The food delivery revolution - 6 Minute English
Summary
TLDRThe 6 Minute English episode explores the revolution in takeaway food, driven by the rise of delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat. The pandemic has seen a surge in demand for home-delivered meals, with a variety of cuisines available worldwide. The episode delves into 'dark kitchens,' virtual restaurants that cater exclusively to delivery, ensuring dishes are designed for travel. The trend raises concerns about the loss of basic cooking skills, suggesting that cooking may become a hobby rather than a necessity. The show concludes with a quiz revealing Hawaiian Poke bowls as Deliveroo's most ordered dish.
Takeaways
- 🍽️ The popularity of takeaway food has surged due to the convenience of food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat.
- 🌐 A wide variety of dishes and styles from around the world are now available for delivery, expanding beyond traditional options like pizza and curries.
- 🏠 With cafes and pubs closed during lockdowns, many food chains and restaurants have shifted to delivery-only services to cater to those in isolation.
- 📈 Takeaway companies have seen a dramatic increase in orders as people are spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- 🍔 The most ordered dish on Deliveroo last year was Hawaiian Poke bowls, reflecting changing tastes in takeaway options.
- 🏡 'Dark kitchens' are digital, delivery-only restaurants that operate without waiters, tables, or diners, focusing solely on preparing high-quality dishes for delivery.
- 👨🍳 Chef Anton Soulier's Taster is an example of a 'dark kitchen' operation, managing twelve kitchens in London, Paris, and Madrid.
- 🛵 Delivery by bike has become a significant factor in how food is prepared and presented, influencing the types of dishes that are popular for takeaway.
- 🍲 There is a concern that the rise in takeaways and delivery-only food could lead to a decline in basic cooking skills among the population.
- 🔮 The trend of eating out and takeaways may continue to grow, potentially shifting cooking at home from a daily necessity to a hobby or leisure activity.
Q & A
Who are the hosts of the 6 Minute English episode?
-The hosts are Neil and Georgina.
What is a 'poke bowl' mentioned in the conversation?
-A poke bowl is a Hawaiian dish that typically includes raw fish, rice, and various vegetables and toppings.
What significant change in takeaway food is discussed in the episode?
-The episode discusses the explosion of food delivery apps and the rise of a wide range of food dishes being available for delivery.
What are 'dark kitchens'?
-'Dark kitchens' are delivery-only restaurants where chefs cook in kitchens without waiters, tables, or diners, preparing dishes solely for delivery.
What was Deliveroo's most ordered dish last year according to the episode?
-Deliveroo's most ordered dish last year was Hawaiian Poke bowls.
How have cafes and pubs adapted during lockdown according to the episode?
-Many cafes and pubs have switched to delivery-only services to bring meals to people who are isolating.
What concern is raised about the increase in takeaways?
-The concern is that people are losing basic cooking skills due to the increase in takeaways and delivery-only food.
What does Anton Soulier predict about the future of home cooking?
-Anton Soulier predicts that in the future, cooking at home may become a weekend hobby rather than a daily necessity.
What does the term 'dog's dinner' mean as used in the episode?
-The term 'dog's dinner' is an informal way to say something that looks messy or has been very badly done.
What trend does the episode suggest might happen in the future regarding kitchens?
-The episode suggests that in the future, people might not have kitchens as they rely more on takeaways and delivery-only food.
Outlines
🍽️ Takeaway Food Revolution and Dark Kitchens
The first paragraph introduces the topic of the 6 Minute English podcast, highlighting the growing trend of takeaway food and the impact of food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat. It discusses the variety of food options now available for home delivery and the shift towards delivery-only services due to the closure of cafes and pubs during lockdowns. The script mentions the increase in takeaway orders during the coronavirus pandemic and introduces a quiz question about Deliveroo's most ordered dish. It also explains the concept of 'dark kitchens,' which are delivery-only restaurants without a physical dining presence, and profiles Taster, one of the pioneers in this space, founded by former Deliveroo employee Anton Soulier. The paragraph concludes with a visit to a Taster kitchen by BBC Radio 4's Sheila Dillon to understand the design of delivery-oriented meals.
🚴♂️ The Future of Cooking and Virtual Restaurants
The second paragraph continues the discussion on the changing landscape of food consumption, focusing on the rise of virtual restaurants and the implications for home cooking. It emphasizes how the quality of dishes for delivery has become a critical factor, with chefs creating recipes that maintain taste and texture during transit. The paragraph uses the phrase 'dog's dinner' to describe the undesirable outcome of meals that do not hold up well during delivery. It also touches on the concern that the convenience of takeaways and delivery services might lead to a loss of basic cooking skills among people, as suggested by Taster's boss Anton. The script ends with a reflection on the potential future where cooking could become a hobby rather than a daily necessity, and wraps up the podcast with a playful connection to other leisure activities like cycling and learning English.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Takeaway Food
💡Food Delivery Apps
💡Poke Bowl
💡Dark Kitchens
💡Delivery-Only Services
💡Coronavirus Pandemic
💡Virtual Restaurants
💡Designed for Delivery
💡Dog's Dinner
💡Underlying Trend
💡Hobby
Highlights
The explosion of food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat has revolutionized takeaway food, with a wide range of dishes and styles from around the world now being delivered to people's homes.
With cafes and pubs closed during lockdown, more food chains and restaurants are switching to delivery-only services to cater to people isolating at home.
Takeaway companies have seen orders increase dramatically as people find themselves stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Deliveroo's most ordered dish last year was Hawaiian Poke bowls, reflecting changing tastes in takeaway food.
The increasing popularity of takeaways has led to the rise of 'dark kitchens' - delivery-only restaurants with chefs cooking in kitchens without waiters, tables, or diners.
Dark kitchens like Taster prepare high-quality dishes designed to travel well, ensuring they retain their quality and don't end up looking messy upon delivery.
Taster, one of the first dark kitchen operations, now operates twelve kitchens catering to customers in London, Paris, and Madrid.
The rise of virtual restaurants and dark kitchens is shaping modern eating habits, with delivery playing a significant role in how food is prepared and presented.
Some are concerned that the increase in takeaways and delivery-only food options is leading to a decline in basic cooking skills among people.
Taster boss Anton notes a trend where cooking may become a weekend hobby rather than a daily necessity, as people increasingly rely on takeaways.
The transcript discusses the underlying trend of people choosing takeaways over home-cooked meals, which may become more apparent in the future.
The transcript highlights the strong influence of recent developments like high-quality restaurant meals being delivered by bike on modern eating habits.
Cooking at home may soon become just a hobby, an activity done in spare time for pleasure or relaxation, as takeaways and delivery services continue to grow in popularity.
The transcript concludes by emphasizing the importance of happy cooking and learning English as hobbies that can be enjoyed alongside the convenience of takeaways.
Transcripts
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgina. I'm going to order
some takeaway food, Neil,
do you want anything?
Maybe a pizza? Fish and chips?
Indian curry?
Hmmm, takeaway food to eat at home -
that's a great idea. Yes,
I'll have a poke bowl,
please.
What's that? It doesn't sound like
typical takeaway food.
It is nowadays, Georgina! Over
the last few years the explosion
of food delivery apps
like Deliveroo and Just Eat has seen
a revolution in takeaway food.
Today it's not just pizza
and curries being delivered to people's
front door - there's a wide range
of food dishes
and styles from around the world.
And with cafes and pubs closed during
lockdown, more and more
food chains and restaurants
are switching to delivery-only services -
takeaways - to bring meals
to people who are isolating.
Over the last few weeks many takeaway
companies have seen orders
increase dramatically as
people find themselves stuck at home
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But what are they
choosing to eat? That's my quiz question
for today, Georgina - last year
what was Deliveroo's
most ordered dish? Was it:
a) Hawaiian Poke bowls?
b) Cheeseburgers?
or, c) Chicken burritos?
I would have thought it was 'fish and
chips', but I'll go with b) Cheeseburgers.
OK, we'll find out later if you were right.
One consequence of
the increasing popularity
of takeaways is something called
'dark kitchens'. Unlike apps such
as Deliveroo and Just Eat
which connect customers to local
takeaways, these digital 'dark kitchens'
work as just-for-delivery
restaurants. Inside, chefs cook in
kitchens without waiters, tables or
diners, preparing
high-quality dishes ready for delivery
straight to your home.
One of the first 'dark kitchen' operations,
Taster, was started by chef Anton Soulier
who in 2013 was working for Deliveroo
when it was just a tiny company
operating only
in London. Now he's in charge of twelve
kitchens catering for
customers in London, Paris and
Madrid.
Sheila Dillon of BBC Radio 4's The Food
Programme went to the
Bethnal Green area of east London
find out more.
When you go on the Taster website the
restaurant names are virtual,
all of them sold as 'designed
for delivery' by Taster. What that means is
all the menus, drawn up by
serious chefs are
designed to travel well, chosen so they'll
be warm, retain their texture
and won't look
like a dog's dinner when they come off
the back of a bike. So strangely
the delivery,
the bike, has become
a shaper of the foods we eat.
All the restaurants on Taster are virtual
- existing online and
created by computers
to appear like the real thing.
Chefs cook the dishes using recipes
and ingredients designed to
travel well - be transported a
long way without being damaged or their
quality being spoiled.
That's to avoid the takeaway food ending
up like a dog's dinner - an informal
way to say
something that looks messy or
has been very badly done.
Usually the takeaways are transported
in a box on the back of a
delivery cyclist who
rushes them from the kitchen to the
customer's home. It's a very
modern way of eating, which
Sheila thinks has become a shaper of the
foods we eat - meaning that
it has a strong influence
on how a situation develops.
However some are worried that the
increase in takeaways and
delivery-only food means
people are losing basic cooking skills.
It's something that Taster boss
Anton has noted too.
There is a strong underlying trend that
maybe, in twenty, thirty years people
won't have
kitchens - and it's already happening in
the US for example. I love cooking,
it's one of
my passions but I'm rarely doing it -
occasionally on Sundays and everything as
it's almost going to become a
weekend hobby.
People choosing to eat takeaways
instead of cooking at home
has become an underlying trend
- a general development in how people
behave which is real but
not immediately obvious.
And in the future, cooking at home may
even switch from being a
daily necessity to a hobby
- an activity someone does in
their spare time for pleasure or relaxation.
I do enjoy tucking into a takeaway
sometimes but personally
I couldn't survive without
my kitchen, Neil.
Ah, but could you survive without
Deliveroo? Remember in
today's quiz question I asked
you what Deliveroo's most ordered dish was.
I said b) Cheeseburgers.
But the correct answer was
a) Hawaiian Poke bowls - a Hawaiian
version of sushi.
Now that's something
I couldn't cook at home!
Today we've been discussing the
revolution in takeaways
and home-delivered food which
in recent years has become an underlying
trend - a general development
in how people behave,
or in this case, eat.
Another trend has been the creation of
virtual restaurants - online restaurants
which look
like the real thing but exist
only on the internet.
Chefs create dishes using ingredients
which travel well - can be
transported a long way
without being damaged or spoiled.
That's so the customer doesn't
end up with a dog's dinner
- an informal expression meaning
something messy or badly done.
Recent developments like high-quality
restaurant meals being delivered
by bike are shapers
of modern eating - things that have
a strong influence on how
a situation develops.
All of which means that cooking may
soon become just a hobby - an
activity someone does in
their spare time for pleasure or relaxation,
for example cycling...
...or learning English.
That's all we have time for today.
Happy cooking and goodbye for now!
Bye!
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