Wizards and Prophets and the End of the World (as We Know it) 

Everyone sees the future of food in different ways. Some people see no worries about the future of food because of advancements in technology. Those people are referred to as Wizards. Other people are worried about the future of food. They believe that if the human race does not reduce our food consumption the future of the world will be in danger (Mann, 2). These people are Prophets. Mann is worried about his daughters future and if she will be able to be happy. He was worried that she wouldn’t have food due to the large increase in food consumption. Food consumption has increased over the years. Food has become a lot easier to access and to make. There are more televised shows and channels surrounding food and restaurants. 

Food has become a lot faster and easier to make. There are meals that you can just microwave for a minute and just place on a plate. There are premade pizzas that you can just throw in the oven and bake for a few minutes. You can even get food delivered right to your door. We also now have instant meal drinks such as Soylent. Soylent is a drink that was created by a man named Rob Rhinehart. He created the SOylent drink to help save time during his busy days at work. It helped prevent him from having to cook real meals and clean up after them. Rhinehart says that Soylent is “kind of an over-all food substitute” (Widdicombe, 11). This Soylent could help side with the Wizards in the sense that it is replacing foods with chemicals. Soylent drinks give you your daily necessities that you would get from food. Rhinehart believes that Soylent is a big step up for humankind in the sense that we now have a fast and efficient source of “food.”

A big influence on food consumption is televised channels and shows. Channels like the Food Network are made to advertise meal products and culinary arts. Lots of these shows are competitions but another handful of them are shows of people going to different restaurants and trying different foods. Shows in earlier years, when our parents were kids, were teaching people how to cook and bake. Shows like “The French Chef” were watched by Michael Pollan. Pollan enjoyed watching “The French Chef” when he was a kid because his mom would follow along and enjoy it as well. That show was to help people cook in their own kitchens. Shows today try to get people to go out and buy more foods instead of making them in their own homes. They are either trying to persuade you to go out to a restaurant and get food which shows like “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” or they try and get you to go out and get premade food at grocery stores through advertisements on commercials (Pollan).