Endless soybeans
Posted by Dan on Apr 26th, 2008
2008
Apr 26
I’m not fond of soybeans, but I do like peanuts, and I do find it satisfying to open the shells. But I eat the peanuts, and I open the shells in order to eat the peanuts. I don’t eat the peanuts because I like to open the shells.
There is something perverse about separating an activity from its reward, and offering people a fake activity without the reward. It’s like teaching Pavlov’s dog to ring his own bell.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I should note that in Japan soybeans are a frequent accompaniment to meals and more often to drinking booze. They are cooked (boiled or steamed) and then eaten cold with a little salt. One eats them much as in the video. When I first tried them, I popped them into my mouth by holding them the long way, so only one pops out at a time. The proper way is to hold them sideways and pop two, three, or four in the mouth at the same time. They are actually quite tasty and this facet may add an additional Pavlovian reinforcement to the plastic substitutes (I don’t know, I haven’t tried the plastic ones and don’t intend to. I’ll stick to bubble wrap.)
For the curious in Honolulu, you can find these (real) soybean treats in many markets. But stay away from the garlic flavored ones in Foodland, they suck.