4 ms·

Doesn't just making a pot of soup once a week and microwaving a bowl whenever you want to eat cover all of the things you mentioned? That's all I do and it wor

Doesn't just making a pot of soup once a week and microwaving a bowl whenever you want to eat cover all of the things you mentioned? That's all I do and it works fine and actually tastes good.

datashovel 12y ago
In a lot of respects you are probably right. But if we think about the details there may be some parts of the process that you aren't counting: Keep in mind, I'm not actually trying to be sarcastic or annoying, but these are points I've actually thought about on my own that add up when you really think about it. 1) shopping (it takes me approx. 1 min to go onto my front porch to get the boxes of Soylent and bring them inside). If I'm making soup on a weekly basis, you have to figure for - Gas for car to travel to grocery and back. Time spent shopping. If you're in a complex, lugging the groceries up flights of stairs, unpacking and putting into refrigerator. Possibility of long lines at check out. Bad weather. 2) Refrigeration / spoilage (With Soylent, there is no need to refrigerate until you mix it together). If you want to purchase 1 month supply of ingredients for soup, perhaps some of those ingredients will go bad by end of the month. They almost certainly won't be as fresh as they were at the beginning of the month. That is if you're trying to make a healthy soup. 3) Nutrition. I am unaware of any soup whose ingredients are engineered to contain all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc. that a human body needs in a day. Granted we don't know everything there is to know about human body and nutrition, but I'm going to guess I'm far less knowledgeable than the staff at Soylent given that it is their job to know. 4) Preparation time. I have eaten canned soups before, so if heating refrigerated soup is anything like that, you're spending at least 3 min at the microwave per meal, so though it's minimal it's more than it takes to (a) open refrigerator, (b) get a glass, and (c) pour. 5) Cost. For 1 month supply (on subscription) Soylent costs $255 (shipping included). This is technically 28 days worth, so this comes to a little more than $3 per meal. To make a soup as nutritious as Soylent, you will almost certainly spend more than this. These are the main points I can think of.
- jack-r-abbit 12y ago
  6) Soup for breakfast? No thanks.
  - imanaccount247 12y ago
    Is that just a general "I don't want soup for breakfast" or are you actually comparing to soylent for breakfast? I usually actually have eggs for breakfast, but I'd much rather have soup for breakfast than soylent.
    - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
      >Doesn't just making a pot of soup once a week ... cover all of the things you mentioned? No. I would not want soup for breakfast. A nice glass of Soylent with some Black Cherry (or other flavor) Mio stirred into it would be much better for breakfast. And that is what I do. And for lunch. And frequently for dinner. There are some very easy ways to quickly enhance the otherwise bland flavor of Soylent.
      - imanaccount247 12y ago
        Hmm. I didn't find it bland, I found it disgusting. I have a hard time imagining it would taste better combined with candy flavor.
        jack-r-abbit 12y ago
        Well then... Soylent is not for you. Enjoy your soup. And be thankful that we are among the group that has anything to eat at all.
- imanaccount247 12y ago
  I don't shop. My groceries are delivered to my door. This is more expensive than paying for gas to go buy them, but it is still significantly cheaper than soylent. If this is not an option for you then I guess paying more to avoid shopping is reasonable if you can tolerate the taste of soylent. Don't purchase 1 month's worth. Purchase 1 week's worth. It is trivially easy to make a soup that contains 100%+ of everything. Potato soup is the best if you are intending to just eat that one thing unless you like milk and eggs in your meat soups (I don't). I usually do a beef soup and have eggs for breakfast and cheese on the side with my soup but that's a taste preference. The microwave doesn't require assistance. You can just turn it on and go back to what you were doing until it beeps at you. I spend $65 a week including delivery fee and that's for two people.

Doesn't just making a pot of soup once a week and microwaving a bowl whenever you want to eat cover all of the things you mentioned? That's all I do and it works fine and actually tastes good.

datashovel 12y ago

In a lot of respects you are probably right. But if we think about the details there may be some parts of the process that you aren't counting: Keep in mind, I'm not actually trying to be sarcastic or annoying, but these are points I've actually thought about on my own that add up when you really think about it. 1) shopping (it takes me approx. 1 min to go onto my front porch to get the boxes of Soylent and bring them inside). If I'm making soup on a weekly basis, you have to figure for - Gas for car to travel to grocery and back. Time spent shopping. If you're in a complex, lugging the groceries up flights of stairs, unpacking and putting into refrigerator. Possibility of long lines at check out. Bad weather. 2) Refrigeration / spoilage (With Soylent, there is no need to refrigerate until you mix it together). If you want to purchase 1 month supply of ingredients for soup, perhaps some of those ingredients will go bad by end of the month. They almost certainly won't be as fresh as they were at the beginning of the month. That is if you're trying to make a healthy soup. 3) Nutrition. I am unaware of any soup whose ingredients are engineered to contain all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc. that a human body needs in a day. Granted we don't know everything there is to know about human body and nutrition, but I'm going to guess I'm far less knowledgeable than the staff at Soylent given that it is their job to know. 4) Preparation time. I have eaten canned soups before, so if heating refrigerated soup is anything like that, you're spending at least 3 min at the microwave per meal, so though it's minimal it's more than it takes to (a) open refrigerator, (b) get a glass, and (c) pour. 5) Cost. For 1 month supply (on subscription) Soylent costs $255 (shipping included). This is technically 28 days worth, so this comes to a little more than $3 per meal. To make a soup as nutritious as Soylent, you will almost certainly spend more than this. These are the main points I can think of.

jack-r-abbit 12y ago
6) Soup for breakfast? No thanks.
- imanaccount247 12y ago
  Is that just a general "I don't want soup for breakfast" or are you actually comparing to soylent for breakfast? I usually actually have eggs for breakfast, but I'd much rather have soup for breakfast than soylent.
  - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
    >Doesn't just making a pot of soup once a week ... cover all of the things you mentioned? No. I would not want soup for breakfast. A nice glass of Soylent with some Black Cherry (or other flavor) Mio stirred into it would be much better for breakfast. And that is what I do. And for lunch. And frequently for dinner. There are some very easy ways to quickly enhance the otherwise bland flavor of Soylent.
    - imanaccount247 12y ago
      Hmm. I didn't find it bland, I found it disgusting. I have a hard time imagining it would taste better combined with candy flavor.
      - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
        Well then... Soylent is not for you. Enjoy your soup. And be thankful that we are among the group that has anything to eat at all.
imanaccount247 12y ago
I don't shop. My groceries are delivered to my door. This is more expensive than paying for gas to go buy them, but it is still significantly cheaper than soylent. If this is not an option for you then I guess paying more to avoid shopping is reasonable if you can tolerate the taste of soylent. Don't purchase 1 month's worth. Purchase 1 week's worth. It is trivially easy to make a soup that contains 100%+ of everything. Potato soup is the best if you are intending to just eat that one thing unless you like milk and eggs in your meat soups (I don't). I usually do a beef soup and have eggs for breakfast and cheese on the side with my soup but that's a taste preference. The microwave doesn't require assistance. You can just turn it on and go back to what you were doing until it beeps at you. I spend $65 a week including delivery fee and that's for two people.