Futurists and visionaries have always been fascinated with food pills, sterile pre-cooked all-in-one meals and even 3D printed burgers ...
Futurists and visionaries have always been fascinated with food pills, sterile pre-cooked all-in-one meals and even 3D printed burgers that maximizes factory-like efficiency and convenience in the way we consume food. Molecular gastronomy is now a hip new way of cooking and serving food. It's a novel concept and there is now a growing trend when food is made in laboratories rather than conventional kitchens.
The use of pneumatic tubes as an efficient delivery system is nothing new. In a 1935 issue of the "Ladies Home Journal," it envisioned a vast system of pneumatic tubes connected into a central lab that would churn out ready-cooked meals that would be sent through every single home in the city. It is widely believed that in the future, no one will be cooking anymore as these food laboratories would by supplying food cheaper than cooking for yourself. All you have to do is to press a button on the type of food you want to eat and your food would reach you in minutes with all the proper accouterments. After you eat, you just have to send the packaging and utensils so it can be chemically clean and sterilized. Since the have not envisioned the Internet and online shopping yet, you will receive in your mail all the store purchases you made via pneumatic tube.
Interestingly, laws are imposed so that even shopkeepers can't tamper that sealed food capsule or sell it if it's not well secured. Selling of "stale or adulterated produce" is prohibited. There is no need to worry about contaminated food as everything is preserved using liquid-air refrigerators.
The lasting legacy of pneumatic delivery hasn't gone away altogether as some cities are using pneumatic tubes to dispose of trash. In fact, the Foodtubes Project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transferring much of the UK's deliveries from trucks on the roads to underground tubes. Some restaurants have applied it so that it minimize food waste and effectively maintain a reliable food ordering system.
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