The future of food
Singapore’s food culture has come a long way since our parents used to squat by drains and slurp down a 30 cent plate of char kway teow. Food delivery was already a thing back then, served by a travelling hawker who turned up on your doorstep right on schedule. My Dad even used to bring his own egg for a 5 cent discount!
These days though, there’s an app for everything – especially when it comes to food. Foodpanda and Deliveroo have completely switched up the game, allowing lazy people – like myself – to enjoy more than just pizzas and fast food without leaving the comforts of home.
And the way we consume food will only change in the future. The iPhone only became a thing 7 years ago, and look at how important smartphones have already become. With that in mind, let’s peer into our (entirely hypothetical) crystal ball, and ponder the ways ordering food will change in ~the future~.
We’ll be eating 3D printed food
From homemade braces to fully functioning guns (!), people have started printing random things ever since 3D printing became widely accessible. So it’s just a matter of time before we start printing out food. In fact, a group of researchers at NTU have already started the project, so we can all look forward to 3D printing out a nice, hot, bowl of laksa in about 15 years. No assurances that it will be better than if made with charcoal though. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
EVERYTHING will be available online, even your Bedok 85 BCM
It’s already happening now!
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With the advent of apps and subsequent abandonment of physical shop space, restaurateurs might just give up having actual restaurants in the future. Instead, everybody will just operate out of central kitchens as the line between eateries and delivery services blur. Deliveroo are already doing their best impression of an Avenger-assembling Nick Fury – trying to gather a team of restaurants into a Deliveroo-run kitchen.
Central kitchens all over the country will mean your food’s less than 30 min away!
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Even hawker centres will turn virtual as hawkers move out of their cramped homes and cook exclusively for customers waiting for their delivery at home. We can finally order from both restaurants and hawker centres and throw them into one single order. Yay choices!
No more queueing – drones will deliver food to wherever you are!
Pizzacopters will finally become a real thing. Sure, we’re not quite expecting slices of melty Hawaiian to just float into our mouths (yet), but delivery by air is still pretty darn cool. Just imagine: instead of the deliveryman being stuck in a massive jam on the CTE, drones will just appear outside the window of your HDB like a slightly more welcome version of an overzealous stalker.
Now, we just have to figure out a way to stop allowing drones to bump into things.
Food profiles for every. single. person.
Picky eaters will finally be able to customise their order without having to repeatedly fill in that tiny box labeled “Remarks”. All thanks to food profiles.
In the future, we’ll all have a food account each, detailing each of our dietary limitations, preferences, and even allergies, all in the name of making food uniquely customisable. You’ll finally no longer have to sheepishly reveal your penchant for soggy fries or risk anaphylactic shock by accidentally popping a peanut – the food profile will take care of that.
That’s right, no more having to do that “upsize more salt on fries no pickles drink sprite” rap every time you visit McDonald’s.
You will never forget to eat clean again
The profile will also have a record of everything you’ve ever eaten, which means it’ll also be able to tell you how your meals are lacking in certain nutrients, and suggest methods to improve your diet. Forgetting to eat that salad will never happen again.
As a special feature, the profile will even remember to switch to a low-carb diet at the start of every year – but only for 2 weeks, as dat New Year Determination inevitably erodes.
BONUS: What retail will be like in 2030
VR trying on clothes before buying them online
A long time ago, back when she still cared about my well-being, my mother would scold me for sitting too near the TV. “YOU’RE DESTROYING YOUR EYES”, she exclaimed into my ears. These days though, VR requires users to place screens right in front of their eyeballs, so I guess we now know who’s right, Mom.
Maybe do this from the privacy of home next time?
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No need to physically head down to a store and try an item out for size before heading home and ordering the same piece online anymore, because VR will change all that! We’ll get to try on clothes and see how they fit us before deciding to buy them. It’s kinda like The Sims, except you’re the Sim now. Giant green plumbobs sold separately.
Ordering food will never be easier
Technology has made the way we live our daily lives already very different from the way our parents ever did. From meals to groceries to clothes, almost everything we need in daily life can be ordered online.
And with tech heavyweights like Mark Zuckerberg throwing their weight behind AI and VR systems, we’re expecting our lives to become even more convenient by 2030. To facilitate this shift towards a futuristic workforce, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been working hard behind the scenes, nudging businesses to incorporate the latest technology.
From now till 9 July 2016, MTI’s holding the We Are InDIYpendent #DIYChampions Competition to find the ultimate DIY champion: someone forward-thinking who uses DIY services such as self-checkout kiosks in supermarkets or automated machines. Basically, that’s anyone who believes that the future is now. Click here to check out the competing DIY Champions and follow their progress on MTI’s FB page here.
Giveaway time!
Prove that you’re an InDIYpendent Singaporean and win 5 x $50 Genki Sushi vouchers! All you’ll have to do is:
Follow these 2 simple steps to win:
- Like and share THIS post
- Share with us in the comments on the above post on how technology has made life more flexible.
Contest ends 15 July 2016. The most creative entries will win. Good luck!
This post was brought to you by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.