"I was sitting here, meditating on the Tao of takeout, when it struck me: Hong Kong is becoming a nation of delivery disciples! We’re so busy ordering our dim sum via app that we've forgotten the real meaning of life: finding a good parking space near a decent dumpling house!"
(Mr. Tang唐君毅先生, if he were alive and equipped with a smartphone, would undoubtedly shake his head sadly.)
"It's not just the food, you see. It’s the everything. We’re outsourcing our hunger, our cravings, our very connection to the culinary arts! Soon, our only experience with food will be the sound of a scooter beeping outside our door. Where is the art of eating? Gone! Replaced by the art of the rating – five stars, one-word comment: 'MSG!'"
"My friend, the butcher, used to sell meat to the restaurants. Now, he says, everyone is ordering from cloud kitchen, there are so few customers that he is ready to retire. I told him 'butcher's don't retire, they just fade away.'"
"And what of our cultural heritage? We should be eating with family, sharing stories, and discussing ancient philosophy. But no! We are all alone, huddled over a glowing screen, watching the delivery driver slowly approach on the map like some sort of digital deity, bringing us salvation in a polystyrene box. I tell you, if Confucius saw this he would order dumplings and meditate!''
"The kids today, they wouldn't know a wok from a walk-in closet. They think the only way to experience Chinese culture is through an app! It’s an outrage! They are eating away Hong Kong's culture, one delivery at a time!''
“And the delivery driver. He gets nothing! His pay is awful, his car is breaking down, and he is risking life and limb to bring me the food. He is the modern-day coolie! And for what? So I don’t have to get up from the couch? The shame!"
"Therefore, I urge you. Put down the phone! Leave the apartment! Talk to your neighbor! Learn to cook! Rediscover the joy of human connection! (Unless your neighbor is really annoying, in which case, go ahead and order the takeout, but feel guilty about it.)"
"And if, as you eat your delivery, think about what you have done. Did you lose your inner compass? Your understanding of self-worth? Your connection to what makes us all human? Or did you just get hungry? The answer, I think, is best served with a side of introspection."
"Now, if you’ll excuse me, I'm off to find a real restaurant. One with actual tables, real people, and maybe even a fortune cookie that doesn’t advertise a discount code."
(Mr. Tang 唐君毅先生, wherever he is, probably just sighs and pours another cup of tea.)
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