Neil Gaiman explica CHOW (REFEIÇÃOantecessor) como:
CHOW contained spun, plaited, and woven protein molecules, capped and coded, carefully designed to be ignored by even the most ravenous digestive tract enzymes; no-cal sweeteners; mineral oils replacing vegetable oils; fibrous materials, colorings, and flavorings. The end result was a foodstuff almost indistinguishable from any other except for two things. Firstly, the price, which was slightly higher, and secondly, the nutritional content, which was roughly equivalent to that of a Sony Walkman.
Quanto a REFEIÇÕES, Ele diz:
MEALS was CHOW with added sugar and fat. The theory was that if you ate enough MEALS you would a) get very fat, and b) die of malnutrition.
Agora, eu posso entender alguém que compra CHOW porque eles podiam comer muito e ainda não engordar (Gaiman chama isso de "melhor dieta alimentar"). Mas por que eles comprariam REFEIÇÕES quando não fornece nutrição, nem reduz o peso?