# Is there a common food that could serve as Bachelor Chow? Or would be close? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350 "2019-12-24T16:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/21 "2019-12-25T04:09:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > OK, I can understand that people may not want to cook, but there are ways not to do that and still eat normal food. So are there people who find so little enjoyment in food (the tastes, textures, smells, for example) that they’re willing to eat some boring “bachelor chow” on a regular basis? There are some people – I don’t think very many – who view eating as quite literally the biological equivalent of refueling a car. They want to spend as little time on the task as possible, and they see no reason to actually enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/22 "2019-12-25T04:16:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Soylent? [Soylent.](https://soylent.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=soylent-only-US&utm_content=soylent-exact&utm_term=brand?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&utm_content=350554194122&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxKmPmvjP5gIVjYbACh2wCg0yEAAYASAAEgI09_D_BwE) I vote for pumpkin pie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/23 "2019-12-25T05:24:52Z")
The various types of nutraloaf used in prisons are basically prisoner chow. They contain all the nutrients needed to keep a prisoner alive and healthy. Once manufactured, it needs no further preparation. Can be served as is, without needing to heat it, or add water. Can be eaten without utensils or even a plate. There’s also the [military D ration.](https://www.interesly.com/military-chocolate-bar-boiled-potato/) Both of these are bland by design. They don’t actually taste bad, just boring and repetitive. The nutraloaf is used in administrative punishment. The D ration was to be saved for emergencies, thus they didn’t want a tasty bar the soldiers would snack on. They will keep you alive but you’ll get bored with them very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/24 "2019-12-25T05:38:01Z")
Eggs would work, except for lack of vitamin C. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/25 "2019-12-25T06:06:15Z")
In addition to the “food as fuel” people there are a sizable number whose palates are so basic that any highly processed chunk o’garbage would do just fine–give 'em a choice of peanut butter flavor or nacho cheese and they’re good to go. I know way too many people who pretty much subsist on frozen pizza, box mac 'n cheese, chicken nuggets and french fries and that’s pretty close to soylent slop as you can get without it being printed on the wrapper. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/26 "2019-12-25T06:08:20Z")
Cecil has a column regarding the humble potato that I read years ago. If I recall correctly, potatoes with milk and occasionally oatmeal contains all nutrients we need. I’ll see if I can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/27 "2019-12-25T06:12:07Z")
[Found it.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2828/could-i-survive-on-nothing-but-potatoes-and-milk/) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/28 "2019-12-25T10:09:43Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Cecil has a column regarding the humble potato that I read years ago. If I recall correctly, potatoes with milk and occasionally oatmeal contains all nutrients we need. I’ll see if I can find it. Yeah, I was going to bring up potatoes and milk - it’s pretty near complete. As long as you’re not lactose intolerant. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/29 "2019-12-25T12:55:16Z")
I don’t think that potatoes and milk really counts. The thing about Futurama’s bachelor chow is that it is ready to eat straight out of the packet. No preparation, no utensils, no washing up is required. Anything that requires preparation doesn’t count. Potatoes require cooking. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/30 "2019-12-25T13:17:21Z")
[Plumpy Nut](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut). _The fortified peanut butter-like paste contains fats, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, proteins (as essential macronutrients), vitamins and minerals (as essential micronutrients). Peanut butter itself is a rich source of vitamin E (45% of the Daily Value, DV, in a 100 gram amount) and B vitamins (particularly niacin at 67% DV)_. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/31 "2019-12-25T13:24:55Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > [Plumpy Nut](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut). > > _The fortified peanut butter-like paste contains fats, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, proteins (as essential macronutrients), vitamins and minerals (as essential micronutrients). Peanut butter itself is a rich source of vitamin E (45% of the Daily Value, DV, in a 100 gram amount) and B vitamins (particularly niacin at 67% DV)_. From the link. > [@](#): > > Plumpy’nut is not intended for routine nutrition, or for malnutrition in non-famine situations. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/32 "2019-12-25T16:30:36Z")
Dal bhat (Lentil soup and white rice). The national dish in Nepal. Nutritionally, its a complete meal. Years ago while hiking to the Everest Base Camp in the dead of winter, there was literally nothing else available to eat along the trail. It was 10 days of strenuous hiking between Lamasongu and Namche Bazar and each little hamlet we stopped at for lunch or dinner/sleeping only had Dal Bhat to offer us. Quite tasty the first day or so, but after a week, we were almost gagging when we tried to get it down. The point being, even if you found some kind of “bachelor chow”, you would very quickly get so sick of eating it that you would be force to find other kinds of food to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/33 "2019-12-25T16:56:05Z")
Ramen, bread, and breakfast cereal would all leave you short of protein (both total and specific amino acids), and the bread and cereal would also be short of fat (not a problem that modern First Worlders usually need to worry about). But I don’t imagine that canned beef stew would be missing much of anything. It’s certainly got all the protein and fat that you need, and it probably contains enough vegetables to cover the vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/34 "2019-12-25T17:12:11Z")
Probably not enough vitamin C, which is vulnerable to heating and canned goods need to be heated pretty thoroughly to make them safe. So… canned beef stew and actual lemonade made from lemons. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/35 "2019-12-25T17:26:48Z")
I have had periods of financial shortage where I lived largely on canned rice pudding. Not every single meal, but at least one meal per day. It’s got calories, protein, minerals and vitamins. I could certainly survive for a while on nothing else. I don’t know if it would be complete nutrition in the long term. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/36 "2019-12-25T17:33:12Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/37 "2019-12-25T17:45:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ramen, bread, and breakfast cereal would all leave you short of protein … Presumably you’d eat breakfast cereal with milk, which \*does \*contain protein. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/38 "2019-12-25T18:11:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Pizza would fit the description depending on how many “toppings” are on it. Since pizza is just dough, sauce, and cheese plus “other stuff”, that “other stuff” could theoretically be anything and everything. I intermittent fast and have tried out the “one meal a day (OMAD)” option here and there. For awhile I ate nothing but pizza and suffered no ill health effects and positive body composition results. Typically I would eat one full sized supreme frozen pizza. Though I always added many vitamins/supplements and sometimes a protein drink/bar and/or candy bar for dessert. I think just about any pre-made (one “ingredient” dish as stipulated by OP) meal outside of the Soylent-ish type is going to be lacking in some nutrients. The macros (sufficient fat, protein, carbs) are easy but vitamins and minerals more difficult without adding something. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/39 "2019-12-25T18:13:57Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Presumably you’d eat breakfast cereal with milk, which \*does \*contain protein. I don’t eat cereal with milk, but I do drink it. The amount of protein in a 1/2 serving of milk (typical cereal amount) is not very much. maybe a whole box of high protein fortified cereal with milk would get you there. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350/40 "2019-12-25T18:26:32Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > In addition to the “food as fuel” people there are a sizable number whose palates are so basic that any highly processed chunk o’garbage would do just fine–give 'em a choice of peanut butter flavor or nacho cheese and they’re good to go. I know way too many people who pretty much subsist on frozen pizza, box mac 'n cheese, chicken nuggets and french fries and that’s pretty close to soylent slop as you can get without it being printed on the wrapper. 😉 that crap is so addictive! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-common-food-that-could-serve-as-bachelor-chow-or-would-be-close/845350.md?page=3)