in the school and our other activities, and in my opinion her making pumpkin whoopie pies was just another way for her to get involved. Although, she will rave about how good her whoopie pies are to just about anyone, she admits that they are not however her favorite food. My mom is a type 1 diabetic, but she explains “I only have one each season, and I am an expert in dosing my insulin to cover the one I do have.”
My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies are more than just a treat everyone’s parents make for after the soccer game. My mom spends hours on end baking whoopie pies that she can’t even eat in order to make her kids and our friends happy. Eating one of her pumpkin whoopie pies takes me back to my high school soccer field, and being with my old teammates after a tough game. They instantly make me think of fall, and the chilly nights that are approaching. Most importantly though, eating a pumpkin whoopie pie makes me think of my mom, and how grateful I am for her and everything that she does for me.
~PAPER #1 PART 2~
PAPER #1 DRAFT #1
Food
It’s the thing that you crave after a tough workout or even just around noontime on the daily. Food is a major part of every single person’s life because it is one of the few things that we really can’t live without. Food brings people together every single day whether it be a family dinner, or just meeting a friend for coffee. Food is not only everywhere, but in our society it is bringing people together constantly. Rhinehart created Soylent so people would not have to partake in these interactions during the day, and they would be able to continue their working without interruptions. Soylent is a product of potential. I feel as though once people started to see how much time they were left with after cutting out food, they would never want to go back. My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies that used to hold so much meaning and enjoyment, would seem unhealthy and a hassle. The idea of Soylent has the potential to shift people’s perspectives regarding food and how they chose to spend their time interacting with people throughout the day. The “hope” of more time during the day would turn into a “nightmare” once people realized all the good times and interactions they were missing without food.
Rhinehart talks about Soylent with the intention that it will eventually help to solve some of the world’s real problems, but in my opinion there are much bigger world problems that need to be solved before we eliminate the consumption of food entirely. In theory having a cheap alternative to food that provided the necessary nutrients, would benefit the population of the world that struggles with receiving these nutrients otherwise. Soylent is essentially as Rhinehart states “Everything your body needs” (Rhinehart). Soylent could be all the nutrients that the body needs, but is it all the nutrients and flavors that the average person really wants and craves. Removing “recreational” food from the lives of perfectly average citizens has the potential to do more harm than good. Imagine a day where every single person is left with all this extra free time, and nothing to fill it with. I know when I have too much free time on my hands I usually don’t engage in the most purposeful activities. On a very broad scale, with all of this new free time, I would not be surprised if we started to have even more issues between different parts of the world. All the free time Soylent would free up could potentially lead to more crime and fighting within the world. Soylent would be beneficial in the beginning, but once people realized they have to much free time then they know what to do with, then problems start arising for everyone.
Being a college student, food always seems to be something on the mind. The adjustment from having your mom cook all your meals for you, to now having to plan your day around when is best for you to eat. I can understand the convenience behind drinking something in order to skip a meal. However, that doesn’t mean this is necessarily a healthy practice. I skip meals when I am busy too, but I understand that it is not best and I usually regret it. Eating can take time away, but it never seems to be enough time to really require a change in your whole eating routine. I feel as though switching to Soylent as a full time meal substitute would appeal to those college students who are very invested in studying. However, I know a lot of college students that would miss the time spent going to the cafe and grabbing food with friends. College is hard, and it is easy to become so stressed with the course load that breaks are necessary to making it through the day. Now people study differently, and some strive from spending hours on end cramming for a big test, while others benefit by planning out their time and taking breaks between studying. This pattern of taking breaks throughout the day is what most of us have grown up doing. Losing the periodic breaks throughout the day changes more than just the day to day schedule, but your whole structure to productivity.
PAPER #1 DRAFT #2
The Value of Food
It’s the thing that you crave after a tough workout or even just around noontime on the daily. Food is a major part of every single person’s life because it is one of the few things that we really cannot live without. Food brings people together every single day whether it be a family dinner, or just meeting a friend for coffee. Food is not only everywhere, but in our society it is bringing people together constantly. Rhinehart created Soylent so people would not have to partake in these interactions during the day, and they would be able to continue their working without interruptions. Soylent is a product of potential. I feel as though once people started to see how much time they were left with after cutting out food, they would never want to go back. My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies that used to hold so much meaning and enjoyment, would seem unhealthy and a hassle. The idea of Soylent has the potential to shift people’s perspectives regarding food, and how they chose to spend their time interacting with people throughout the day. However, the “hope” of more time during the day would turn into a “nightmare” once people realized all the good times and interactions they were missing without food. The food that used to be a source of happiness would become forgotten, and no longer hold a prominent amount of significance in people’s lives. For some lifestyles it seems that completely replacing the value of both the forgotten and cherished food from our lives would be ideal, but not for me.
Widdicombe’s article about the story of Soylent is meant to shed light on a completely different way of living. A way of living which would benefit a specific population within our society. When Rhinehart goes to visit the students living in Ricketts dorm at Caltech, the observations made by Widdicombe are unsurprising; “In a dining area, most Skurves were laying out dishes and getting ready for dinner. Nearby, about ten students sat around a table by laptops and problems sets, ignoring the dinnertime commotion: Soylent drinkers. Several of them clutched the water bottles filled with the beige goo” (Widdecombe). The dorm that Rhinehart visits is full of both engineering and physics students, and the majority of the students living in the house are Soylent drinkers. According to one of the students named Nick, “if you were a non-Soylent drinker it was hard to live in Rickets”(Widdicombe). Nick also proceeded to share how many of them living in the dorm would all share various recipes for Soylent, and their different alterations to the original recipe they would make in order to fit their own personal dietary desires. The Soylent recipe has essentially replaced their mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies, and it has filled that gap of pleasure for them by giving them more time. The perspectives that the students in Ricketts share on the importance of food is reflected by their decisions to drink solely Soylent as their source of nutrients. Food that used to be relevant and meaningful is not nearly as important as getting things done, or at least this is how Rhinehart’s Soylent followers see things.
Rhinehart’s opinions and the topics discussed in my favorite meal essay sit at completely different ends of the spectrum. Rhinehart and his followers have different priorities when it comes to how time should be spent throughout the day. Before Rhinehart even invented Soylent he was struggling with his time, and expressed that “Food was a huge burden…It was also the time and hassle” (Widdicombe). Rhinehart’s desire to create Soylent was driven by his need for more time in the day, and he found food as something that could be easily cut out to of his day. Rhinehart does not value food or the experiences that come with it as an essential part of his day. This is the point where I begin to struggle with Rhinehart’s opinion and motives behind creating Soylent. I would not be able to go all in on Soylent because I consider the value of food to be too great to just cut out of my everyday life. As I mentioned in my favorite meal essay, “Most importantly though, eating a pumpkin whoopie pie makes me think of my mom, and how grateful I am for her and everything that she does for me”. Do not get me wrong, I love my mom’s whoopie pies, but the bigger picture is that I love how my mom makes them and why she makes them. I can remember the exact feelings I would have seeing my mom bring the whoopie pies down to the field after the game, and I vividly described my kitchen at home in my favorite meal essay. I would come back from practice, and the feelings behind the food is what would make it so meaningful and special. I understand that some food holds a greater meaning over others, and that a lot of the food we eat on a day to day basis is similar, and honestly forgotten. However, that doesn’t mean that the experience you had while eating the food is forgotten as well. For example, I do not necessarily remember what I had for dinner two nights ago, but I do remember that my team went to the dining hall altogether. Unlike Rhinehart, I don’t see food as a burden, but as a time to enjoy the people I am sharing it with.
As a sophomore in college there are plenty of people I rather go get food with then be holed up in the library studying. However, every college student has to learn the correct balance between studying and free time, it is just part of adjusting to life at college. The adjustment to college is tricky, and some people have trouble finding enough time to get everything done. I understand what it is like to be cramming for a big test and struggling to find enough time to, but I don’t think this would ever require me to cut food out of my day. The students that Rhinehart visited at Caltech valued Soylent over recreational because it gave them more time to study. Personally, to me college is more than just studying, so cutting food out of my day to simply study and go to class would not work for me. However, other people have different values, and the students at Caltech seemed to value their time studying more than the time allotted for eating. I can see the attraction of having Soylent in a pinch like when you really need to cram for a big exam, but I would never be able to rely solely on Soylent.
Soylent has the potential to dramatically change our perspective on food, but whether this is for the better or worst is more up to interpretation. The way people see Soylent is dependent upon their values and where they hold food in their lives. Everyone’s relationship with food is different. Like I mentioned in my favorite food essay, “My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies are more than just a treat everyone’s parents make for after the soccer game”. However, to one of the students in the Ricketts dorm, my mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies probably wouldn’t be anything special or worth it. With Soylent, family dinners would no longer be necessary. Some people would strive for this lifestyle, but I believe the majority of people would not enjoy this lack of socialization in their day to day lives. In my opinion, whether the food be cherished or forgotten, it holds too much value and sentiment in order to simply cut it out in leu of more time.
Works Cited
Widdicombe, Lizzie. “The End of Food.” The New Yorker, May 2014, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/12/the-end-of-food.
PAPER #1 FINAL DRAFT
Katie Gordon
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110- H6
3 October 2018
The Value of Food
It’s the thing that you crave after a tough workout or even just around noontime on the daily. Food is a major part of every single person’s life because it is one of the few things that we really cannot live without. Food brings people together every single day whether it be a family dinner, or just meeting a friend for coffee. Food is not only everywhere, but in our society it is bringing people together constantly. Rhinehart created Soylent, a meal replacement drink, so people would not have to partake in these interactions during the day, and they would be able to continue their work without interruptions. Soylent is a product of potential. I feel as though once people started to see how much time they were left with after cutting out food, they would never want to go back. My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies that used to hold so much meaning and enjoyment, would seem unhealthy and a hassle. The idea of Soylent has the potential to shift people’s perspectives regarding food, and how they chose to spend their time interacting with people throughout the day. However, the “hope” of more time during the day would turn into a “nightmare” once people realized all the good times and interactions they were missing without food. The food that used to be a source of happiness would become forgotten, and no longer hold a prominent amount of significance in people’s lives. For some lifestyles it seems that completely replacing the value of both the forgotten and cherished food from our lives would be ideal, but not for me.
Widdicombe’s article about the story of Soylent is meant to shed light on a completely different way of living. A way of living which would benefit a specific population within our society. When Rhinehart goes to visit the students living in Ricketts dorm at Caltech, the observations made by Widdicombe are unsurprising; “In a dining area, most Skurves were laying out dishes and getting ready for dinner. Nearby, about ten students sat around a table by laptops and problems sets, ignoring the dinnertime commotion: Soylent drinkers. Several of them clutched the water bottles filled with the beige goo” (Widdecombe). The dorm that Rhinehart visits is full of both engineering and physics students, and the majority of the students living in the house are Soylent drinkers. According to one of the students named Nick, “if you were a non-Soylent drinker it was hard to live in Rickets”(Widdicombe). Non-Soylent drinkers would not fit in well because they would not share the same connection with the others, according to Nick many of them living in the dorm would all share various recipes for Soylent. The students would make alterations to the original recipe in order to fit their own personal dietary desires. The students share the bond of Soylent. The Soylent recipe has essentially replaced their mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies, and it has filled that gap of pleasure for them by giving them more time. The perspectives that the students in Ricketts share on the importance of food is reflected by their decisions to drink solely Soylent as their source of nutrients. Food that used to be relevant and meaningful is not nearly as important as getting things done, or at least this is how Rhinehart’s Soylent followers see things.
Rhinehart’s opinions and the topics discussed in my favorite meal essay sit at completely different ends of the spectrum. Rhinehart and his followers have different priorities when it comes to how time should be spent throughout the day. Before Rhinehart even invented Soylent he was struggling with his time, and expressed that “Food was a huge burden…It was also the time and hassle” (Widdicombe). Rhinehart’s desire to create Soylent was driven by his need for more time in the day, and he found food as something that could be easily cut out to of his day. Cutting food out of the day is also cutting out the experiences and social interactions that may come along with it. Rhinehart does not value food or the experiences that come with it as an essential part of his day. This is the point where I begin to struggle with Rhinehart’s opinion and motives behind creating Soylent. I would not be able to go all in on Soylent because I consider the value of food to be too great to just cut out of my everyday life. As I mentioned in my favorite meal essay, “Most importantly though, eating a pumpkin whoopie pie makes me think of my mom, and how grateful I am for her and everything that she does for me”. Do not get me wrong, I love my mom’s whoopie pies, but the bigger picture is that I love how my mom makes them, and why she makes them. I can remember the exact feelings I would have seeing my mom bring the whoopie pies down to the field after the game, and I vividly described my kitchen at home in my favorite meal essay. I would come back from practice, and the feelings behind the food is what would make it so meaningful and special. I understand that some food holds a greater meaning over others, that a lot of the food we eat on a day to day basis is similar, and honestly forgotten. However, that doesn’t mean that the experience you had while eating the food is forgotten as well. For example, I do not necessarily remember what I had for dinner two nights ago, but I do remember that my team went to the dining hall altogether. Unlike Rhinehart, I don’t see food as a burden, but as a time to enjoy the people I am sharing it with.
As a sophomore in college there are plenty of people I rather go get food with then be held up in the library studying. However, every college student has to learn the correct balance between studying and free time, it is just part of adjusting to life at college. The adjustment to college is tricky, and some people have trouble finding enough time to get everything done. I understand what it is like to be cramming for a big test and struggling to find enough time, but I don’t think this would ever require me to cut food out of my day. The students that Rhinehart visited at Caltech valued Soylent over recreational food because it gave them more time to study. Personally, to me college is more than just studying, so cutting food out of my day to simply study and go to class would not work for me. Studying and getting good grades is the most important part of college, but it is not the only part of college. Although, I do understand that other people have different values, and the students at Caltech seemed to value their time studying more than the time allotted for eating. I can see the attraction of having Soylent in a pinch, but I would never be able to rely solely on Soylent because I would miss food and the people I enjoy it with.
Soylent has the potential to dramatically change our perspective on food, but whether this is for the better or worst is more up to interpretation. The way people see Soylent is dependent upon their values and where they hold food in their lives. Everyone’s relationship with food is different. Like I mentioned in my favorite food essay, “My mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies are more than just a treat everyone’s parents make for after the soccer game”. However, to one of the students in the Ricketts dorm, my mom’s pumpkin whoopie pies probably wouldn’t be anything special or worth it. With Soylent, family dinners would no longer be necessary. Some people would strive for this lifestyle, but I believe the majority of people would not enjoy this lack of socialization in their day to day lives. In my opinion, whether the food be cherished or forgotten, it holds too much value and sentiment in order to simply cut it out in leu of more time.
Works Cited
Widdicombe, Lizzie. “The End of Food.” The New Yorker, May 2014, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/12/the-end-of-food.
