Note: This is not an advertisement for Soylent. This is an essay examining my behavior and other consumers’ behavior when it comes to Soylent. I wasn’t paid to write this.

Please humor my attempt at Photoshop!

Soylent the drink

If you dwell in certain corners of the internet, like Facebook and Reddit, chances are you have at least heard of Soylent. Soylent is, as the name suggests, a soy-based meal replacement drink that bills itself as being “nutritionally complete” — e.g., you could drink a lot of it and not come down with scurvy. It was created in 2013 by software engineer Rob Rhinehart as a “simpler, more efficient food source,” according to the Soylent website.

The drink can be bought in bottled liquid form, or as a powder you can mix yourself. It’s available for purchase on the Soylent website and at Amazon.com, and recently expanded select flavors to some Seven-Eleven, Walmart and Kroger stores. Flavors include original (bland but slightly sweet), cacao (chocolate), a few coffee flavors that are caffeinated, and the newest release: strawberry.

I find Soylent to be an enigma of sorts. It doesn’t surprise me that the bottled meal has done well in a society that values convenience, ease and instant gratification — especially when it comes to food. What I find surprising is that the product has so far survived its rocky start and the negative stereotypes that could easily be attached to it.

Knowing the criticisms of Soylent, why do I buy it? Why does anyone?

The problems

Soylent’s introduction to consumers didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. The short-lived “Soylent bars” caused vomiting and diarrhea in enough customers to prompt the company to recall them. The powder was recalled shortly thereafter. Soylent claimed to have found the cause — an algae-based ingredient — and removed it. But many remain skeptical.

Soy isn’t exactly the sexiest ingredient nowadays, either. How many food products now tout “soy free” on their labels? Diets like Paleo and Whole30 urge adherents to eliminate soy from their diets. The term “soy boy” has even become a pejorative to refer to, as Urban Dictionary puts it, “males who completely and utterly lack all necessary masculine qualities.”

Which brings us to the (mild) social stigma. Whenever I mention my Soylent consumption to others I often crack a self-deprecating joke to remind people of my self-awareness; as if to say, “Yes, yes. I know, I know … I’m another one of those Soylent drinkers! Thanks for still choosing to associate with me.”

I mean, what is the profile of the average Soylent drinker? I’ll answer this by drawing on the stereotypes I first associate with the drink: a basement-dwelling, MMORPG-playing, Boo Radley-type who’s too busy working on his latest tech project to venture into sunlight, let alone visit a grocery store or cook. This person looks for a solution to food with the same clinical calculation they use to approach everything else: What will keep me alive and healthy while costing me as little time and energy as possible? Soylent. Now excuse me, I have bigger problems to solve.

Obviously, this stereotype isn’t the truth. There are as many different Soylent drinkers as there are … well, different people. This Reddit thread is proof. Still, becoming a Soylent customer opened myself to teasing from others that I doubt I would attract from eating any other type of food. My boyfriend quips that I’m basically eating “Bachelor Chow” from Futurama. It’s all in good fun.

There is an argument to be had, though, that many Soylent customers probably fit a certain niche. Based on some of Soylent’s advertising campaigns, I think they’re targeting a demographic that appreciates the quirky. Case in point, this Soylent commercial for Earth Day 2018 (which I love BTW).

The namesake

Perhaps the most glaring example of what could give the product a negative connotation is its name: Soylent. It’s a namesake of the fictitious food “soylent” from Harry Harrison’s 1966 dystopian sci-fi novel “Make Room! Make Room!,” which was later adapted into the 1973 horror film “Soylent Green” starring Charlton Heston. The premise of both the book and the film is that overpopulation has drained the earth of resources (I admit- I haven’t read the book or seen the film, I just have an idea of the plot. Forgive me if this is incorrect). Many in the U.S. are forced to eat rations of ‘soylent’ — patties made out of soy and lentils — to stay alive. It’s later dramatically revealed that, SPOILER ALERT, soylent green is actually PEOPLE. Food has become so scarce that the impoverished masses have been eating human remains!

From Giphy

Soylent. Appetizing!

The name, however, just like the other possible turn-offs, didn’t stop me or many others from trying it. Not only did I try it, but I’m a repeat customer — and I’m not alone.

The success

For all its apparent issues, Soylent is obviously doing something right if it’s expanding its distribution to retail stores and releasing new flavors.

A question occurred to me recently: Why do I bother putting up with the inconveniences that come with ordering Soylent when I could easily pick up a pack of Ensure at the Kroger down the street? When you order it you have to wait for it to ship, even if you’re only waiting one day with Amazon Prime shipping. Sure, I can get Soylent at Kroger, too, but my options there are limited. Only two flavors are available and I can’t buy them by the case.

I think Soylent tastes good, but it’s nothing mind-blowing. There are multiple flavors, but it still has fewer flavor choices than Ensure or other meal replacement foods.

I haven’t experienced any adverse health reactions to Soylent. But then, it’s not like I need Soylent for any health reason. I don’t have a problem with eating too much or too little. I have no allergies. There’s no reason for me to restrict my diet.

I think the answer is that Soylent offers what many similar products don’t: a robust, interactive online presence. Community.

The subreddit r/soylent has about 31.6K followers as of this writing. A Soylent Discourse page exists. It’s impossible to know whether each individual participant in those groups are Soylent customers, but I think it’s safe to assume that most of them have at least tried Soylent or are interested in it.

These are different from subreddits or forums dedicated to recipes, eating styles or restaurants. Soylent, as a brand, commands its own space. Sure, those on r/soylent discuss other meal replacement products, like Huel and Jimmy Joy, but Soylent dominates.

These online communities give Soylent consumers places to gather and discuss the product. Posts range from from reviewing Soylent flavors, to asking nutrition-related questions, to simply posting pictures of how Soylent fits into their everyday routines. Soylent with beer! Soylent during the World Cup!

I follow posts on r/soylent, and each new Soylent development incites lively discussions among the users. Is the new strawberry flavor good or not? That’s a hot topic on the boards right now. Soylent recently changed its bottle shape, likely to accommodate new retail customers, and the merits and pitfalls of the new shape are being debated.

Soylent has a fan base. A thoughtful fan base.

I first ordered Soylent to answer an immediate problem: I was moving. I wanted to empty my cabinets and not have to deal with a bunch of perishable groceries.

I’ve since settled into my new place, and I still buy Soylent. Soylent is easy. I drink coffeist, recently re-branded as mocha, every morning because I’m not usually functional until three hours after I wake up; and the fewer ingredients I have to put together or appliances I have to use in the morning, the better. I like having it on hand for dinner, just in case I’m running low on other groceries or am experiencing decision fatigue.

And on top of all of the other reasons I drink it, being a consumer qualifies me (in my own mind) to give feedback in r/soylent. On the rare occasion I come across another Soylent drinker in real life — I think it’s happened twice now — we form a kinship. Another Soylent drinker! They get it.

I don’t want to stop consuming Soylent because I don’t want to leave the discussion.

Soylent is its people.