Are you becoming a Chicken ?

I had never taken Tea or coffee until I went to the university and started to stay in the hostel. That was because my mother thought drinking Tea and coffee was not good for my health and never gave me one. So when I went to college, I had the freedom to take Tea, and I started that habit, which I continue even now. I am sure many of you would have similar stories like not eating Non-vegetarian food too frequently, not eating outside food, not drinking colas, and the list can go on. What was common in all these examples? The person who decided what you eat was your well-wisher. It could be your mother, father, elder sister, or uncle.?

A couple of months ago, I went to Chennai, where I used to live twenty years ago. Then, the place was known for delicious Tamil vegetarian food. Piping hot aromatic sambar, numerous chutneys, steaming hot soft idlis, different types of vadais for morning and evening snacks and full Tamil vegetarian thali meals dominated the menu. But, during this recent visit, I was shocked that all of them were replaced by one dish called Biryani.

How did it all happen? Someone should be consciously influencing our eating habits, and we are changing unconsciously. It just wouldn't have happened without someone's conscious effort.?

Roughly six years ago, when I downloaded the food delivery apps on my mobile phone, the primary objective was to order food from my favourite restaurant in the comfort of my home. I thought it would save me a lot of time in heavy Hyderabad traffic.

However, I realised that what I eat nowadays is influenced by these apps' recommendation engines and paid Ads. How? These apps push you to eat more than you need by saying, "Add another dish to get INR 30 /- discount".?

They confuse your choice of dish you wanted to order by saying, "Do you know what a popular dish in your area is? It is Biryani". Paid Promotions go beyond your imagination. Quotes like "Biryani is not just food but is an emotion you want to experience" will make you feel that you are missing something by not eating Biryani this weekend, even if you are on a strict diet.?

The user ratings influence the choice of your restaurant. You change your mind because many people went there rather than you liked the taste in that restaurant. Sounds weird? But that's what is happening unconsciously.

They also promote Mid night food. Yes, you heard it right. You would have seen messages like, "You missed your food? Don't worry, we will serve you from mid night restaurant."?

Since the food delivery apps know what you eat, when you eat, where you live, and how much you order each time, they know everything about you. If you click on a promotion, the recommendation engine learns that you can be easily influenced. So, you will get more recommendations next time you open the apps. Or, if you have enabled notifications from these apps, you don't even need to open the apps. It will send you mobile messages like "Your favourite Biryani is available now. Order now before it is over."

So what started as just delivery apps have now begun to decide what you eat! This trend is not good for the Human race! These apps have been designed to maximise profit, not your health.?

Poultry farmers aim to make all chickens grow faster and become fatter. But unfortunately, a poultry farmer is not a well-wisher of chickens. So are you becoming a chicken unconsciously? You know the answer!

Views are personal!

Image credit:

Banner created using a free image from canva.com