Not long ago, Nature Cities published an article explaining how urban residents in China transfer the risk of heat exposure during extreme temperatures onto delivery riders by ordering takeout. The logic is simple enough to grasp, yet when faced with torrential rain or scorching heatwaves, the delivery rider is reduced…
If you visited Pu’er, Yunnan, this spring, you would have found the coffee farmers beaming with joy. The price of green coffee beans has been climbing for a year; from 38 yuan per kilogram at the start of 2024, it rose to 66 yuan per kilogram by May—a growth rate…
From the war of words between JD and Meituan over delivery riders’ social security in April, to the new regulations mandating contributions on 1 September, the working conditions of riders have come under increasing scrutiny. Yet for many riders, social security feels like a distant concept; they are consumed by…
Foodthink’s Perspective “Digital side-dishes” primarily refers to the short videos, variety shows, classic dramas, novels, and any other entertainment consumed via smartphone while eating. It is generally believed that young people, in particular, use them to alleviate the loneliness and boredom of dining alone. However, the story of “digital side-dishes”…
I.Branches Laden with Lychees Before my dad sent me photos of lychees weighing down the branches via mobile, I had never thought about going home to help sell them. My family home is in Lufeng, Guangdong Province, where we have a lychee grove of nearly one *mu*. They’ve been grown…
Preface As part of the generation born after 1990, we rode the wave of marketisation and commodification, experiencing the dazzling, kaleidoscope world they created. Unlike our parents’ generation, who were born into farming and did almost everything by hand, we have handed over most of our lives—from the clothes we…
A while ago, some people joked that McDonald’s had become like an emotionless ‘middle-aged man’—no longer brimming with childhood innocence or youthful vitality, but transformed into a lifeless canteen for corporate drudges. Yet, in truth, McDonald’s has never lacked for ‘beasts of burden’. I was surprised to find that, including…
Foodthink Says It’s time for another 618 shopping festival. After the excitement of “buy, buy, buy” and “unbox, unbox, unbox”, have you ever wondered where all that plastic packaging we’ve swept out of our homes actually goes? “Eating well” means more than just enjoying our food; it means protecting our…
I. Plastic: The Skeleton of Modern Life Can we really function in the modern world without plastic? When an American writer decided to challenge herself to spend “one whole day without touching plastic”, she quickly realised that modern life is almost impossible to navigate without it. Ten seconds after waking…
Foodthink Says Since this spring, Shaanxi has experienced its most severe drought since 1961. Combined with extreme weather such as high temperatures, strong winds, and sandstorms, these compound disasters have seriously threatened agricultural production and rural livelihoods. In May, with the support of the Oxfam Hong Kong Beijing office, Foodthink…
