## A reflection on the potential end of food, as brought upon by meal replacements
##A reflection on the potential end of food, as brought upon by meal replacements
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\tableofcontents
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# Introduction
@ -220,7 +231,7 @@ In a culture where the mind primes over the body, ingesting food for any other r
But the real problem she identifies is pleasure, or the lack thereof. She asks: "Can a robot desire? Can it feel pleasure?". A system can be described as *happy* when it has everything it needs in order to function properly and efficiently. In the past century, especially in the Western world, humans have strived to overcome their limitations and become faster, more efficient, more machine-like. We've created machines to perform in ways we wish we could, and changed the world around us, including of food, to suit this vision better. Ullman looks around, inside a supermarket, surrounded by perfectly engineered produce and hygienic packaging and sighs: "Life is pressuring us to live by the robots’ pleasures[...]. Our appetites have given way to theirs. Robots aren’t becoming us [...]; we are becoming them" (Ullman, 2017).
### Low-tech solutions for the near future
## Low-tech solutions for the near future
An alternative to Silicon Valley's view of food hacking comes from a European group of hackers, who collaborate under the name Food Hacking Base. Their work focuses on food sustainability by using traditional preservation and food production methods to enhance the value of food, and to provide people with the necessary skills and understanding to reach a good level of self-sustainability. In December 2018, I participated in the 35C3 conference in Leipzig to see their work. I was interested in their claim of combining traditional food making techniques with current advances in technology.
@ -230,6 +241,8 @@ From a kitchen open to everyone, they held workshops in various techniques, from
Today more than ever, with only over a decade to limit the disastrous effects of climate change, food alternatives are incredibly important. By the end of the century, global vegetable and legume production could fall by 35% due to water scarcity and other effects of climate change, and will have similar negative effects on livestock and seafood (Cho, 2018). These changes will inevitably increase inequality, with access to food and water becoming more scarce in certain parts of the world. Cooking, preservation and other low-tech skills could become crucial in dealing with food scarcity, as well as knowledge of local ingredients and techniques, since climate change will also have an effect on global food transportation (ibid). Communities focused on sharing skills and nutritional information freely and democratically have more value in times of need than corporations which target the upper classes, who already have increased access to resources.
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# Conclusion
Throughout this work, I looked at the development and implications of a phenomenon occurring within a specific culture, viewed through the lens of food. I emphasized the ways in which, within the contemporary Western technology culture, the role food and cooking have played for centuries is presented as archaic and inefficient, and highlighted the attempts to replace them with techno-solutionist implementations. Considering current iterations of meal replacements, I identified several aspects which signal a move towards the obsolescence of food and cooking, and highlighted ways in which they devalue the cultural role of food, promote traditional gender roles, continue the pattern of appropriation within the technology industry and increase the inequality gap. Driven by Zuboff's research into the abstraction of labour through computerisation, I stressed the importance to reflect on the implications - social, political, environmental and cultural - of the increasingly processed and reductionist forms of food promoted by Silicon Valley.
@ -240,6 +253,8 @@ Taking a critical approach towards the various attempts towards the reinterpreta
However, with accelerating levels of technological development, and increasingly destructive effects of climate change, the way we relate to the world is likely to change. In the next decades, these factors and others will greatly affect global food production. Some of the foods we are now used to eating will become harder to find and more expensive (Cho, 2018). Our options and preferences towards food will be even greatly influenced by technology companies, their products meaning to help us cope with these new circumstances, claiming to contribute to a better self in a better world, while catering only to the needs of the privileged. The importance of communities and organisations that dedicate their work towards a more fair distribution of food, skills and knowledge will grow, faced with increasing levels of inequality. At the end of the day, we will have to take matters into our own hands and learn how to prepare and preserve our food, and how to share the labour and the meals more equally amongst ourselves and with others. The skill of fermentation might prove itself to be more valuable than shaking a plastic tumbler of powdered nutrients.
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# Appendix 1
## Manifesto
@ -256,48 +271,54 @@ Based on Michael Pollan's eater's manifesto, Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plan
# Appendix 2
## Excerpt from my interview with Matthijs Diederiks on the 16th of November, 2018. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
## Excerpt from my interview with Matthijs Diederiks on the 16th of November, 2018.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
A: Do you follow meal replacement brands on Instagram? What do you think of their branding approach?
Alice Strete = AS
Matthijs Diederiks = MD
M: They try to communicate a vibe around their brand, which resonates with the fact that you can do it anywhere. So, you see girls with backpacks taking out their shake or guys on bikes. You can notice that most companies don't have a really strong marketing campaign. It all fits the top shot fit girl Instagram mood. The only thing that distinguishes them is the packaging. Often it's something that could be placed in a supermarket, or something very minimal. Almost post-apocaliptic, plain bags and lettering. I have not seen something very distinct in style and communication.
AS: Do you follow meal replacement brands on Instagram? What do you think of their branding approach?
A: What do you think about brands like Soylent's approach of food as a hassle?
MD: They try to communicate a vibe around their brand, which resonates with the fact that you can do it anywhere. So, you see girls with backpacks taking out their shake or guys on bikes. You can notice that most companies don't have a really strong marketing campaign. It all fits the top shot fit girl Instagram mood. The only thing that distinguishes them is the packaging. Often it's something that could be placed in a supermarket, or something very minimal. Almost post-apocaliptic, plain bags and lettering. I have not seen something very distinct in style and communication.
M: It makes total sense if you look at the current zeitgeist where everything is about optimization, everything is very career-driven. It echoes into everything we do. If you walk into a party and see someone you're acquainted to, it takes two seconds for them to ask what you're doing. And they're not referring to if you're having fun, they talk about work. That constant flux of presenting yourself, staying up to date, maintaining that ongoing energy, food has to find its place within that speed. That's what's happening in our society, everything is sped up. As humans, we haven't evolved in the last 15-20 years, we are still slow in terms of digestion... I completely understand why there products are popular. You want to be healthy because it has been bombarded at you as soon as you open your computer, but it's all a lie. But, at the same time, you don't want to miss your deadlines. I wonder whether that is the true core value of these brands, their motivation, rather than just tapping into what is currently the speed of life. I think it's the latter. It's not that Soylent invented convenience, the convenience simply has to be there for people to consider it. That's why, if you look at Albert Heijn to go, it's at the stations, it's completely in line with the zeitgeist, this instant, on demand culture we have right now.
AS: What do you think about brands like Soylent's approach of food as a hassle?
A: Do you think meal replacements are a sacrifice that goes too far?
MD: It makes total sense if you look at the current zeitgeist where everything is about optimization, everything is very career-driven. It echoes into everything we do. If you walk into a party and see someone you're acquainted to, it takes two seconds for them to ask what you're doing. And they're not referring to if you're having fun, they talk about work. That constant flux of presenting yourself, staying up to date, maintaining that ongoing energy, food has to find its place within that speed. That's what's happening in our society, everything is sped up. As humans, we haven't evolved in the last 15-20 years, we are still slow in terms of digestion... I completely understand why there products are popular. You want to be healthy because it has been bombarded at you as soon as you open your computer, but it's all a lie. But, at the same time, you don't want to miss your deadlines. I wonder whether that is the true core value of these brands, their motivation, rather than just tapping into what is currently the speed of life. I think it's the latter. It's not that Soylent invented convenience, the convenience simply has to be there for people to consider it. That's why, if you look at Albert Heijn to go, it's at the stations, it's completely in line with the zeitgeist, this instant, on demand culture we have right now.
M: It depends. For me, I would say I can really find myself in the convenience aspect, with a side note that I do also enjoy regular sit-down meals with people that I like. A good example is the workshop the other day in Utrecht, when we took one hour and a half for lunch. I found that to be a big waste of time. You only need 15-20 minutes to sit down and eat something, you can bring a sandwich and eat while you continue working. This is more dominant when you go towards the South of Europe. People take so much time to have lunch. I'm not here to socialize or party, we can do that after. The reason we are here is to gather knowledge, to share, to be productive, that's why we do workshops. Maybe I'm too impatient, too tuned into the zeitgeist to relax, but for me relaxing is when I've done the things I'm getting paid for, or could potentially get paid for in the future, and once that's done I can chill with friends or my son. Then I also enjoy to go to the supermarket with my son. We are living in a society where work is a very dominant aspect of our life, so I don't understand why that should be socialized. Because if you ask any 9-to-5 desk clerk if he really enjoys lunch with coworkers, honestly I think they don't give a fuck. It's just a baloney sandwich, you don't have to make an experience out of that.
AS: Do you think meal replacements are a sacrifice that goes too far?
A: At the same time, the new model of working spaces if focused on being socialized.
MD: It depends. For me, I would say I can really find myself in the convenience aspect, with a side note that I do also enjoy regular sit-down meals with people that I like. A good example is the workshop the other day in Utrecht, when we took one hour and a half for lunch. I found that to be a big waste of time. You only need 15-20 minutes to sit down and eat something, you can bring a sandwich and eat while you continue working. This is more dominant when you go towards the South of Europe. People take so much time to have lunch. I'm not here to socialize or party, we can do that after. The reason we are here is to gather knowledge, to share, to be productive, that's why we do workshops. Maybe I'm too impatient, too tuned into the zeitgeist to relax, but for me relaxing is when I've done the things I'm getting paid for, or could potentially get paid for in the future, and once that's done I can chill with friends or my son. Then I also enjoy to go to the supermarket with my son. We are living in a society where work is a very dominant aspect of our life, so I don't understand why that should be socialized. Because if you ask any 9-to-5 desk clerk if he really enjoys lunch with coworkers, honestly I think they don't give a fuck. It's just a baloney sandwich, you don't have to make an experience out of that.
M: Do you mean these campus-like vibes? I can find myself in that. Especially if you're a startup, speed and efficiency are key to survival and getting your idea into the world. I don't think the pleasure of food in the workplace is important. I think you can even enjoy it more when it's out of the workplace, where you can truly enjoy it. That's my view. I also noticed, while I'm talking about it, I don't like it when people are unproductive. I hate it when people with great ideas and a lot of potential waste it for whatever reason, getting super drunk in the weekend and not performing as they could on Monday.
AS: At the same time, the new model of working spaces if focused on being socialized.
A; Is that a standard you keep for yourself?
MD: Do you mean these campus-like vibes? I can find myself in that. Especially if you're a startup, speed and efficiency are key to survival and getting your idea into the world. I don't think the pleasure of food in the workplace is important. I think you can even enjoy it more when it's out of the workplace, where you can truly enjoy it. That's my view. I also noticed, while I'm talking about it, I don't like it when people are unproductive. I hate it when people with great ideas and a lot of potential waste it for whatever reason, getting super drunk in the weekend and not performing as they could on Monday.
M: I've stopped drinking alcohol. I think it's a waste of time, and I've wasted too many years of my life. I'm not bitter about it because I had a lot of fun, but looking back, the year on shakes showed me how life can be when you take out a lot of noise and distraction. There are so many things you can discover about yourself. It's utopian thinking, but it could be something that could have a societal impact if more people started thinking like this, stopped wasting their time during the weekend, destroying intelligence.
AS: Is that a standard you keep for yourself?
A: It's interesting you used the world utopian, when others could describe it as as dystopian.
MD: I've stopped drinking alcohol. I think it's a waste of time, and I've wasted too many years of my life. I'm not bitter about it because I had a lot of fun, but looking back, the year on shakes showed me how life can be when you take out a lot of noise and distraction. There are so many things you can discover about yourself. It's utopian thinking, but it could be something that could have a societal impact if more people started thinking like this, stopped wasting their time during the weekend, destroying intelligence.
M: That's because they are still too emotionally attached to they way they were raised, what their parents and grandparents told them. It's the same with alcohol, if you take it away, people feel robbed of a certain freedom, but in fact alcohol is a prison. You numb yourself down with a toxin, which if it were invented now it would be illegal. I'm also human and confronted with emotions that have impact on my choice of food. They have a lot of impact on the person you are or could be. It's important that people become more aware of this relationship. That, if you like Italian meatballs, perhaps it's just your subconscious plugging that memory from your childhood, replaying it over and over, telling you that's what you like, this is the emotion it reminds you of. But if you have some distance from that emotion you might consider that it's just a bunch of carbs and red meat that you don't want to eat right now. I'm completely aware that some people might think that it's dystopian, but I'd argue that the way we deal with food right now is dystopian. We consume animals and don't care about anything. We are so caught up in this individual pleasure that we want to have it now, everyday, and we forget what food is, it's just a tool for survival, to keep our biological device up and running. That's it. All the other things are just made up because we have this intelligence to do so.
AS: It's interesting you used the world utopian, when others could describe it as as dystopian.
A: What would you say about the criticism related to the fact that tech companies are not qualified to sell food?
MD: That's because they are still too emotionally attached to they way they were raised, what their parents and grandparents told them. It's the same with alcohol, if you take it away, people feel robbed of a certain freedom, but in fact alcohol is a prison. You numb yourself down with a toxin, which if it were invented now it would be illegal. I'm also human and confronted with emotions that have impact on my choice of food. They have a lot of impact on the person you are or could be. It's important that people become more aware of this relationship. That, if you like Italian meatballs, perhaps it's just your subconscious plugging that memory from your childhood, replaying it over and over, telling you that's what you like, this is the emotion it reminds you of. But if you have some distance from that emotion you might consider that it's just a bunch of carbs and red meat that you don't want to eat right now. I'm completely aware that some people might think that it's dystopian, but I'd argue that the way we deal with food right now is dystopian. We consume animals and don't care about anything. We are so caught up in this individual pleasure that we want to have it now, everyday, and we forget what food is, it's just a tool for survival, to keep our biological device up and running. That's it. All the other things are just made up because we have this intelligence to do so.
M: I completely understand that critique. I don't think that Soylent is the inventor of this food. It had already existed for many years in the medical world, in hospitals. Nestle is one of the biggest providers of this kind of food, for people in a coma, or people who can't move their jaws. It's just a shift in marketing to consumers. They didn't invent anything, they just created this whole thing around it. It came from Silicon Valley, which is sort of the Catholic church of our time, everything that comes from there is looked upon with great awe and implemented by a lot of people, it's the next thing. I understand the critique, should we trust techies with food? But they simply based it on the Recommended Daily Intake, which is not created by them, but health institutes. To a certain degree, I trust them, they are not out there to willfully poison us, there is some truth in their guidelines. This is the first time in history where we have a chance to go to a website or some shops, to buy something identical to the guidelines that the government provides for us in terms of nutritional intake. From that perspective, I don't see any issue, it's just the messenger. Yes, it's a techie with hardly any food skills, but he's just using applications to translate something that has been out there for decades.
AS: What would you say about the criticism related to the fact that tech companies are not qualified to sell food?
A: There is a lot of criticism for Silicon Valley as well, regarding their politics.
MD: I completely understand that critique. I don't think that Soylent is the inventor of this food. It had already existed for many years in the medical world, in hospitals. Nestle is one of the biggest providers of this kind of food, for people in a coma, or people who can't move their jaws. It's just a shift in marketing to consumers. They didn't invent anything, they just created this whole thing around it. It came from Silicon Valley, which is sort of the Catholic church of our time, everything that comes from there is looked upon with great awe and implemented by a lot of people, it's the next thing. I understand the critique, should we trust techies with food? But they simply based it on the Recommended Daily Intake, which is not created by them, but health institutes. To a certain degree, I trust them, they are not out there to willfully poison us, there is some truth in their guidelines. This is the first time in history where we have a chance to go to a website or some shops, to buy something identical to the guidelines that the government provides for us in terms of nutritional intake. From that perspective, I don't see any issue, it's just the messenger. Yes, it's a techie with hardly any food skills, but he's just using applications to translate something that has been out there for decades.
M: I think we do have to be very careful and critical when it comes to their values that are lurking into our society. The other day I saw an Instagram story from a CEO of a company that provides cognitive food supplements. They make nootropics, which are pretty much cognitive food supplements that give you a performance edge, like coffee 2.0. He had this long story on his Instagram where he was harassed by someone in the street. He was saying: "We need to get San Francisco back to the people who own it", he was basically saying dirty bums and homeless people get the fuck out, you're ruining everything. It was very shocking for me to see this. You need to check what you're saying online because it can be used against you. What shocked me was the attitude, I've seen it because I've been to San Francisco regularly in the last 10 years, the last time I was there you could really feel the polarity, the inequality, is really harrowing. I haven't seen many answers or solutions from Silicon Valley for this problem. I'm really aware of the moral implications. At the same time, everything we do, the way we connect, how we found each other, is all due to Silicon Valley.
AS: There is a lot of criticism for Silicon Valley as well, regarding their politics.
A: What do you think of Completefoods.co, an attempt to create personalized recipes for complete foods, to sort of take back control from corporations?
MD: I think we do have to be very careful and critical when it comes to their values that are lurking into our society. The other day I saw an Instagram story from a CEO of a company that provides cognitive food supplements. They make nootropics, which are pretty much cognitive food supplements that give you a performance edge, like coffee 2.0. He had this long story on his Instagram where he was harassed by someone in the street. He was saying: "We need to get San Francisco back to the people who own it", he was basically saying dirty bums and homeless people get the fuck out, you're ruining everything. It was very shocking for me to see this. You need to check what you're saying online because it can be used against you. What shocked me was the attitude, I've seen it because I've been to San Francisco regularly in the last 10 years, the last time I was there you could really feel the polarity, the inequality, is really harrowing. I haven't seen many answers or solutions from Silicon Valley for this problem. I'm really aware of the moral implications. At the same time, everything we do, the way we connect, how we found each other, is all due to Silicon Valley.
M: DIY Soylent? It think it has potential. There's a startup about to launch a Kickstarter campaign for a homegrown mushroom device. It has a lot of reference with the maker communities, it has a ton of potential, but with potential comes utopianism. It's a lifestyle choice. You can make a synthesizer with cables and bolts, work on it for years and create a sound, or you can download this software and make the same sound. It depends what you want to get out of it, where your sense of community stands. The homemade blends, I know they just don't taste so good, because they're missing the R&D to perfect it. I'm not that eager to try it myself. I like the convenience of people doing R&D and making the blend smooth and silky, I'm spoiled perhaps. It becomes a hobby, if that's your thing, that's cool. The only way it can be beneficial is if it can turn into something more personalized, for people with a certain blood type or genetic data that can be linked to DIY recipes. That could be very interesting, but we're far away from that right now. I think Jimmyjoy is experimenting with it. You can have a talk with a nutritionist and, based on that, you can get a recipe.
AS: What do you think of Completefoods.co, an attempt to create personalized recipes for complete foods, to sort of take back control from corporations?
A: As a conclusion, what are the pros and cons of today's versions of meal replacements?
MD: DIY Soylent? It think it has potential. There's a startup about to launch a Kickstarter campaign for a homegrown mushroom device. It has a lot of reference with the maker communities, it has a ton of potential, but with potential comes utopianism. It's a lifestyle choice. You can make a synthesizer with cables and bolts, work on it for years and create a sound, or you can download this software and make the same sound. It depends what you want to get out of it, where your sense of community stands. The homemade blends, I know they just don't taste so good, because they're missing the R&D to perfect it. I'm not that eager to try it myself. I like the convenience of people doing R&D and making the blend smooth and silky, I'm spoiled perhaps. It becomes a hobby, if that's your thing, that's cool. The only way it can be beneficial is if it can turn into something more personalized, for people with a certain blood type or genetic data that can be linked to DIY recipes. That could be very interesting, but we're far away from that right now. I think Jimmyjoy is experimenting with it. You can have a talk with a nutritionist and, based on that, you can get a recipe.
M: The form of complete food is a con, the shakes are not appealing for most people. Even if you add banana or avocado, it's still a shake. I think the pro is in the content. You can have something nutritionally very dense, a much better choice than the crappy salad from Albert Heijn. It's another way of thinking of fast food, that's the best outline for the current situation. It looks like shit, has a lot of potential to become something good. There's a company I work with from Japan that makes noodles. There's a French brand that makes chocolate spread. These things are interesting, I think.
AS: As a conclusion, what are the pros and cons of today's versions of meal replacements?
MD: The form of complete food is a con, the shakes are not appealing for most people. Even if you add banana or avocado, it's still a shake. I think the pro is in the content. You can have something nutritionally very dense, a much better choice than the crappy salad from Albert Heijn. It's another way of thinking of fast food, that's the best outline for the current situation. It looks like shit, has a lot of potential to become something good. There's a company I work with from Japan that makes noodles. There's a French brand that makes chocolate spread. These things are interesting, I think.
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# References
@ -414,3 +435,15 @@ Zuboff, S. (1988). *In the Age of the Smart Machine*, Basic Books
14. Strete, A. (2018). *Statement on Soylent Website*. [screenshot by author] Available at https://soylent.com/ [Accessed 25.11.2018].
15. Strete, A. (2019). *Screenshot of Instagram Story from Futurefood*. [screenshot by author] [Accessed 13.02.2019]
16. Strete, A. (2018). *Probiotic Drinks at Food Hacking Base*. Leipzig: Personal Archive.
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# Colophon
This work has been produced in the context of the graduation research of Alice Strete from the Experimental Publishing (XPUB) Master course at the Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
XPUB is a two year Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design that focuses on the intents, means and consequences of making things public and creating publics in the age of post-digital networks.
https://xpub.nl
Special thanks to my fellow XPUB comrades, Luke Murphy, Marloes de Valk, Aymeric Mansoux, Michael Murtaugh, Leslie Robbins, Clara Balaguer, Amy Suo Wu, Andre Castro, Steve Rushton, Femke Snelting, Matthijs Diedericks
