Food in many cafes inside Westfield shopping malls already tastes like it has been prepared by robots, so, it is no surprise that it could be happening soon. All the ingredients in these outlets are sourced through the same supply chain companies and from the same manufacturers. Any similarities that you might be tasting in the dishes are not imagined, they are real. A robot chef cooking these ingredients into menu items, will only increase the homogeneity already occurring in an industry over mechanised and under inspired with culinary talent and imagination.
A Robot Chef Who Can Cook 2000 Meals?
People rave about technology in a childish state of amazement, as if they are looking at a toy. They do not consider the real implications in terms of disappearing jobs and increased sedentarism. Labour saving devices are killing human beings economically and, literally, in terms of their health. We have monkey bodies, a fact continuously overlooked by those who invent technological solutions to replace labour intensive activities. If we sit on our arses and just push buttons all day, we grow fat and die young. Meanwhile, our domestic robot is cooking up our tenth burger of the day, with all the trimmings.
The mechanised and robotised home chef will be making an appearance in the domestic abodes of the rich and famous shortly. Next, he or she, no, it, will be replacing short order line cooks in big establishments. Pumping out 2000 meals at fast food outlets and at large functions and events, may, indeed, be a good application of this technology. It will redefine the definition of fast food, I imagine. Food will be produced in factory style commercial kitchens on the assembly line, bon appetit.
In time, smaller and cheaper versions will be available in the kitchens of ordinary people. Testimonials will shower the internet with stories about ‘my little helper in the kitchen’ and ‘Dalek Destroys Dinner in Detroit’. Kitchen accessories will include robots to dine with for lonely people. We, actually, already have these, they are called smartphones. Vegetarian robots will whip up salads and lentil stews. Cleaning your robot will be a new task; and will it have a face of sorts? Kitchen slaves have been around for millennia and now they are about to be robotised. A robot chef who can cook 2000 meals? I’d like to see that!
