“Digital Side Dishes”: Young People’s “Antidote to Loneliness”?

Foodthink Says

“Digital pickled greens” primarily refers to the short videos, variety shows, classic dramas, novels, and indeed any entertainment content accessed via smartphone while eating. It is widely believed, particularly among younger generations, that this digital accompaniment serves to relieve the loneliness and boredom of dining alone.

Yet the story behind “digital pickled greens” runs much deeper. In this edition of Foodthink’s “Eat Something Good” series, readers offer richer, more vivid descriptions of the phenomenon, revealing perspectives that are at times quite conflicted and contradictory.

One reader noted that the very desire to enjoy a proper meal is precisely what necessitates “digital pickled greens” to add a sense of “flavour” to the experience. Others, however, point out that this digital accompaniment does not necessarily help dispel negative emotions. On the contrary, it may leave one’s state of mind deteriorating, or even cause the authentic taste of the food to be overlooked entirely.

A further perspective suggests we need not be overly critical of this reliance, given its strong connection to shifting lifestyles and emotional landscapes. Some readers even shared reflections on how they feel when navigating more positive circumstances without needing this digital crutch. This echoes sentiments expressed by readers in the second instalment of “Eat Something Good” regarding “How to eat when you’re not ordering takeaway”.

Whether one develops a dependency on “digital pickled greens” may not strike anyone as an urgent concern. Yet research teams have already found that becoming absorbed in devices during meals can increase total calorie intake by 15 per cent, and may also lead to gastric dysfunction, indigestion, and nutritional imbalances. Perhaps, then, it is time to take this phenomenon seriously and ask: in a modern society where loneliness and constant acceleration coexist, what does it truly mean to “eat properly”? And how might we actually achieve it?

The Loneliness of Dining Alone

Increasingly, more people are growing accustomed to eating by themselves, making “digital pickled greens” the default “antidote” against the loneliness and boredom that can accompany a solitary meal. Classic series and popular variety shows, alongside the scrolling on-screen comments (*danmu*) from viewers across the country, have become the swiftest means of staying connected to the wider world whilst navigating a lonely daily routine.

@Cheese: Even when I’m alone, I still want to sit down and eat properly, which is precisely why I find myself mindlessly scrolling through my phone. Back in childhood, family meals were always a joy. But after growing up and moving to a big city for work, eating became an afterthought. Still, I can’t just abandon my desire for a decent meal—I can’t simply sit there in silence and finish everything by myself. That would make me feel like a zombie. Once, I had just opened my takeaway when my phone battery died. My rented room only had a power socket by the bed, so I quietly sat there waiting for it to charge to 15%, just to guarantee I could finish my meal while watching a video. The wait was agonising. I simultaneously started searching for something to watch alongside my food. By the time I could actually start eating, half an hour had passed and the meal had gone a bit cold.

@Xiao Zhao: I usually watch for anywhere between half an hour and an hour—dramas, variety shows, and videos on Bilibili. Just eating is rather dull; I need a bit of sound and visual stimulation. And for someone living alone, it stops the room from feeling so empty.

◉ Recommended variety shows to watch while eating, as seen on Xiaohongshu. Image source: Xiaohongshu screenshot.

@Shanshan:A digital side dish enriches the small details of solo meals and daily life. Finding a good one especially brings a real sense of happiness.

@Yeye:I tend to watch video recaps or series analyses. If I’m currently caught up on a show, I’ll watch that, for at least forty minutes. It’s mostly about the pleasure of it—the sense of companionship it brings. It makes me look forward to meals and turns the whole experience into something joyful. Back in the dorms at lunchtime, we’d all happily get our takeaway, pick our own mealtime videos, and then quietly eat while watching.

@LTT:Whether I watch a digital side dish depends on whether I’m eating alone. Left to my own devices, I’d eat at lightning speed, wolfing it down like an animal (though, biologically speaking, I suppose I am one). It’s all too easy to spend two hours cooking carefully, only to finish in ten minutes. Eating too fast leaves me uncomfortably stuffed. Watching these videos forces me to slow down. With a TV episode running just over forty minutes, I know I’ll take at least thirty to eat.

@Dengxia :I eat with my family when I’m home on break, but term time means dining solo. If the food lives up to my expectations and I’m in a good headspace, I’ll put the phone away. If not, I need a digital side dish to get me through it.

@Kandy:I certainly don’t need it when dining with family, colleagues, or managers. But when I’m on my own, I rely on it for almost every lunch and dinner. I split my time evenly between reading articles and watching videos, usually just following Bilibili’s algorithmic recommendations. I watch whatever catches my interest, mostly light and unpretentious content. It’s simply because eating alone can be tedious, so I pop on some videos to pass the time.

@Huaguoyuanzi:It eases loneliness and serves as a pastime.There’s one more thing: a digital side dish is my fastest shortcut to staying connected with the world while I eat.

◉Many who settle in front of the screen with their chosen “digital side dish” will use the scrolling comments to share what they’re eating that day. Image source: Bilibili video screenshot

@楠崽: Once I start, I usually can’t stop. I’ll go from propped up at the table to lying in bed, watching through till dawn, haha. Whether I’m watching dramas, variety shows, or the occasional mukbang, it gives a sense of companionship, a feeling that time has slowed down, and reminds me of hiding at home after school to watch anime back in the day.

When the Tyranny of Efficiency Invades Mealtime

Sometimes, people consume “electronic sauerkraut” simply hoping to squeeze in a bit more entertainment or even knowledge during meal breaks amidst a hectic work-life pace. Eating is no longer just about the act of eating itself; it has become precious time that must be efficiently utilised.

@ph: There was a period when work pressure was incredibly high. As soon as I’d got my meal, I’d feel a restless urge to fire up Douyin, and if I could pair it with an ice-cold Coke, it would be absolute bliss. Every time I find myself in that headspace, I’m reminded of George Gissing’s depiction of 19th-century British workers in The Nether World: “People rush out of the factories, driven by a keen pragmatism to make the most of those few hours, as though only during this window are they truly living for themselves.” I suspect people today are much the same, if not worse. At least leisure used to be purely leisure; now, the tyranny of efficiency from the workplace is beginning to bleed into our personal lives too.

◉ *The Nether World* is widely regarded as the finest of British novelist George Gissing’s works. The story revolves around several impoverished families living in 19th-century London slums, focusing on the various hardships faced by the lower classes—financial deprivation, unemployment, and the lack of decent living conditions.

@辞镜： It’s mainly about saving time by using mealtime to do things I’m interested in.

@KL： If I just eat on my own, I get this inexplicable sense of “emptiness”. A lot of it stems from being accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle where I’m constantly multitasking. I’m actually a fast eater, too; by myself, I can finish a meal in five to ten minutes. The moment I put down my cutlery, I’m hit with a sense of urgency, thinking, “Right, time to figure out what’s next.” Watching videos while I eat stretches out the meal and gives my brain a fresh buzz, leaving me with a feeling of having gotten extra value for my time.

@青梦： I’m not keen on the shallow, hastily churned-out content on Weibo, Douyin, or Kuaishou, so I tend to curate what I watch: variety shows, dramas, documentaries, and podcasts, mostly from iQiyi, Mango TV, and Bilibili. I also pick things according to my mood (particularly when I’m down with period cramps or just feeling unwell, I’ll go for a comedy to balance things out). I consider consuming “digital pickles” an efficient use of fragmented time, as well as a personal process of broad exposure and steady accumulation. Those couple of hours act as a brief reset for focused information gathering and keeping a slice of entertainment in my life. Besides, it doesn’t interfere with my deep reading at other times, nor does it stop me from connecting with real people offline for long, proper conversations when we actually meet.

@Teresa： I usually stick to a handful of specific creators and shuffle through their videos, whether I’ve seen them before or not. I need background noise. It feels as though if I don’t watch videos while I eat, I simply won’t have any other time for proper leisure.

@糟糟： When it comes to anime, I usually stick to comfort shows without intense action or fighting. It’s similar for films and TV series, probably because I naturally gravitate towards things that are interesting, fantastical, or carry deeper meaning. There was a period when I’d watch *Family Guy* at every meal. Just eating can feel a bit dull; it’s as if there’s a void during mealtimes meant for enjoyment, so I fill it in. Alternatively, maybe when I’m just focusing on eating, the absence of content becomes unbearable, and the idleness only amplifies my anxiety?

@Hodel： I tend to watch a set of specific channels and creators, mostly featuring rural life, gardening, or food and travel content. The videos are quite short; they’re purely a brief escape from the monotony of work.

◉ One of the defining traits of ‘electronic pickled mustard greens’ is that they must be easy to slip into, allowing the mind to quickly detach from reality. Image source: screenshot from a Douyin video

@Shanshan: Days are so draining that I’ve come to reserve mealtimes just for watching videos. I’ll catch up on Korean dramas I haven’t finished, watch my favourite Bilibili creators, and dip into light educational cultural programmes, documentaries, and stand-up comedy. I steer clear of short-form videos, though, as they lack immersion. I usually watch through the whole meal, and if a video is particularly good, I’ll delay washing up for ages. Sometimes I’ll even chip away at my lunch break just for the simple joy of watching a little longer.

@Mahua: I prefer Western sitcoms, usually series I’ve watched many times over. I rarely start a new show during meals, though I do tackle marathon runs like *Law & Order*. I avoid shows with overt ideological bias that might offend me (such as many early Western series with clear colonialist undertones or white male-centrism), leaning instead towards harmless, feel-good comfort shows. I basically never watch anything demanding serious concentration during meals; eating is a rare opportunity to truly switch off.

Quenching Thirst on Screen

For fans of mukbangs and food videos, ‘electronic pickled mustard greens’ can even serve as a meal substitute.

@Wang Dingyi: I typically watch for anywhere between ten minutes and an hour, depending on a number of factors. My current digital side dish is Peach Blossom Pavilion Season 5. Previously, I was keen on food variety shows such as Three Meals a Day, Wild Kitchen, and Back to Field. The most important thing I look for in a digital side dish is the immersive quality of long-form video. The dopamine from the food, paired with the immersive companionship from the screen, gives me a double dose of satisfaction. My meal might not literally taste any better, but the overall five-sense experience of dining is significantly enriched.

@Hua Guo Yuanzi: I’m open to anything—music, films, novels. When I’m feeling down, I listen to high-energy tracks that pump me up like a shot of adrenaline and bring me back to life. If I’ve lost my appetite, watching beautifully presented food clips will coax me into eating a few extra bites.

@KL: I like to watch mukbangs, or lighthearted content like roasting segments and reality shows. Watching food videos largely acts as a way to allay cravings through fantasy—akin to a digital cheat meal. While watching, my mind and mouth feel like they’re in two entirely different places, haha.

◉ Food has become a highly popular niche category in variety shows. The image is a screenshot from the recently popular food show *One Meal to Immortality*. Source: *One Meal to Immortality*

Eating Has Reduced to Mere Chewing

Yet some readers note that watching videos does not actually make meals more enjoyable. Instead, it causes them to overlook the food’s true flavour, reducing eating to mere chewing and even making their dishes seem utterly bland.

@Hina: I usually watch while waiting for my food to arrive. Once eating begins, it depends on the situation—anywhere from a few minutes to several tens. I rarely watch variety shows because they are too noisy; I’d rather follow a drama series or watch an interview programme, preferably with a warm, gentle tone. These videos generally offer a sort of substitute companionship. However, they do not make the food taste any better; in fact, they distract from the meal, which is hardly healthy.

@Wang Dingyi: Sometimes, a screen-side companion can even make one’s own food taste completely bland.

@zoe: I mostly watch sitcoms, such as IT Crowd and Frasier. The main reason is that my home-cooked meals aren’t particularly tasty, so I don’t feel the need to savour the flavours. Watching a show while eating shifts my attention away from what I’ve cooked. The plots are engaging, but they certainly don’t make the food taste better.

@Meng: Videos tend to make us tune out the taste experience entirely, and before we know it, the meal is finished.

@Wang Wei: At lunchtime, when I look around, almost everyone is scrolling through their phones and watching short-form dramas. They seem quite happy, as though this is a rare window for relaxation. To me, these videos seem to make them completely forget the taste of their food. Eating becomes a subconscious reflex. It’s purely about chewing, which is incredibly rude to the food itself.

@Shan Shan: Watching videos while eating offers an immersive sense of joy and helps relieve life’s pressures. Though it doesn’t enhance the flavour of the meal, I still find myself relying on it.

“Feeling Like I Might Be a Bit Dead”

While ‘screen-side companions’ are said to ease loneliness, they also carry the risk of fracturing attention, stifling the desire to connect with others, and deepening a sense of emotional and everyday stagnation.

@Kekel: To be fair, digital pickles aren’t strictly tied to loneliness or low moods; I’ll still want to watch something even when I’m feeling top form. But if you lean on them to get you through meals from morning to night for an entire week, it can start to take a toll. I really don’t like to think about that period. One year, I spent the whole summer holidays alone at home, surviving on takeaway and scrolling through endless video recaps, mainly for *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and *The Story of Yongzheng*. I’d finish a clip and just lie there. That stretch of time can only be described as bleak and interminable. Every time I cleared away the takeaway bags and flopped onto the bed, I’d get this distinct feeling that I might actually be a little bit dead, completely unable to rally myself.

◉Takeaway lets people eat without ever leaving home, but it also traps each of us in increasingly isolated routines, ultimately leaving behind nothing but mountains of delivery waste piled up in stairwells. Image source: Foodthink

@Huaguoyuanzi: If my phone runs out of battery or food splashes onto the screen, I’ll just stop watching. Likewise, if I can’t find where I’ve left it, I’ll give up on it altogether. So sometimes, scrolling through my phone while eating doesn’t really recharge me. I’ve thought about weaning myself off these digital side dishes; they inevitably scatter my attention and make it hard to focus on everyday tasks. Besides, watching them constantly gets tiresome. Eventually, you lose interest in everything and reach a point where nothing feels fun anymore.

@Meng: It seems I can’t really juggle both at the same time. I either get so absorbed in the video that I forget to eat, or I’m too focused on my food and miss the details on screen. Either way, it leaves me feeling uneasy. I’ve noticed my husband sometimes watches short clips while we eat. They’re usually light-hearted—breaking weather updates, cat and dog videos, that sort of thing. If something comes up that’s tense, information-heavy, or too long, he just scrolls past it. I get the feeling he isn’t truly relaxing from those clips. It’s more like he’s being numbed, or slowly drained.

@Shanshan: Being in a relationship actually helped me kick the habit. We made a pact not to be one of those couples who just shove food down their throats while glued to their phones separately, and we actually stuck to it. When we ate out, we’d chat over our meals. At home, we’d share and watch each other’s favourite programmes together.After we split up, I slipped right back into watching them while I ate. If I couldn’t find anything good to watch, I’d skip the meal altogether, scrolling endlessly until I found something.

Do you want to quit your digital side dishes?

It seems people’s attitudes towards these digital side dishes remain deeply conflicted. So, after weighing up the pros and cons, what kind of choice do they make? And what attempts have they made to break free from the habit?

@Hina: I was so hooked on my phone for a while that I couldn’t put it down, even at mealtimes. After reading a few psychology books, I started trying things like expressing gratitude before eating, plating my food with care, really looking at what I was about to eat, chewing each bite slowly, and treating the food with a bit of reverence… These little habits are really just ways of pulling your focus back from the phone’s virtual realm into the real world. If you stick at it and do it mindfully, you can absolutely wean yourself off “digital pickles”, even if the urge to grab your phone still pops up now and then.

@灯下: I’ve trained myself to stop eating whenever I pick up my phone to scroll, and only resume once I’ve put it down. This helps me tune out the taste of the food and the monotony of eating alone. But sometimes, breaking it up like that makes it hard to follow the videos. It also drags out the meal, which just ends up making me irritable.

◉ Scrolling on your phone while eating has become a ubiquitous dining habit for today’s generation. Image source: Foodthink

@王维: My advice is to start by cultivating awareness. One approach is to rediscover the reverence of mealtimes; mindful eating is also worth trying. Furthermore, scrolling through videos is often just a way for people to unwind, so you might find progress by addressing stress management. Lastly, video platforms are inherently designed to steer and capture your attention. You need to step outside that bubble. Once you see through the mechanism, you won’t be swayed by it, and you’ll feel a sense of freedom.

@KL: I’d like to break free from “digital pickles” because I tend to leave a table in disarray after eating and put off clearing it up. This directly throws off my schedule for the rest of the day, inevitably leading to rushes and regret. When I’m not busy, I can easily spend over two hours on a single meal while watching videos, far exceeding normal dining time. Dragging it out means I miss the food at its best, which is far from ideal. However, I haven’t yet tried any concrete ways to change this.

@辞镜: I don’t think it’s necessary to ditch it. For those eating alone, it works well for mood regulation, unless it genuinely starts affecting physical health. “Digital pickles” might simply be a placebo for passing time. Only something more important or meaningful could truly replace it.

@王定一: I hadn’t considered it initially, but I later realised that the unbroken continuity of these “digital pickles” made me reluctant to disconnect from this “virtual” world after eating, which ended up cutting into time for studying or household chores. I then consciously decided to control how much I consumed. I once tried limiting my viewing time, but it was still difficult to resist the instant dopamine rush from variety shows like *Taohuawu*.

Sometimes, the issue lies not with “digital pickles” themselves, but with whether your life is rich enough. My most memorable experience was in Guantang Xincun in Chengdu. I was eating by the fields, and through the slender reeds, I could see out over the mountains, woods, and farmland. In that moment, my phone was entirely redundant. The experience offered by a new setting was, in itself, a wonderfully savoury “pickle”.

@Teresa: I have thought about it, particularly after realising I’ve developed a habit of watching or listening to videos at all hours. My mind is constantly cluttered with video content, leaving little room for independent thought, or for concentrating on reflecting on what I’ve just learned or read to form my own views.

@糟糟: I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve certainly lost the habit of watching videos while eating lately. It might be linked to feeling unwell recently and finding out I have lung nodules, which has made me far more health-conscious. I’ve come to feel that eating mindfully is vital for physical well-being, and it can actually be quite comforting. When I’m not feeling well, I close my eyes and meditate to tune into my body. I’ve also learned to trust my intuition and appetite, sometimes realising I genuinely prefer more vegetables and less meat.

Using food as a medium to “reconnect with our immediate surroundings”

Many readers feel that if someone were part of a more fulfilling social or emotional dynamic, they would naturally no longer need “digital pickles”; mealtimes would instead become a way to bond with family, partners, and friends. In reality, however, the very existence of “digital pickles” highlights that people still harbour a deep need to feel connected to others and the wider world when they eat. This, in turn, invites us to consider how we might use food as a bridge to rebuild those local connections.

@Hodel: When dining with others, I never check my phone, particularly when we have topics to discuss and the interaction flows naturally. Returning to the act of eating itself, it is actually a way of tuning into your own body, as well as a moment to forge connections with others, which naturally brings many benefits. When “digital mealtime entertainment” becomes the only companion available after work, opting for it is simply a choice made without any real alternatives.

@KL: I never have time to look at my phone when eating out with friends. Another scenario is when the dining spot offers a lovely view; eating alone while taking it in feels perfectly tranquil. Oh, and then there’s the chance of overhearing local chatter, whether about people or animals. Fresh happenings right in front of you are far more captivating than a screen.

@梦: I suppose whether eating alone or with friends, watching a slower-paced long-form video can be a pleasant way to spend the meal. If my husband scrolls through short videos while we eat together, I’ll put up with it for a bit before expressing my frustration, as I feel sidelined. I try to find common ground to spark conversation and counter the pull of the phone. It works sometimes, like when I share an amusing anecdote, and fails at others, usually because he’s just having an off day.

@Hina: I never pick up my phone when eating with family. We don’t get much time to spend with our parents, and meals are precious opportunities to be together.

◉ A Bilibili content creator specially brings meals made by a northern friend’s mother to them while they’re working in the south, a gesture that has touched many viewers. Sometimes, we need not look elsewhere for the significance of a meal; the food itself is already imbued with deep sentiment. Image source: Bilibili @北饭南调

@王定一： When I eat with others, I don’t watch videos. In my hierarchy of dopamine hits, chatting with family, friends, or clients over a meal, exchanging and broadening perspectives, and sharing stories bring me far more satisfaction. I feel that “mealtime videos” act as a kind of “side dish” for people living in the atomised societies of the city. But when I return to my hometown, to the acquaintance-based communities of the countryside, I no longer need them. I think these videos have a two-sided nature. If we could categorise them by demographic, provide identity markers, and build niche communities where people could share them, discuss facts, and exchange views, it would be a fascinating experiment. Through food, we could “reconnect with our immediate surroundings”, keep each other company, and gather to share meals.

@LTT： Just because there’s someone sitting opposite you at the table, does that mean you stop watching mealtime videos? Sometimes, people aren’t even as good as those videos. Growing up, I’d always see scenes on TV where families sat around the dinner table chatting happily. My family was completely the opposite—cooking could take two hours, but dinner lasted just ten minutes. My parents were silent. Meals ended quickly, and we’d all drift off to do our own things. So I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to finish a day’s work and sit down with family to share the day’s events over the table. Now that I have my own family, work brings nothing but frustration and pressure. Talking about it at the dinner table would only reinforce those memories, dragging my mind into negativity.

@耶耶： When I’m with family, I focus entirely on eating. It feels truly happy to share a meal with them.

@山山： At work dinners, I put my phone away, forced to by basic social etiquette. Actually, I really don’t like eating with most of my colleagues. I’m constantly tempted to grab my phone and escape the room. But when I’m with people who are close to me and truly see me, I naturally don’t watch videos. Because my heart is full, I can truly listen—and be listened to.

@楠崽： When eating with others at social gatherings, there have been times when everyone just looks at their own phones. It feels quite cold.

@Road： Generally, when I eat out with friends, I don’t look at my phone. With close friends, there’s always plenty of news and perspectives to share and listen to, which is far more compelling than mealtime videos. When eating with my partner, we often watch shows together. It’s not to save on the emotional energy we’d otherwise spend on each other; rather, it tightens our connection and warms our relationship. The most noticeable sign is that we develop more shared references and inside jokes. The language we use in daily conversation becomes richer, allowing us to convey more nuanced things. For instance, lines from *My Own Swordsman* often pop up in our chats.

“Cooking is a form of self-healing”

When we search for the meaning in eating, we often forget the meaning in cooking. Cooking is inherently an intimate interaction between you, your food, and nature. Sometimes, the joy and satisfaction it brings are enough to heal the monotony and emptiness of everyday life.

@sora: Loneliness is a symptom of modern life, and ‘digital pickled greens’ may be the antidote. But for me, it sometimes feels more like drinking poison to quench a thirst—a quick fix that leaves me unfulfilled. Later, I realised that the loneliness only lifts when I cook for myself. Throughout the process, my hands are working, my eyes are watching, my nose is catching the aromas, my ears are listening; every sense is engaged. It feels incredibly grounding. And if I can raise a glass with family and share a lively conversation, that profound sense of fulfilment is something scrolling through short videos can never match.

◉ Home-cooked dishes sora specialises in. Image credit: sora

@zoe: I actually quite enjoy chatting while I eat. If someone joins me for a meal I’ve cooked, I’ll definitely be having a little banter as we tuck in. When dining with others, I usually put my phone away. I prefer eating while conversing, and I might even offer a few comments on the dishes as I go.

@Meng: When my husband needs his ‘digital pickled greens’, I suspect it’s because the meal feels just like every other day—lacking enough appeal. But when he puts his heart and soul into cooking a meal himself, he doesn’t need any background videos to get through it. He just eats, fully present.

@Xiaomei: It reminds me of my childhood. My mother would work hard to prepare a meal, happy to see me eating with relish, but disappointed if I was half-hearted and distracted by the television. Now that I cook for myself, I hope family or friends will respond to my cooking—maybe offer a comment or show they’re truly enjoying it. I’d rather they did that than scroll through short videos, and sometimes I can’t even stand it if they just carry on chatting about their own things. Because this meal isn’t takeaway arriving at the tap of a screen; it’s infused with my effort and thoughtfulness. Whether I’m eating alone or with others, I just want a moment to savour the process. That’s what makes me feel truly fulfilled.

Planning: Kairui

Editor: Yuyang