it's...square food? (Squareat)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ม.ค. 2022
- A few months back I heard about the foodservice start-up, Squareat, and knew I had to try it so you didn't have to. Finally, it came.
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They really missed the opportunity to advertise it as "3 SQUARE meals a day"
Omg you are right lol
because I think that would be false adevertising.
Omg 😂😂😂😂
It was continually going through my head the entire video lol
Right? I read the name of the brand and assumed that was what they were going for but I guess not.
I was a private chef for a memory care facility (Dementia patients in their last months of life), and I did have at any time 1 - 3 residents who required pureed foods. We ordered foods from a supplier who made different types of purees and put them into plastic molds that gave them the shapes of their normal food counterparts. So puree peas would look like a pile of peas on the plate, fish look liked grilled portions of fish, etc. They played with flavors and colors, while controlling the salt content so that it would cater to a wide variety of dietary restrictions.
When I had to make my own purees, I would keep these molds and reuse them for the aesthetics. Residents liked it when I would plate up their food like they were in a restaurant. These squares you're eating remind me of these purees but with very little creativity. It also makes me worry that people are going to jump on this hype train like it's a new ultra healthy diet fad.
Thank you for sharing this story, the plastic molds is an amazing detail to keep people feeling normal at the end of their lives.
I'm a cook for senior facility. we also use the frozen purees as a last ditch if we can't get them to eat homemade purees. The squares would send not only my purees into a rage but my independents. Magic cups make more sense then these squares
Thank you for sharing 🙏🏼 I hope you’re blessed
Thanks for that info, very interesting.
I like that yours were in the shape of the actual foods, wholesome
I love how their whole brand is square themed, but their meet the team photos are in a hexagon for no reason
They're trying to tell you not to eat their staff 💀
@@boojersey13 weird! I had thought that tastiness was proportional to the number of sides on the polygon it is represented within…
@@ace.l.w yeah exactly, the squares are a 4/10 on the tasty scale
the "i ate three squares last night; i need to talk to my therapist" and "it's one thing if i poison myself but i didn't want to poison my dog so he didn't get any just in case," parts were especially dystopian
so i know that these can offer potential benefits to people who struggle with eating disorders but all i feel when i see that plate with 6 uniform squares of different colors is a fight or flight response
That's exactly how I feel too. Just looking at these makes me not feel any hunger anymore. Lost any appetite I had and I'm sure that's not supposed to happen when you see food.
Also I do have issues with certain food textures but mush is one of them, I actually enjoy chewing and that is an important part of eating for me so these are actively repulsive to me.
@@DieAlteistwiederda thank you someone said it
As a person with an ED the concept is sound and I'd love it, but the pricepoint and presentation are AWFUL. I also feel anxiety about it, which would be the antithesis of helpful. I think it might be that our human brains aren't really wired to eat things that have that shape. The shape is remarkably similar to some rocks.
@@inkynewt i legit thought these were rocks at first
this feels like what a kid's movie villain would distribute and trick the public into consuming in order to transform people into mutant creatures for their army or something
YES
The Reach from season2 of Young Justice vibes.
(For context: They try to make a drink to turn people superpowered so then they can become a resource for an army/weapons.)
it's "chow" from good omens.
Or Jimmy Neutron trying to revolutionize food which ends up turning people into mutants that will require a brain blast to fix by making a cure out of Carl's EpiPen and Sheen's Ultra Lord Japanese Limited Edition Sour Candies.
@@nuclearwheat the first thing I thought when watching this was soylent green! Lol
I think that this would be interesting if they were more calorically dense. A lot of people in the comments seem to indicate that something like this might be helpful for people who have a hard time eating enough, but seeing as you were full after 3 squares, which isn't enough calories for a whole meal, they seem to really be missing that market
Yeah this is my issue, not being able to consume enough calories to keep weight on, these wouldn’t do the trick
It's cheaper and probably tastes better to get dehydrated camping food
They're filling cause the potato starch they're all filled with :/ so no filling at all. They just trick brain to thinking you are without ever actually getting you enough calories or nutrients
@@sarhahillsburg5142 So you'd have to graze all day to not be hungry later. It sounds like eating rice and being hungry later.
Maybe the other way around then. Maybe this would be better for the poeple who need to take LESS calories than they do. Like feed Tammy Slaton with this.
The fact that they don’t have someone with a serious culinary background on the team is genuinely ridiculous. It’s actually really hard to process foods the way that they are and make sure they still taste good. But it can be done!! There are companies out there already that make puréed food for people with chewing issues that do a way better job than this company seemed to.
I do understand how this could be beneficial to some people with medical issues. However, as someone who has disordered eating patterns & struggles to get myself to eat enough, I went on the website to see if this would work for me. Spoiler alert: each square is like 65 calories MAX, so for a whole box where it’s $10 for 4 (not including shipping), you’d only be getting around 200-260 calories. Meanwhile, it costs $2 for a box of 12 pierogis where I get 4x the calories & the only prep I have to do is boiling water. Hell, even a cliff bar and some Ovaltine is a more effective meal replacement.
Have you looked into soylent? A friend had good results for her ED by complementing her meals with one.
260 calories a meal? I’d burn that off chasing my kid around. This seems semi-dangerous.
Ensure is another great meal supplement. The plus version is over 300 calories a bottle and it doesn't have the powdery flavour most other shakes or meal replacement things like Soylent do.
(The max protein kind does have that weird flavour though)
@@weirdbunmi I hate that aftertaste and Ensure saved my life when I was pregnant. I had severe morning sickness and lost 20 pounds my first trimester. If it has enough calories for a pregnant woman it should be fine for others right?
That's the thing about most of these meal replacement type of things. It becomes absurdly expensive to get the bare minimum amount of calories needed. There are so many MUCH CHEAPER low effort sources of calories/nutrition. It's hard to justify paying hundreds of dollars to get the same amount of calories that you could get for just a few dollars. $10 for 200 calories is absolutely insane. At that point you're better off just buying a can of beans lmao
So basically overpriced, artisan MREs without the decades of nutritional and shelf-life research.
Gods that IS a good point... MREs exist! Is it just me or are they super invisible beyond a niche-group though? I could use that kind of low-effort biofuel...
@@NIRDIAN1 How do I put this in a politically correct way. I feel like the people that designed and would buy Squareat don't have a very large venn diagram overlap with the people that know what MREs are.
i think a lot of people don't know about mres, i am brazilian and had to google what it was. now, i did some light research and it is said that mres are not to be used long-term and instead are a palliative measure, so maybe this is an attempt (unsuccessful as far as i can see) at something long-term.
@@save_bandit in what way?
@@NIRDIAN1 As far as I understand, many MREs are extremely calorie dense, so they’re probably not the best thing to regularly eat for the average person.
These could be either absolutely amazing or the worst thing in the world for different autistic people 👁👁🌈💖
this is the exact reason i'm watching it bc my gf might like this or absolutely hate this and I'm not sure which one it is
The pure joy I felt about the square food- like if food doesn’t look right I won’t eat it so this would be absolutely amazing-
I thought the same thing! This might be good for people who struggle with struggle with portion control or textures.
That was my thought. Not autistic but have ADHD and my executive function is in the toilet. Also have a mood disorder and when I am extremely anxious I cant stomach some flavorful foods I usually love.
Can’t decide if this would be better than the box of Built Bars I always keep on hand. Definitely better than Soylent!!!
i imagine tho that for some people the texture would throw them off, like tasting broccoli but it’s this like warm kinda mushy pâté would definitely not be an enjoyable experience for me
“I had to invent quick, easy, ready to eat meals… I basically had to reinvent food!” Completely glosses over the entire freezer section
I have a sensory disorder that causes me not to feel hunger cues most of the time, so theoretically Squareat might be a good option for me, but that price point is fucking ridiculous.
Same I always wish I could just take like… a nutrition tablet and not have to eat to sustain myself
But not at this price 😭😭😭
Someone looked into the calories and it's not even enough for a proper meal replacement so you better off with Ensure and other things of that nature. So it's even worse
They're $11.90 and $13 per meal in the 10 meals/week and 20 meals/week respectively. I don't think that's too bad considering how much an average person spends on meals, but the question I have is would this fill someone to the same level as the meals people are buying.
Wowoowowowooww hold on can you explain what you mean about the sensory disorder? I have never heard of this. My stomach does not growl. Boredom is the only reason I end up eating and if there is no food in the house, I just don't eat. I have always been very small and once I moved out of my parents house, it's gotten a lot worse. If my partner wasn't around to show what healthy eating patterns were and reminding me that I haven't eaten, I would not be shocked if I starved. What sensory disorder are you talking about? I have other sensory issues (tickling feels like pain, joint pain, muscle weakness and fatigue, etc.) and nobody has ever made a connection that would make sense.
@@jammies1431 Idk about the hunger thing but the other symptoms you mentioned could be Fibromyalgia! Particularly tickling being painful.
This looks like if the four most pretentious students in film class were told to make a satire of a startup advertisement.
Underrated comment.
I think it would be less dystopian if they made them into different shapes like dinosaurs and such lol 🦖
This definitely looks like something you'd eat on a spaceship after the earth was drained of all its resources as humans explore space for a new habitable planet.
Sounds like this company just needs to change it's marketing strategy and show that this product could help people with certain types of disordered eating. Not so much for the average person who just wants to "eat healthier."
Well, there's a reason that companies did infomercial marketing products as "convenience for the typical clumsy person" instead of "this will help people with disabilities!". It's because the cost to produce those items are not made back in just the niche they were created for, so in order to earn back their money, they market them to the general public. I'm not saying that's what squareats is doing, but this is a capitalist system, so making anything that doesn't make a profit just for "the good of people who need it" is not going to happen, so doing anything good has to be coated in monetary gain.
Part of the disconnect is that they probably interact with a lot of busy tech people who don't realize how their long hours shapes their view of food. People who subsist off of meal bars and snacks, who might like a healthier alternative. People who currently have a Soylent subscription (yes someone really named their company that) and like the idea of more interesting food with the same level of convenience. Given how small their team is, they might not realize that most people don't view food this way. Or maybe they do understand but feel that tailoring marketing campaigns to the tech people and the groups you mentioned will limit their appeal.
You both make really good points! Actually does make a lot of sense that they should market to the general public in order not to exclude potential customers. Also can totally see the possibility that these tech startup folks live in a bubble.
@@NoraMeld yeah, a good example of this is the snuggie - people make fun of it because it's a blanket with sleeves when normal blankets and sweaters already exist, but when you realize it's actually designed for wheelchair-users, suddenly it makes sense why a blanket with sleeves would be preferred.
Healthy eating crowd is a better market and willing to shell out more than the ED/special dietary needs market, and tech bros/sis' into this stuff have way more money to throw.
Honestly if this was around when my father was going through chemo it would have been amazing. He had real issues with texture and flavors because of the treatment.
The same thing happened with my grandma.
Same thing with my mom
If I had these during chemo it would've depressed the shit out of me
You can blend food into a puree or smoothie. Much cheaper and you can freeze it into any form you want.
She's right. There's something about opening a box and being like "Here's my squares of food for dinner tonight". That just feels wrong.
i used to work in a nursing home and we used to serve prepacked purée for people who couldn’t chew that looks very similar to this. i’m sure that’s much cheaper than this
I work at a nursing home and we purée the other food we cook- doesn’t cost anything. We use the prepackaged ones too. These square things are a nightmare 🤣
I wish these weren't so expensive. My teenage son has severe sensory issues and disordered eating but I think he'd be able to tolerate these.
Hopefully this company will inspire copy cats with cheaper options. Giving the inspiration of food that you just pop in your mouth, other companies might follow through.
These aren't all that difficult to make yourself, puree your ingredients and cook them with starch/gum, then put the cooked paste into a silicone mold to shape them. They'll be fridge stable for longer than a typical meal would be, but I wouldn't recommend freezing due to moisture content unless you cook out all the water; something their manufacturing process avoids with low and slow cooking and thermal shocking, essentially dehydrating while cooking the paste then running it through a blast freezer.
Honestly you can make it if you find out how to cook potato starch. It’s food gone through a blender and put together with a binder. But it’s also nowhere near enough food. 200 calories a meal is nothing.
yeah as someone with food sensory issues, these actually sound great to me, especially for the vegetables which are the biggest problem in my current diet since i simply cannot eat most vegetables and fruits due to texture issues. but that price point is _ridiculous_ - on average $10 per 230 calorie meal, are you kidding me????
You can buy potato or tapioca starch in bulk, steam the ingredients, puree together into a square mold.
Look up corquette and chinese turnip/radish cake recipes for an idea of how much starch to use.
I definitely think this would be useful for a lot of disabled people, neurodivergent people, and sick people. Many people in the comments have said how they think so- however as an autistic person with extreme sensitivity to food textures and taste, this feels like it would make me just as uncomfortable as normal food. They still have weird food textures- just a different shape.
EXACTLY
yea i'm autistic too and everything about this texture is screaming "soap! not food! do not eat"
If only it met actual calorie needs and weren’t absurdly expensive, these could have been good for me. I’m disabled and also not a great cook, and these could be good idea if they were actually meeting nutritional requirements.
And EXPENSIVE. Generally, disabled people have more medical expenses and end up with less usable income. If this were cheaper, I could see myself trying it out but this Minecraft Texture Pack meal gets a thumbs down for me.
Something like ensure would be better for that though. These aren't meeting nutritional or calorie needs and they're SUPER expensive.
As someone who's recovering from anorexia I feel like this might trick my brain into eating because it doesn't feel like "real food" and it seems like you could eat it faster
But again, I haven't tried it so this is just a guess
Edit: okay I just read in the comment section how little calories they have, so if they can't put more calories into a single square, this would actually be extremely counterproductive
Conspiracy theory: the chefs and nutritionists are not listed on the website bc they were so disgusted with how bland the food they were forced to make was that they would only continue work if their names were taken off the project
I'm with you on this one. They look like food rations from a dystopian future.
I definitely see that it has value in certain scenarios. But it needs some serious reworking.
Yeah as it is now is doesn't even have enough calories and nutrients. It only filling cause they all loaded with starch which is filling.
Swell, I think you're totally right that there is a place for food like this. My issue is that this looks like another startup run by mediocre good-looking people who want to "disrupt" XYZ and con money out of people and not a company looking to help people with food or eating issues.
Hopefully it inspires copy cat companies that will genuinely try to make a good product that is better than this trash.
@@markvieyra9950 Don’t you think if it tasted good you could overlook the texture? Cuz I see the benefits of it especially for autism but no one is gonna eat something with no flavor and be happy.
@@maggiekarabel123 personally the texture would be the selling point for me, as somebody who is unable to eat most fruits & veggies due to texture sensitivity issues. A nice uniform solid texture would fix that problem and I'd be able to eat it even if its taste was bland af.
But if they want to sell to a wider market then, yeah, they're gonna have to work on the flavor issue.
@@TheGuindo That’s interesting. I’m sorry you deal with that. I’m not neurodivergent I’m just a picky eater and I get made fun of for my taste. That’s mostly harmless but you never know what someone’s going through. I know my cousin has problems with the texture of meat and it can be really almost paralyzing.
@@maggiekarabel123 I have ADHD but I'm not autistic, I feel your pain on being labeled a "picky eater" and getting made fun of for it. It turns out that "picky eater" can sometimes be a legitimate eating disorder, too - you should look up ARFID, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
PLEASE just say disabled. You don't need to say differently-abled. Always just say disabled.
$145 for eight meals and some fluff is kinda ridiculous, honestly. I’m part of a family of five. We’re upper middle class, so we generally eat pretty well, both quantity and quality wise. Our weekly groceries-three sizable meals a day for seven days for five people, plus snacks and deserts, usually with some food left over-cost somewhere in the ballpark of $200 (and if it deviates, it’s usually less). If we tried to feed our family with the eight meal packs, it would multiply our weekly spending on food by almost a figure of ten. And it’s also just incredibly dystopian and sad, which lowers its value significantly in my mind. And yet they have the nerve to call it innovative and affordable.
ALSO HOW DID A TEAM OF ITALIANS DO THIS TO FOOD??
Have you seen some of the molecular gastronomy BS that has come out of fine dining in Italy? While most of Italy is great at cooking, there always are those silicon valley types who just want to reinvent the wheel to stroke their own egos even if it goes against 3000 years of tradition. Not to say that innovation is always bad, but remember humanity when you are making products for humans.
While watching this, I was literally eating my lunch. My lunch everyday is in one of those portioned containers that has three sections. In one section I had kolbassa sausage and cheddar cheese, the second section had baby carrots and cucumbers and the third had broccoli florets and sliced red pepper. Lastly I had a separate container with homemade ranch dip.
Anyway, the reason I explained my lunch in such great detail is because in some ways it's quite similar to the Squareats. The portions are controlled, the food is cold, and it's served in boring squares. It's also not prepared or seasoned, really it's mostly just chopped vegetables. But like, I feel like my meal was WAY better than the Squareats you were eating. It feels like Squareats would be a lot better if it focused less on pureeing everything and more on the 45 gram portions.
I also think Squareats is working with an outdated food pyramid with those portions. 135 grams of chicken, 90 grams of rice, 45 grams of veggies and 45 grams of sweets seems... off. To put it lightly. Not to mention the lack of healthy fats, that chicken looks leaner than a supermodel. I feel like 3 veggie, 2 chicken, 1 rice would have been a lot better. Granted it would also be more expensive.
That supermodel line got me
Genuine question, was your broccoli raw? Bc that would be very crunchy
Yeah those portions are off, with the eatwell plate (the guideline we have in the uk), half of them should've been veg
@@testosteronic Yes, my broccoli was raw. I know cooked broccoli is apparently better for you, but I prefer it raw.
The portions make sense if you look at this frfom the perspective of athletes, which the ceo proclaims they are one.
I would get something like this for like fruit and veggies (or really anything you don't have to heat up i guess), but thats really it, have it as like a new kind of snack bars. Otherwise why not just find a normal meal kit service that sure will take a little more time to make but will taste a million times better and will likley be cheaper
Yeah or something like a salad, especially for people who don’t like salad the diluted taste could help people to be able to enter eating healthier things,
But as it is now I don’t see the appeal
The demo that Amanda talked about, “people who see food as refuel”, would actually probably like the zero taste.
I’ve regularly used pre-made meal delivery services that’s a balanced (real) meal, just comes frozen, so there’s no need to cook at all beyond putting it in a microwave. If even a meal kit is too much, there’s better alternatives to this still.
@@markvieyra9950 so basically someone who doesn't like eating food or the taste??? That also sounds depressing as hell or unhealthy and I still think there are better alternatives because even when I think an aneroxic person or an elderly, this still doesn't seem like it's going to work. Maybe it would but eeehhh
@@despicablepenguin So, Kafka’s Hungerkünstler.
Things that made me laugh out loud:
“This tastes like the illusion of rice.”
“I’m full. But I’m not happy about it.”
😂
I see people saying this could help with texture issues but some look like they’re too smooth and too dry. I could actually see this triggering a lot of people’s sensory issues (including mine). I’d rather drink a meal replacement shake. I struggle with cooking especially during a depressive episode but I also think I would get like “fatigued” from eating the same consistency with the same bland flavor for so long everyday.
personally I have texture issues with most fruits & vegetables because they're not a consistent texture throughout a single bite. like, raw carrots are fine because they're the same consistency of crunchy all the way through while you're chewing, but onions are gross because they're mostly squishy and then just crunchy enough to notice which makes me gag if I bite down on one. There's a lot of foods that I'm fine with flavor-wise but not texture-wise, and a perfect solution for me _would_ be to puree it and then compress it together into a big block of uniform texture.
But even though I'm the ideal customer for what they're selling, their meals average $10 for 230 calories which is a fucking absurd price point - for $10 I can get a 6-pack of Ensure which is 240 calories _per bottle._ I could spend ~$50 on 5 Squareats meals, or I could spend the same amount on a box of Soylent powders for 41 meals of the same caloric size. If my goal is to get maximum meals with minimum thought/prep time, why the fuck would I choose Squareats over their competitors?
I know you said you would struggle with “actually cooking it” but I would love to see the differences between baking it or pan frying it
I feel like frying it would at least give it some flavor. But it’s got stupid proportions. Body builders are usually volume eaters, this breaks down to 200-260 calories a meal. That’s nowhere near enough food.
I wonder if it'd crisp up like fried spam
I saw a sponsored video from Squareat and the “chef” microwaved it, then pan fried it in olive oil, and put more olive oil on top afterwards
@@brib6046 mmm olive oil. Cheaper to just go get olive oil lol
@@skullingtonfx4441 probablymore calories in the oil than the squares
Squareat is just fingerfood but instead of old people in homes, it's more expensive for in your own home! So innovative!
Edit: just wanted to let you know, even the elderly get multiple shapes for their food.
Senior living would reject this shit too. Maybe if you made them intro triangles and put them on crackers they'd consider it.
"Startups need to be taken down a peg" honestly something that needed to be said
I had all of these exact same thoughts when Soylent came out, for all the reasons you already mentioned but ALSO because they NAMED their product SOYLENT!!!
Right?!?!! I can't believe they REALLY went with that name!
They lean into it so much, like I know it’s not really made of people, but it’s still weird.
It’s like… you know how the movie ends, right?
This definitely feels like it was designed for tech bros who call fasting bio hacking 😅
It *theoretically* sounds like it would be a great boon for people going through intense depression and lack of energy problems. Ready made food with a proper nutrition makes it that much easier to get yourself to eat and take care of yourself.
I have conditions that result in chronic fatigue and you are absolutely right that something like this could be really good for when I don't have the energy to even make a sandwich. But the thing is, I can buy tins of curry, and chili, and stews for like £1.50 each from my local supermarket that actually tastes pretty good, keep for months without being refrigerated, and only require being opened and put in the microwave too. Sure they're not the healthiest but I'm sure they could be for the price these are sold for, and it would be nice to have something with some more texture, but it seems like these don't even provide that
Microwave curry packets are awesome for this, about £1 each and there’s not much in there that you wouldn’t put in yourself. Yeah, the texture isn’t the best etc., but for low energy days they heat in a couple of minutes
Based on the ingredients and also what others are saying on here about the calorific values, it looks like this is 'diet' food as in losing weight so it wouldn't be that great for people who want to have a stable calorie and nutrient intake. Also they've all got sugar in some form or other, and potato starch so alot of carbs and not much fats
I have a lot of issues with food textures so CONCEPTUALLY something like this sounds literally amazing for me, but the way you were describing how they were mushy and like "hard baby food" makes them sound hellish actually. Though I'm actually really happy you mentioned people like me who have issues with eating, & approached that with empathy!
Idk why this made me think of that one woman on TikTok who’s dealing with parosmia as a long covid symptom and basically everything tastes like sewage, vomit, basically anything disgusting. And I wonder if something this bland could allow her and others also suffering with parosmia to get the nutrients they need
I think the idea of extremely easy to make, filling food that comes in a small size and is pretty simple and easy to make is good. I have a lot of mental health issues that make actually making and consuming food hard, so having stuff ready to go is nice, and people with medical conditions/treatments that affect how they eat and taste, or certain kinds of disordered eating might benefit too. But the way the market and package it is straight out of a dystopian hellscape. Ground up, flavorless food shaped like a square makes me think of fucking soilent green, not anything I’d like to eat. It’s just sad.
There's actually a protein shake thing called soylent now
Pemmican bars are probably what you're looking for.
I’m disabled and have an eating disorder and I’m very grateful you brought that point up! I feel like we get over looked a bunch and it’s interesting to hear someone actually mention us.
Also side note, disabled isn’t a bad word 💜
commenting for the algorithm! idk why people are acting like disabled is a bad word :(
@@hind__ I sometimes hear people use the term “differently abled” (granted, pretty rarely) to describe themselves which makes me think some folks don’t like to use the word disabled… Maybe that’s why Amanda used that kind of language? I myself am starting to use “differently abled” in general contexts because I feel like it has the least chance of upsetting someone. I never felt like disabled was a bad word but I don’t have a disability myself so I try to use the same language as people who actually are disabled. However, I’m now also seeing comments suggesting that turning “disabled” into a bad word creates more stigma for people with disabilities and that the word should not be avoided. I can see both sides of the argument, and I do think that the term “disabled” is much more popular so that has to count for something too. It’s a complex issue for someone like Amanda who is trying to be respectful of a community she isn’t part of (as far as I know).
@@zoeysmith7612 A lot of disabled people don’t really like the term differently abled. Because they are just disabled and there’s nothing wrong with needing accommodations. There’s a comment in this section about this by someone named “approach cautiously” if you want to find and read their perspective
@@zoeysmith7612 I would recommend only using “differently abled” if someone specifically says they want you to refer to them as such. I don’t know a single disabled person who likes or uses terms like differently abled, handicapped, special needs, etc. Yes, some individuals do, but if you want to know what the majority of the disabled community uses and wants people to use, it’s disabled. Therefore a content creator who is trying to appease the most people, that would be the best word to use. Just my 2 cents, as a disabled person.
@@zoeysmith7612 I'm a disabled woman. My partner is also disabled. In the words of my partner "differently abled, I'd rather you'd just call me a slur". Saying we're differently abled really feels very patronizing and as others have commented: I don't know a single disabled person who likes or uses terms other than disabled.
I have arfid (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder). Of course, everyone is different even those who have arfid, but mushy textures are one of the worst triggers for me. I think the only texture worse is chunky soups or sauces.
literally exactly this! i think it they were the texture of, like, bread, i'd eat the fuck out of these, but what amanda described sounds really really bad
As someone who likely has ARFID in the past and has sensory issues now, I cannot deal with mushy. I love the blandness I'm hearing from Amanda. I would love to use those to get foods in my diet I couldn't normally...but I can't with the mushy. Just make them chewy. It would make it so much better...
yesss!! same for me! some people are saying this would help people with eating issues, and maybe it'd help some, but definitely not me.
“Disabled” isn’t a bad word ☺️
But thank you so much for recognizing the uses for this! It’s an important part of the discussion which a lot of people leave out.
This sounded great, as I have a condition that prevents me from eating just eating normally, and I’ll just use sauces and condiments for it, that’s not a deal breaker. Then I saw the price. I think I’ll stay with the meal replacement shakes.
it sort of feels like they took hello fresh's vibe of little prep and fresh food and then made it dystopian
It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to 45 grammes a week. And only yesterday, Amanda reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be REDUCED to 45 grammes a week.
I love that you are thinking about the disabled community and call it out in your video.
One note though, we aren’t differently abled, we are disabled. In the future please avoid using differently abled as it is not correct label nor the terminology we use. Disabled is not a bad word and is embraced by the majority of the community!
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said this on a TH-cam video, I’d be able to pay all my medical bills 😂 mostly I just get jerks with some variation of “don’t tell me what terms I can and can’t use for your community”. I just love people 🙄🙄🙄
145 dollars for 8 meals !?
How is that affordable?? That's 18 dollars a meal, you can eat out at that price
Yeah. Chipolte is around $9 per meal (if you get chicken and no guac or queso). So you could literally eat nothing but Chipotle for half the cost. Hell you could eat at almost any chain casual dining place for $18 a meal.
Hey Amanda, this comment isn’t specifically for this video, but it’s as good a place as any to say I’m really proud of how you’ve consistently delivered good, fun content and grown your channel so much within a short period of time. More power to ya!
Yes! I agree, I love her videos
If it’s just a one-ingredient piece of fish and one suggested way to cook it is throwing it into a pan, what’s stopping people from buying frozen fish cut into small pieces and throwing that into the pan
Hey I noticed you said ‘differently abled’ for the most part the disabled community prefers the term disabled. Obviously not everyone agrees, but that is the general consensus from actual disabled people. Abled people who are uncomfortable w/ disability tend to use different words bc they view disability as a bad thing.
Honestly, I was thinking of food for those with sensory or depression issues. I struggled with depression for a long time. And I think this would help tiny me deal with the chore of food easily.
Or maybe small beginner kid foods. Like offer this product for moms with kids who are teething and want an introduction to simple food. I think there's potential, but it's struggling to get there.
At first I was kind of intrigued about the veggie blocks, as I really struggle to prep and eat enough vegetables as I should be getting, but basically puréed blobs seems like the least appealing delivery method to me. Also, I’ve heard that the presentation of food actually does have an effect on how satiated and satisfied we feel after meal - I.e. eating all of the food off a smaller plate feels better than eating the same amount off a larger plate & having leftovers, or having dessert served on a nice plate vs off a napkin. Basically we seem to base expectations off what we see and and those squares don’t set up a very pretty picture lol.
They don’t have a list of the seasonings used? That counts as ingredients and as a US company they are liable to lawsuits as people can be allergic to spices and have a reaction due to them not writing them on the packaging…….. do they not look at laws? I feel like this one is relatively well known and it’s kinda concerning they don’t put it in the label
My thoughts exactly.
Actually spices DO NOT have to be listed in ingredients! Salt does and it will show up in the nutritional label under sodium as well, but pepper, cinnamon, thyme, etc. do not have to be explicitly labeled under the ingredients. I know this because I am allergic to a couple of spices (luckily, mildly allergic) and it’s absolutely a problem with US laws
A lot of ingredient lists will just say “spices” actually
I can't explain this, but Amanda has the energy of a Canadian without being one
Ah yes, I was wondering how the Soylent Corporation would rebrand itself after that whole "Soylent Green is people" controversy. Now I know!
Omg I'm so happy to see someone else here that knows about Soylent Green lol
Loved that movie!!
Literally my first thought too!
It took so long to find a soylent green comment and I'm so disappointed in society 😂. This is soylent green. I would avoid the green ones 😬.
I did laugh when Amanda said "I don't know what's in these". THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW.
This is literally just food for those cardio people that say “I only eat because I have to” or “food is only fuel to me”.
So basically it’s a lot for a very small percentage of people.
Or it could have a more clinical use, which I could actually get behind.
Since those squares don't have very many calories, I don't think that would even be good for them
I can not imagine a world where I would ever eat “because I have to” that sounds so depressing. Food is meant to be loved and enjoyed
I mean, as someone labeled as a 'picky eater' because of issues with texture and such in food, i could see this as a good way to maybe solve that. But i agree 100% it needs some work shopping first. I would try this though.
same here. i'm interested in a way to eat veggies that doesn't trigger my food texture issues, but not at this price point.
So as someone who loves meal replacement shakes I get the idea. But like... Can we do it in a less dystopian, "you get 3 squares as your rations before going back to your job that you do for 16 hours a day and where trackers so your overlords know where you are all the time" way?
Maybe???
These squares aren't that different in concept from nutritional shakes like Ensure and bars like Quest. They're doing things that have already been done, but at a ridiculous price and a seriously bland taste
Well, except they also have less nutritional content than the same amount of ingredients if eaten as a whole. So if they upped the nutritional and caloric content this might be useful for something. But at that point I would just sell them in gym vending machines as an alternative protein bar
This product rly appeals to me as someone with adhd who forgets that I’m hungry. I like the idea of eating real food quickly with minimal prep but it seems like it’s not cheaper or as tasty as just microwaving vegetables. Also I love the idea of smooth rice. If they hadn’t marketed it as a dieting tool and made their first round of products taste like actual food then I would be pretty psyched. It really sucks that these startups that are actually good ideas for neurodivergent people are always marketed as diet food!
I agree. As for smooth rice, you can try some kirimochi or korean rice cakes (ddok). They're some of my favorite and easy to cook. :)
@@AG-du2og yum!!! I'll look into it!
Seriously these companies should be paying Amanda for marketing and development consulting, she always has so many good tips on how to make products better!
When I was really in the thick of my ED I would only eat what I called “food cubes” (I.e. protein bars) and “food goop” (kids food pouches and protein shakes). Because it wasn’t really food in the traditional it didn’t make me feel guilty to eat it. I think the inventor is honestly going through something similar.
FOOD GOOP? jesus christ i hope you’re doing well now. sounds like torture
@@cerys113 Yes I am thank you for the kind words internet stranger- I really appreciate it! You really made my day
Unkar Plutt: One half portion
Amanda: Last week they were a half disappointment each.
I could see this as being good say if you struggle with textures. Something appeals slightly to me as someone who really struggles with food textures but it's just to expensive when meal replacement shakes are better and tastier.
I'm on the other end, the textures of the squares is off-putting to me. Well, from what I can see.
This company doesn't make any sense to me. They're advertising these as "meal boxes" and "meal plans" but their very own FAQ says they AREN'T meal replacements 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ the marketing seems all over the place, they keep going on like 2 weeks is some magical shelf life and how this fills the shortcomings in OTHER meal kits (but reminder, it's NOT a meal replacement). They also never point out what those shortcoming are and how this box fixes it🤷🏻♀️ This whole thing is wild to me, thanks for testing them so the rest of us don't have to sink our money in!
This reminds me of this book I read in middle school called Hungry. The entire point of which is that this girl goes on the run from the government for showing any interest in actual food instead the food replacement drink things that are the only option at all.
Lol didn't Alizee absolutely shred that book in review 😅
First Squarespace and now Squareat. Squares for everyone! Squareat is people!
It just looks like you're eating fancy little hotel soaps 😫
This should have been sponsored by Square space
My favorite part of this video is Amanda giving Hermes a full explanation to why he can't have it, and talking to him in a full on grown adult tone. I feel like she's secretly teaching Hermes how to speak english
I know a couple people who would love premade bars of food for the portion control aspect of it. The lack of taste might throw them off but some light seasoning might help with that.
these are the most unsettling foods ive ever looked at. like i can see how it can help other people (like with disordered eating or certain food sensitivities) but the square shapes just make it look so Wrong also its crazy expensive
They look like poorly set home made soaps
As a person who spent years in the US Army eating MREs I can tell you to make prepackaged shelf-stable food actually somewhat appealing takes a gargantuan R&D budget from the companies involved. And if they actually ever gave us food that was just mushy, uniform, flavorless pucks they would have regretted having given us rifles too.
The price is way too high. Especially when other meal kits typically run under 100$. I can see it being useful though. Your review really makes me want to make these but better because I’m certain it’s possible. I’d agree that they are probably cooking out a lot of flavor in the the process, guessing the seasoning happens before any binding agent is added even though it also needs seasoned. But I’d also guess that an athlete oriented company like this isn’t including enough salt fat and seasoning in the first place for it to be good
For my eating issues, this would be a nightmare, but different strokes for different folks.
Oh god we’re reaching a point that it’s going to be like those “protein packs” in snowpiercer
I mean at least they’re not made of cockroaches. Or at least I *think* they aren’t.
hey amanda, just a heads up, as a disabled person, we usually prefer the word disabled instead of differently abled! no hate, maybe you just didnt know :)
This gives the vibes when they first invented the replicator in star trek and engineers are trying it and being like "ye it works but ı would prefer it wasn't"
hey love the video but just fyi "differently abled" is like just a term that able bodied people made up to feel better about themselves. Most disabled people just prefer to be called disabled. Cuz, there's no shame in being disabled.
It sounds like the La Croix of food. A memory of a flavor/smell
This feels like a freaking nightmare for someone recovering from calorie counting and disordered eating.
Also if this brand is a longcon to make a "three square meals a day" joke, I may have to end puns.
thank you for thinking about people with different food needs and texture sensitivity. It's always wonderful to see your openess to this which isn't for you, but you see that for someone else it could be.
Just what we need, more processed food.
I enjoy cooking, and I would much rather actually see what I'm eating.I wouldn't want to eat a square. But I know a lot of people who either hate cooking, don't know how to cook, or too exhausted to cook who would jump at something this. I'm surprised this wasn't marketed to college students, folks who work in entertainment or medical fields, or just men since our society is so insistent men shouldn't cook.
I just got an ad for this on instagram and I RAN to TH-cam to find commentary. This is exactly how I feel.
Thinking $145 USD for 8 meals is not outrageously expensive is the most California thing ever.
This is pureed food, the fibers get destroyed therefore is not really as healthy as they make it to be. It's the same thing with smoothies, we're better off eating the fruit.
Finally found a comment that addresses the important of volume when consuming food.
Especially for people with binge eating disorders it could lead them to even worse binge eating habits.
It’s more calories and less fiber which means it won’t be satiating.
Fiber is still fiber even when it’s blended. Fiber doesn’t always form “fibers”, and when it does naturally form into fibers, breaking those fibers doesn’t destroy it or change its effects. It’s unnecessarily confusing I know.
@@StephanieLeighG that’s why I said that volume is important too. Eating a salad fruit and drinking a smoothie is not the same in terms of satisfying hunger and the latter can fit much more calories in one serving which might result in unnecessary high calorie intake. The smoothie or in this case this purée thingy will be digested much quicker and it also won’t send the necessary signals to the brain that enough volume of food was eaten.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my smoothies, they are delicious but they can be extremely high in calories.
I have autism which causes me to have an aversion to certain textures and flavours, but mainly when it is too mushy. I'd prefer it if it was more crunchy (a lot of people with ASD don't eat beans or mushrooms for example). But I don't hate this idea, it is a way of having more structure in your life and the squares satisfy me (if it were to become mainstream and way cheaper)
I got excited at the premise of these because of exactly what you mention: my anxiety likes to hyper-fixate on food prep for some reason, as well as texture. I hope someday we get more food items for folks like myself!
Reminds me of American Horror Story: Apocalypse when they take refuge in the outpost run by Sarah Paulson’s character and they only get a tiny “nutrient optimal” square a day to eat.
I also feel kinda weird about the marketing, however this does seem like something that would really help me as someone with disordered eating, and am unable to get the nutrients to help me throughout the day. That said, I doubt I would actually spend that amount of money on this food, nor do I think I would choose this over other "meal replacement" strategies.
Yeah, it could help neurodivergent people, disabled people, people with EDs, but it’s not marketed like that and the price point is not accessible. It feels like they’re more concerned with the whole “look it’s a square isn’t that neat” of it all…the novelty factor
My man really heard three square meals and took it to HEART.
Thoroughly enjoyed this dystopian break from life, keep up the great content Amanda!
Just watching this now, but fun video idea, blindfolded square taste test lol. You made me lol w this one so funny!
I'd be curious if they're any better in the oven. When you said "something in the cooking process is removing the flavor" my first thought was "... like nuking it?" Seems like a really odd startup though, the only potential benefit seems to be standardizing textures for folks with food texture issues like you said. Besides that it seems like they just turn decent food into giant mcnugget lumps.
The official guidelines from squareat say you should warm it in the microwave and then either finish it in a panini press or grill, or in a pan with olive oil.
Which takes the "quick and easy"ness out if it somewhat.
Where the joy of food and eating goes to die... This is insane! I am with you on the anxiety front, Amanda.
Thank you for doing this, they have been re-targeting me constantly for like well over a YEAR without actually being available and I was fascinated and curious but would never actually pull the trigger.
I love that you brought up people with food sensitivities, I was caught up in being a hater but you have a great point! I never heard of it but it does in fact fill me with dread!