Project 1 Part 1:
Connor Sirois
Professor Miller
English 110 H2
September 10, 2018
Chocolate Chip Cookies 
There are many things in the world that carry a meaning larger than their appearance may suggest. Big or small, cheap or expensive, tasty or not, this “thing” may have a deep meaning in someone’s life. For example, a special dish or type of food is something that often symbolizes something more powerful. Ever since I was young, my parents have made it a priority to have dinner as a family at least a few times a week. While both the meals and the days would change every week, Sunday night family dinners were a staple. My mom always cooked a good meal, no matter what type it was. However, I know Sunday nights wouldn’t have been the same without those irresistible cookies she always made.
Personally, nothing tastes better than some warm, homemade, chocolate chip cookies. Walking into my house to the aura of smells put off from some freshly baked cookies was like no other. However, the reason such simple item such as these cookies are so important to me is much bigger than how they taste or smell. Rather, its the sense of wholeness, and family that I love the most. Every bite, or every whiff of these cookies I take, I am reminded of home. The value of these cookies serve as a reminder of the people who raised me, where I am from, and the lessons I have learned.
Overall, my family actually ate very healthy. Our meals were always balanced with proteins and vegetables, sided with some healthy carbs. Looking back, I have to wonder why my mom always make cookies every sunday if she knew they were not healthy. Curious about her answer I asked her. Her response was as follows… “I made cookies every sunday because I knew it made my family happy. I would bake them when I was younger for my brothers who always loved them, so now I want to carry on the tradition”. This response directly aligns with why I chose to write about what those cookies meant to me. My mom knew those cookies had a much larger purpose than to taste good, which is why they became a tradition. Not only is family a value of hers, but also to me. I know I can trust my family with anything that causes me trouble, and that no matter what they will always love me. So when I smell the scent of freshly made chocolate chip cookies, my brain is reminded that I am proud of where I came from, and I always have something to fall back on.
Furthermore, there is another main reason why chocolate chip cookies have such a deep meaning to me and my family. My mom actually acquired the recipe from my grandmother, who was a notorious baker. Knowing this, I decided to ask my mom about how she actually got this recipe. Her answer, “Many years ago I was put in charge of making a dessert for a work party, unsure of what to make, I contacted Joyce [My grandmother]. She shared her recipe with me, and from this day I haven’t changed a thing. Now, this recipe allows me to cook for our small family, which makes you and dad happy.” Some of the earliest memories I have in my life are the days I would spend with my grandma, while my parents were at work. Something we would always do was make these special cookies. We did this countless times, each time the cookies tasted better. Looking back, I never realized how big of a meaning they would now have on me, as I sit here in college. Sadly, my grandma recently passed away from brain cancer, but the cookies are a way of remembering her. While the cookies only make up miniscule part of our lives, they stand for the bonds our family has created, and now passed on through generations.
Even though I wouldn’t consider myself a homebody, I will be the first to admit that the idea of “home” has a very special place in my heart. No matter how good or bad of a day I had, whether I scored 30 points or none, I knew I could always rely on coming home to two loving parents. After I finished interviewing my mom about her thoughts about the family-famous cookies, there was one thing she said that I thought would perfect wrap up just how much these cookies represent for not only me, but my family. When I asked her what the cookies meant to her, she replied “I believe they bring you and dad happiness. Everytime I make them, you two smile inside and out, and I know it brings our family closer”. Whether it’s my mother or grandmother, these homemade cookies hold value far greater than their flavor.
Essay 1 Draft 1
In today’s society, there are numerous inventions thought of everyday. Many go nowhere, often staying stuck in peoples’ heads. Very few, however, can pose a large impact on the everyday lives of many. For example, some famous inventions of the past, such as electricity, cell phones, and the cotton gin, are an essential part of the world today. Many people often take this inventions for granted, as without them we all would be lost. One up and coming invention starting to create some buzz is a meal replacement product called “Soylent Green”. Described as a “gooey lemonade”, this chemical mixture provides all of the essential carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins that normal foods would provide. Soylent takes no time to prepare, and the need to stop for a meal, or even make one, is now out the window. In addition, this product is also an easy way to save money, as there would be no more expensive trips to the grocery store or to restaurants. For example, in Lizzie Widdicombe article The End Of Food, she writes about a former technology entrepreneur named Rob Rhinehart, who made a complete diet switch to solvent only. Rob became an avid spokesman for this food product. While describing how he feels after weeks of this strict diet, Rob stated “I feel like the six million dollar man. My physique has noticeably improved, my skin is clearer, my teeth whiter, my hair thicker, and my dandruff gone.” (Page 2).
After reading this article, I thought to myself, “where’s the catch?”. The whole idea of Soylent seemed almost too good to be true, and after thinking to myself for awhile, I realized it was. While there is no taking away some of the positive implications Soylent could bring, I believe going all in on a strictly Soylent diet is not the way to live our best lives. Soylent differs from food in the respect that it’s simply a eat or die mentality, rather than holding meanings and playing an important role in society like food does.
To begin, it is important to understand how much of the economy relies both the growing and production of food. In 2016, there was over 900 billion dollars contributed to U.S. gross domestic product. In addition, nearly 14% of all US jobs are involved with either the transportation or creation of food/beverages. (US Department of Labor). Both of these facts should be eye opening to advocators of a pure solvent diet. The U.S economy cannot afford to lose nearly 14% of the nations jobs. The mass production of this green soylent will keep the jobs of some, but the majority of people will be jobless.
People may save money on not spending as much on food, but if they have no, or less of a source of an income this won’t matter as they will still have to pay for other common expenses. Also, if the transition was made to a pure solvent diet for a majority of Americans, businesses would be unable to stay afloat.
However, this is only the beginning of concerns that come along with such a drastic change in everyday life. One of the main reasons why the solvent diet is so appealing is because of the time saved. Things like cooking a meal, buying groceries, and going to dinner can now all be avoided. According to Rhinehart, in order to prepare the solvent you simply “scoop powder into a pitcher, add water, oil, and (optionally) ice, and shake it up”. (Page 12). These simple instructions allow the consumer to carry on with whatever he/she is doing. Rather than taking a half hour to prepare and then eat a meal, why not just take two minutes and get all of the same nutritional benefits. This is the idea that hooks many.
At first glance, the switch seems like a no brainer to just about everyone, including myself. However, the time it takes to sit down and have a meal with your family or coworkers is actually meaningful. The time spent at the grocery store with other members of the local community is meaningful. The time it takes to prepare and serve a meal to family members is meaningful. In reality, by drinking soylent instead of having a meal will save you time, but how do you spend it? Many people would just go back to work, continuing to stress the body. Food allows people to interact socially, and to take a break from stressors such as school and work. For example, within Rhinehart’s travels he came across a food truck in El segundo. The truck was labeled “Real Meat. 100% Plant based Proteins”. While in conversation with people about trying Soylent, Rhinehart discovered “They’re [People at the Truck] hardwired to love meat, and they love the trappings of meat—Thanksgiving, Christmas, ball games”. To Soylent dieters, this may seem as a reluctance to new things. Instead, people often hold values such as family, pride, and patriotism through food. There values are quality that soylent does not have, which is why the complete removal of food from one’s diet would not improve the quality of life.
Expanding on these values that only food can withhold, I recently wrote a narrative on chocolate chip cookies, my favorite food. Despite their tremendous flavor, the true reason why they are so special to me is the internal value of which they store. When I was younger, I would often go to my grandmothers while my parents had to work. Here, one thing we almost always did at least once a week was make cookies. Those are memories I will never forget. Reflecting on this times in my narrative, I wrote “While the cookies only make up miniscule part of our lives, they stand for the bonds our family has created, and the remembrance of my grandmother. (Favorite Food Essay;P4). Although she has recently passed away, these cookies are a way for my family to embrace the joyful memories that we created.
Essay 1 Draft 2
Connor Sirois
Professor Miller
ENG110 H2
3 October 2018
Why Soylent is Not What it Seems
In today’s society, there are numerous inventions created everyday. Many go nowhere, often staying stuck in peoples’ heads. Very few, however, can pose a large impact on the everyday lives of many. For example, some famous inventions of the past, such as electricity, cell phones, and the cotton gin, are an essential part of the world today. Many people often take these inventions for granted, as without them we all would be lost. One up and coming invention starting to create some buzz is a meal replacement product called “Soylent”. Described as a “gooey lemonade”, this chemical mixture provides all of the essential carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins that normal foods would provide. Soylent takes no time to prepare, and the need to stop for a meal, or even make one, is now out the window. This meal replacement is talked about in Lizzie Widdicombe’s article The End Of Food, where she writes about a former technology entrepreneur named Rob Rhinehart. After his dietary changed, Rob became an avid spokesman for this food product. While describing how he feels after weeks of this strict diet, Rob states “I feel like the six million dollar man. My physique has noticeably improved, my skin is clearer, my teeth whiter, my hair thicker, and my dandruff gone” (Widdecombe 2). All of these things are important to people in today’s society, thus promoting the diet change to Soylent even more. After reading this article, I thought to myself, “where’s the catch?”. The whole idea of Soylent seemed almost too good to be true, and after thinking to myself for awhile, I realized it was. The issues arises in terms of the idea that Soylent differs from food in the respect that it’s simply a eat or die mentality, rather than holding meanings and playing an important role in society like food does. I believe going all in on a strictly Soylent diet is not the way to live our best lives, but rather moderately implicating could provide some benefit.
To begin, it is important to understand exactly how much of an impact food, and the business around it affects the way we live. In 2016, there was over 900 billion dollars contributed to U.S. gross domestic product. In addition, nearly 14% of all US jobs are involved with either the transportation or creation of food/beverages. (US Department of Labor). The U.S economy cannot afford to lose nearly 14% of the nations jobs. In addition, not only would people be losing money, but also extremely important values. While people may save money on not spending as much on food, they also will have a much harder time finding jobs to help pay for other common expenses.
However, this is only the beginning of concerns that come along with such a drastic dietary change. One of the main reasons why the Soylent diet is so appealing is because of the time saved. Tasks such as cooking a meal, buying groceries, and going to dinner can now all be avoided. According to Rhinehart, in order to prepare the solvent you simply “scoop powder into a pitcher, add water, oil, and (optionally) ice, and shake it up” (Widdecomb 12). These simple instructions allow the consumer to carry on with whatever he/she is doing. Rather than taking a half hour to prepare and then eat a meal, why not just take two minutes and get all of the same nutritional benefits. This is the idea that hooks many.
At first glance, the switch seems like a no brainer to just about everyone, including myself. However, the time it takes to sit down and have a meal with your family or coworkers is actually meaningful. The time spent at the grocery store with other members of the local community is meaningful. The time it takes to prepare and serve a meal to family members is meaningful. In reality, by drinking Soylent instead of having a meal will save you time, but is that time saved worth it? Many people would just go back to work, continuing to stress the body. Food allows people to interact socially, and to take a break from stressors such as school and work. For example, within Rhinehart’s travels he came across a food truck in El segundo. The truck was labeled “Real Meat. 100% Plant based Proteins”. While in conversation with people about trying Soylent, Rhinehart discovered “They’re [People at the Truck] hardwired to love meat, and they love the trappings of meat—Thanksgiving, Christmas, ball games”. To Soylent dieters, this may seem as a reluctance to new things. Instead, people often hold values such as family, pride, and patriotism through food. Stopping at this food truck for lunch not only gives people the chance to enjoy delicious food, but also to interact socially with others whom may store the same values in the food. These values are a quality that soylent is unable to possess, which is why the complete removal of food from one’s diet would not improve the quality of life. It would rather inhibit people from maintaining values and social interactions, a key part of happiness.
Expanding on these values, I recently wrote a narrative on chocolate chip cookies, my favorite food. Despite their tremendous flavor, the true reason why they are so special to me is the internal value of which they store. When I was younger, I would often go to my grandmothers while my parents had to work. Here, one thing we almost always did at least once a week was make cookies. Reflecting on this times in my narrative, I wrote “While the cookies only make up miniscule part of our lives, they stand for the bonds our family has created, and the remembrance of my grandmother.” (Favorite Food Essay). Although she has recently passed away, these cookies are a way for my family to embrace the joyful memories that we created. Those are memories I will never forget, and truly show the power of food, and what I would lose if I were to switch to an all Soylent diet.
In comparison, my personal experiences share a connection to many of the people mentioned in Widdicombe’s essay. The food truck example shares similar ideas to how my family perceives food. Whether its BBQ food which reminds us of our patriotism, cookies that remind us of our family, or the sunday night home cooked meal which reminds us where we are from, everyone has foods that are more than just for taste.
In conclusion, no matter what your beliefs are on the introduction of Soylent, there is no denying the blatant benefits it could bring. However, a complete change to an all Soylent diet is not something that would allow one to live their best life. Even though I am against the full transition, I do think there are some times were Soylent could be used. For example, for people struggling to afford food, replacing SOME meals with Soylent could be extremely useful. This way they can still get the nutrition needed to live, but put money towards other expenses. For people who can afford a meal, it would be a shame to miss out on both the values and interactions food allows you to establish. To end, an excerpt from my food essay reads as follows “The value of food serves as a reminder of the people who raised me, where I am from, and the lessons I have learned.”. (Favorite Food Essay). Imagine giving up the idea of food completely, what values would you lose?
