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I'm not making comments, I'm asking a legitimate question. If you have the means, the time, and the ability to make a meal for yourself then what provides the motivation to say "Nah, I'd rather eat this." For example, most folks on HN have the means, the time, and the ability to build their own custom computer rig. Some choose it, and some choose not to and for various reasons such as they simply don't need a custom rig, or they aren't sure that their craftsmanship will yield a better result than a store bought product and so forth and so on. So, when it comes to food (which is infinitely more important than what computer system you're using) what is the motivation for drinking a paste of dubious origin vs. eating solid food that you build yourself?


Most of the things we all eat comes from dubious origins. The average meal comes from several different continents and from animals and plants grown under a wide range of conditions. If you buy all of your ingredients in their least processed form then you have a shot at knowing roughly where it came from. Good luck if you buy anything canned, in a box, or pre-made at a restaurant and don't even bother trying with supplements.

Soylent isn't from another planet and isn't made of some crazy chemicals just invented. Looking at its ingredients list isn't any stranger than looking at the ingredients list of almost any product in the supermarket.


Sorry. Usually legitimate questions don't involve reducing people interested in Soylent to various negative buckets like: Lazy, no foresight, poor time management skills. I mistook your comments for condescending snark. Still not sure I am wrong but since I'm not a mind reader I'm not going to argue about what you were thinking. I can just go off of what I read.


Perhaps lazy is a bit of a strong word....I guess I meant....people who...don't want to perform...tasks? I've still not seen a legitimate answer. I mean if someone didn't have teeth, or if they were allergic to a lot of things, or if they literally didn't have 1 minute to spare either in the morning or at night then I could see it. Or if they were really into fitness and weight loss and wanted to fit into that new swimsuit by spring break then maybe I could see it. But it doesn't look to me like Soylent is nutritionally flexible enough (it comes pre mixed in pouches) to be used as an actual nutritional supplement for the masses (nutritional needs are different depending on many, many factors). So maybe it tastes good? But does it provide the variety that can be found either in nature of even at a restaurant? So maybe some people simply don't care for variety? So why not make a Soylent-like product that's more customized to your nutritional needs? The guy published an extensive blog about how he did it so you can too. So does it really come down to just not having the time or the inclination to feed yourself? It just seems like letting someone push a slurry of chemicals into your body, and paying them to do so no less, is a strange life choice.


If I thought for a second that you actually wanted a legitimate answer, then I would give you mine. But when you say things like "literally don't have 1 minute to spare" I know you just want to put people down. You don't want to know because you have already judged everyone and it shows in all of your comments. I'm not going to waste any more time thinking I can convince you of anything when you so clearly have already decided. Which is fine. You don't have to like the idea of Soylent. But you also don't have to shit on like that.


I promise that my intention isn't to shit on anything. It just seems to me that most people are trying Soylent either because it saves time or because it's easier than cooking proper food. And those two reasons, to me, don't sound like a good reason to try a nutritional supplement.


Well, I can give you my perspective.

I'm lazy when it comes to food: my primary motivator with respect to food is not being hungry. While I like to eat food and definitely have types I prefer over others, I don't like to source them, prepare them or clean up afterwards. I also don't like that I have a whole room dedicated to the storage, processing and cleanup of food and food-related paraphernalia.

Basically, aside from the 'provides vital sustenance' aspect of it, I don't believe food enhances my life in any way. A product that claims good, fast, palatable nutrition with a minimum of effort? I will give that a try.




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