Synthetic Arcadias: Dreams of Meal Pills, Air Food, and Algae Burgers

Food is important. There is in fact nothing more basic. Food is the first of the essentials of life, our biggest industry, our greatest export, and our most frequently indulged pleasure. Food is also the object of considerable dread and anxiety. What we eat and how much (or little) we eat it may be the single most important cause of disease and death. As psychologist Paul Rozin puts it, “food is fundamental, fun, frightening, and far-reaching.” ¹