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It's funny the way things have panned out vs. the 1950s suburban utopia. Gender-wise, ladies are out working, and cooking is now for anyone. Architecturally, many houses no longer have a traditionally segregated kitchen, they instead have a shared kitchen-living space. Increasingly, many houses also no longer have a formal dining table. It is clear that in future many houses will not have any kitchen at all, instead just a sink and prep area within the living space. These changes parallel macro-trends such as reduction in family unit size, increase in rent vs own, and aging populations, which are valid across many cultures in Asia as well as the west. Recently we've seen a huge amount of money thrown in to the commodification of last-mile delivery for ready-to-eat foods globally, as well as a COVID-concentrated invest-fest in rapid groceries. Both are hitting limits. Perhaps the future is autonomous food prep, retail and delivery, because future, post-millenial, mobile and short-term-renting consumers may have reduced cooking skills, see appliance ownership as a drag, can't be bothered planning ahead for groceries for a household of 1-3, and don't own a car. Eventually cooking your own meal from scratch will be like building your own furniture: a quaint hobby for well-resourced enthusiasts. RIP, kitchen. |