Begin at the Beginning

"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - Alice in Wonderland

One State 
http://www.foresightinhindsight.com/article/show/280 

In accordance with Lewis Carroll's very own dystopia, my opening post will be examining the novel that is believed to be the first of its kind, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. We is recognised as an essential work in the construction of dystopian genre, as well as being an iconic work of science fiction. Yet, food is not a key theme in Zamyatin's totalitarian world, in fact far from it. Throughout the length of the novel he barely touches on the subject of food, making references to the protagonist eating only twice. Once, at the start of the novel we are introduced to the 'petroleum food' (22) prescribed by One State to every number, which immediately implies that food is seen as merely a necessity for the sustainability of human life, such as oil with a machine, rather than a pleasurable or social experience, which is reinforced by One State's moto "Love and hunger rule the world." (21)

Petroleum - Food or Fuel
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/
childrens-snacks-petroleum/ 

Furthermore, D-503 comments that the chemical composition of bread is unknown to them in this future world, suggesting that food is an instrument in the theme of censorship; with a lack of literature, D-503 even expresses that he cannot decide if a banana is edible. Additionally, Zamyatin uses food to reinforce the motif of mechanisation, with every number eating simultaneously and completing the compulsory "fifty statutory chews for each mouthful." (99) This required regime for eating enforces the idea of lack of individuality and freedom in the dystopia. Each number is reduced to nothing more than a replaceable cog in the larger One State machine.

In conclusion, We indicates that food was seen as an aside during the birth of the dystopia, implemented only as a mandatory component of fiction to bolster underlying arguments and themes.

Bibliography
Carrol, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London: Ostrich Books, 2015. Print.
Zamyatin, Yevgeny. We. London: Penguin Classics, 1993. Print.