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As an addendum to what I wrote, I think a lot of societies (especially the few healthier western countries) who count themselves lucky to have avoided the cultu

As an addendum to what I wrote, I think a lot of societies (especially the few healthier western countries) who count themselves lucky to have avoided the cultural underpinnings that led to American-style obesity have not yet begun to comprehend what widespread on-demand food delivery will do to their national health.

boringg 5y ago
Maybe but I will counter with the cost of on-demand food is not as financially accessible as you would think. As one data point our family has pretty much stopped using the services because of how much of a mark-up you pay.
long_time_gone 5y ago
Might those same cultural underpinnings impact their adoption and usage of on-demand delivery?
- unfocussed_mike 5y ago
  I don't know; I wonder if anyone knows. After all, the USA was once a country of broad, healthy outdoorsy types, and that health pattern carried on well into metropolitan living, well into the late seventies. And then the "TV dinner" approach was all dinners, and along came higher and higher calorie snacks. Americans became substantially less healthy in less than two decades. Through convenience shopping. The same thing happened to the British at only a slightly smaller scale, and slightly later.
the-dude 5y ago
As a Western European who has lived in the US for a short while around 2000, I feel the battle is already lost. Rising obesity in kids is observed but no link is made. All the while I have seen my country 'Americanizing' in the last 20 years : more McDs etc, now the food delivery guys and McDs now delivers to your home too ( unfanthomable! ) It is not the US style what sells it : it is convenience. Convenience sells.
brimble 5y ago
On-demand food delivery is for people with lots of disposable income. It's really expensive. You get pick-up otherwise. At least in the US. Maybe it's different in Europe. $4+ per diner delivery markup (increased base food price, delivery fee, tip) will keep it from being a widespread problem. This is like worrying that meal ingredient delivery services will make lots of people more sedentary because they won't walk to the grocery store—no, it won't, because not many people can afford those services.

boringg 5y ago

Maybe but I will counter with the cost of on-demand food is not as financially accessible as you would think. As one data point our family has pretty much stopped using the services because of how much of a mark-up you pay.

long_time_gone 5y ago

Might those same cultural underpinnings impact their adoption and usage of on-demand delivery?

unfocussed_mike 5y ago
I don't know; I wonder if anyone knows. After all, the USA was once a country of broad, healthy outdoorsy types, and that health pattern carried on well into metropolitan living, well into the late seventies. And then the "TV dinner" approach was all dinners, and along came higher and higher calorie snacks. Americans became substantially less healthy in less than two decades. Through convenience shopping. The same thing happened to the British at only a slightly smaller scale, and slightly later.

the-dude 5y ago

As a Western European who has lived in the US for a short while around 2000, I feel the battle is already lost. Rising obesity in kids is observed but no link is made. All the while I have seen my country 'Americanizing' in the last 20 years : more McDs etc, now the food delivery guys and McDs now delivers to your home too ( unfanthomable! ) It is not the US style what sells it : it is convenience. Convenience sells.

brimble 5y ago

On-demand food delivery is for people with lots of disposable income. It's really expensive. You get pick-up otherwise. At least in the US. Maybe it's different in Europe. $4+ per diner delivery markup (increased base food price, delivery fee, tip) will keep it from being a widespread problem. This is like worrying that meal ingredient delivery services will make lots of people more sedentary because they won't walk to the grocery store—no, it won't, because not many people can afford those services.