For some reason I can see where these guys are coming from. Why not try and come up with a valuable alternative to the crud we're being encouraged to eat nowadays?
I'm not opposed to drinking my meals. As long as it tastes good :P. Also, I might want the occasional "actual" food, simply for taste. I can't imagine this soylent stuff tastes good. Most "healthy" things taste like absolute crap. That's why we eat junk food.
I'm a unique person. I have zero interest in food 90% of the time. Yes, I love a great meal. Yes, I have favorite restaurants. Yes, put me in North Carolina and I will eat BBQ until I figuratively, and sometimes not so figuratively, explode. But I don't eat breakfast. I only lunch if I have time (and) need a break (or) someone brings me food. I have zero interest in cooking and even less interest in learning what makes a great meal. Put anything in front of me and I will eat it. I will enjoy good food more but it really doesn't make a difference. I see Soylent as an easier way to get nutrients. That's all. I see the possibilities for ending world hunger, being more healthy, etc. But, for me personally, I would drink the goop simply because I know I need nutrients but I don't have the time or interest to actually give it to myself most of the time.
There is enough food on the globe, sadly there are many limitations on infrastructure, government trade policies and money to give everyone the food they need. There are glaring differences in reproduction rates between the western world and the rest (which accounts for nearly all of the human population growth). Google demographic transition for some more depth on the subject. I'm not going into details as I don't have the resources available now, but your 'simple concept' just isn't feasible in the real world.
I did a week long "juice fast" a few months back after my mom convinced me to give it a try (she had just finished a 40 day fast herself). I started cheating on the fast after 3 days. The juice tasted fine, I just missed chewing on my meals. There's just something about chewing one's food that is necessary. Only drinking my meals was just...wrong! I don't know how to describe it other than that. After all, why would we have teeth if we weren't meant to chew our sustenance.
I like that they aren't saying "get rid of food entirely." Tonight my wife and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary and the idea of not having a really nice meal together as a part of the celebration just wouldn't seem right. But there are countless meals that I have which are less than "special." Soylent would could potentially be a great replacement for 70% of the meals I consume. I imagine it will take some time to get away from pull of communal dining. We've been gathering around a fire or hearth for centuries as groups to consume food. It's such an enormous part of our social/familial fabric. Will people still gather to consume Soylent in the same way?
Exactly Steve, I don't think this is meant as a complete replacement, just as a way to take more control over your nutritional intake. Right now most of us are forced to engage in a rather sporadic nutritional lifestyle, sometimes eating really well, other times not so well. The idea of Soylent seems to be a) to offer a more structured approach to nutrition during those periods when we have to compromise and b) to offer those people who don't have choices a way to guarantee proper nutrition throughout their week. The developers clearly don't intend it to be a replacement for 'social dining' and why should it? It's an interesting idea, and particularly the DIY part.
The creator of Soylent has a different, much more ambitious goal than just replace food. I think he's trying to make a substance that will be much better and more efficient than 'regular' food. Giving the body not just what it needs but what it could use to make the most out of itself. Check out Tim Feriss' test of the beta Soylent. A more neutral point of view to say the least. Interesting as this is, it's very arrogant to assume we can know what the body needs and reverse engineer from that. It scarily reminds me of the birth defects caused by Softenon in the sixties, when we found out that different turning molecules can have a radical difference on the birth of babies. I really hope it succeeds but they might be treading on dangerous grounds.replacement
Really cool idea, but I'm never going to be one of the people who use it. As time consuming as it is to have to deal with preparing food and cleaning up I think I simple love food too much. In my family we could be eating dinner while talking about what we had for lunch.