My neighbor’s kitchen: Robin Sloan on buying prepared meals

Every day we “gotta eat,” right? Smartphones and apps have paved the way for a variety of new businesses designed to feed customers’ bellies and entrepreneurs’ bank accounts. Writer Robin Sloan discusses two such businesses and the deeper implications of their operating models in this November 2015 article in the Atlantic.

Read it here: Sloan, “Why I quit ordering from Uber-for-food startups”

 

 

1. Sloan’s title succinctly announces his main idea. Why did he stop ordering from Sprig? Summarize his argument.
2. Although the writing in Sloan’s essay is appropriately formal and journalistic, the informal phrase “gotta eat” appears in the very first sentence and is repeated several times throughout the essay, developing a significance larger than its literal meaning. What is that significance? How well did Sloan develop that meaning? Is it effective? Why or why not?
3. What are the similarities between Sprig and Josephine, as Sloan describes them? What are the differences? Which aspect do Sloan’s parallel descriptions emphasize more: the similarities or the differences? Is the parallelism effective? Why or why not?
4. Sloan’s vision of a future where neighbors who enjoy the kitchen cook meals for one another sounds quite rosy. Can you foresee any problems or complications in such a system? Use your imagination to explore the possibilities (and you may want to explore Josephine’s website, as well, to get a better idea of how it works). Then, use Sloan and Josephine as your They Say and write an essay in which you elaborate on the future that Sloan envisions—embracing, rejecting, or modifying it as you see fit.

Comments

[dylan]

this artical talks about a app that can send you food, and what ever you buy the money goes to charity. it serves a great purpose for people in need. so far it has raised up to 50 million dollars. everyone should get the app.

[Briana M]

This article and entry are easy relatable to the book They Say I Say. This book gives great advice that this article follows. Not only does it make the article interesting, it draws you into a topic that may not even be relatable to your interests. Some chapters and examples from the article match with the instruction given in the book. For example, Chapter 5 warns against sarcasm and use it sparingly and wisely. In the journal I think a little bit of humor and sarcasm/common sense was used to get the point across that you plan on eating on Thursday and you plan on eating three times a day, therefore one must plan ahead and assume food will be needed. It is common sense that you will need to eat, and lets face it, its never too early to plan a good meal. Also in Chapter 5, the book warns against using the word “I”. This article uses it here and there, but appropriately and not overbearingly. I am reading the article because I am interested in the authors opinion of the site based off of their personal experiences, therefore there is a need for the work “I”.
As discussed in Chapter 3, the author of the article uses quotations in his passages. He does not only use them to quote another persons thoughts or words, but to quote his own thoughts he has in his head. He used the appropriate amount of quotes without making the entire article a conversation. He introduced his quotations correctly, and used correct grammar to support them. The quotations are used to give credit to those who say the words and also give credit to himself for his own thoughts.
In Chapter 6, Skeptics May Object, objections may be introduced in a passage in the form of a question. Asking the reader a question changes their mindset from just reading the passage, to stopping for a second and thinking about the writers point and if you agree with them. For example, the writer asks, in reference to Amazon and Sprig having to hide their systems due to the view of how humans are being treated, what the reader thinks it may be like if they did not have to hide them. After explaining the convenience of the sites, the writer then asks, towards the end, if this is the type of system suitable for humans and life. The writer has fairly given his ideas on the topic and sites and then gives the reader the chance to form their own opinion on the matter.
I found this article was very interesting. Although I have never ordered food online or through an app on my phone, it has intrigued me to try it. The world is evolving and technology is taking over. You can either embrace it or ignore it. There are some benefits to the access we have today and I can’t knock it until I try it. It may save me time from running somewhere and waiting in line when I can just order it on my phone. It may make eating a little more convenient and interesting.

[Josh patman]

After reading this article I definitely enjoyed it. Although he does use "I" often, it almost seems necessary to do so. The author is comparing and contrasting the differences between sprig and Josephine. He makes comparisons that actually make you as the reader think which one of these could be better. We knew right away what the authors opinion was on this case, but it was smart in my opinion that not once throughout the article was he ever really putting sprig down, but he was making it clear as to why he preferred Josephine. His reasoning for not ordering from spring because he felt like the food was not prepped the same way. With sprig he felt like even though the food was delivered fast, it was never of the same quality and never looked as good as the pictures comparing it to Amazon. With Josephine its more of a personal type thing where you get to meet the cook along with the information being provided by the cook. The significance on Sloans "gotta eat" what I got from it is that even though a person has to eat does not mean they have to have processed food that is just okay because of its fast delivery. Patience will get you better quality food. It is an effective meaning. It made me think when I get fast food and how quick I get it vs me making a good home cooked meal. The home cook meal may take longer to make but at the end of the day is healthier and just better food that is not process. Some of the similarities are they are both places where you can order food online. Besides that there are not many similarities. The difference being sprig you never know who is making your food. With Josephine you actually go to the cooks house to pick up the food; making it more reliable for the quality of the food. I believe Sloan's idea for the future could be effective. The only problem I could foresee is if you start to become friends with these people who make your food and then you want discounts and cheaper prices. Besides that I think it is something that can be very efficient. This will create healthier eating and ultimately little things will change for ex. The obesity rate will more than likely go down tremendously, and it will overall be beneficial to all acting parties in this case.

[Kristen Broome]

This article is about an app you can order food from. The food you get comes from different people and overall money gets donated to charity. I agree with Dylan because I believe it is a good cause.

[tamara barthel]

In Robin Sloan’s article, “My neighbor's kitchen”, he stopped ordering from sprig because he feels the infrastructure of the company is being hidden. Sprig has a huge overhead and most likely not as much is going to charity as it should be. Sprig is only looking to expand, with expanding comes more overhead.

[hakeem briggs]

this article is about two different apps online or on your mobile device, where you can buy your food and all the money goes to chariety. one of the names is Sprig, this one focus a little more on a speedy deliver to you. Sprig has raised 50 million dollars for chariety so far and it started in 2013. Another app is called Josephine this one takes longer than Sprig to get your food. you have to also ride your bike, or drive there once you get a text message saying its ready to get picked up. The food from Josephine can range from i guess this is alright to very good and tasty food.

[Kara]

I agree with Briana on that the article intrigued me to download these apps and try to order food through them. I have ordered food online before but I would have to go to the store and pick it up myself. I thought the concept was interesting and the food the author listed seemed like it would be good food (although a little expensive). That also made me wonder if there was a delivery charge for Sprig. The Josephine delivery method seems very cool but could be dangerous because that is inviting strangers into their homes while they cook. I think that our society today has begun to rely on fast food and food delivery because we are becoming lazier and not giving enough time devoted out of our day for a proper meal. I think that most people have such busy lives that they do not feel the need to add time to sit down and enjoy their meal. I have also never heard of something like Josephine which is a very fascinating idea as well. I believe that these apps are a great idea and are very convenient but I also think they are almost too convenient. It makes it too easy for someone to give an excuse to why they cannot cook for themselves. Lastly, I think it was very clever that the author made a reference to an Uber in his title, comparing the idea to how easy it is to call an Uber and how it is all technology based.

[Lauren E]

I agree with Kara that even though the apps are intriguing and a cool idea, it should not excuse the app users from not cooking for themselves. Each meal bought through the app is pretty expensive, and for the Josephine app, the user has the added expense of driving or getting to the cook’s location. Although the meals appear to taste good, they are far too pricy to go and buy versus going down the block for takeout or making a meal at home. Even if the app users were bad cooks, they would pay less if they went to a local food store or restaurant, and they would also save time not using the app. While the apps create a nice community and homemade atmosphere, it is a waste of time and money to buy the meals off of the two apps.

[Nick McGarry]

I agree with what Lauren says about the use of these sites. They provide this food to you, but is the expense truly worth the inconvenience of making your own food? I don’t think so. Businesses like this thrive on people lack of time and laziness to cook, and I think that is a shame for the people that use them. Cooking provided people the opportunity to use their hands to make something completely new. It is creative, it is fun, and it is a whole lot cheaper than buying these prepared meals from vendors. I get what the author is saying about convenience, but ultimately cooking unlocks a large range of opportunities for dishes, not just the few listed on the app that day. You can cook and eat food from a variety of regions and cultures, and in the process widen your horizons. Programs like this are smart for the businessman yes, but there are so many better ways for the consumer to get their fill.

[Ekene Adimkpayah]

In this article which is written by Robin Slogan, first of all, it states how he order his lunch when at work from an iPhone app called Sprig. He goes on telling what kind of food is on the app like the different kind of salad, chickens which comes from Petaluma, and he goes further by saying the prices which is from $10 to $13. He says that everything on the app is organic. It proceed to when he works from his apartment and decides to order his lunch or dinner from a network called Josephine. He says that,"Josephine does not prepare any meals itself, it screens home cooked meals and take order for them. It serves soup, chicken and dumplings, from different place and prices from $8 to$13". Furthermore, he contrasts between Sprig and Josephine, saying that "Sprig sells on speed: From selection to delivery, it’s twenty minutes". While Josephine "Meals from Josephine are not available for delivery". Sprig started in 2013 and has raised $60 million so far, while Josephine in 2014 and has raised $600,000 so far. He says that "I stopped ordering from Sprig back in the spring, because (a) I don’t like that future and (b) they sent me a truly sub-par chicken sandwich", and Every couple of weeks, or whenever I think of it, I check Josephine for something nearby. The food is always good".
This article talks about a man who orders his lunch and dinner from an app or network whenever he is hungry, either from his work or his apartment. It goes on by saying what those app or network has to deliver and their prices. It also goes on by showing the different delivery rate and the different years the app and network started. He basically stop ordering from Sprig for reason he knows, but still orders from Josephine.

[MidEast Paleo]

Buying premade meals has saved us a tremendous amount of time in the past. Nothing wrong with it but it's definitely not the best option.

[Tung]

1. He stopped ordering from Sprig because he felt like the food was pre-made meals. What’s more, despite the beautiful photographs it had, it never looked as good as Amazon’s products. On the contrary, Josephine is more like a neighbor who invited him to enjoy the meal.

2. I do think that Sloan did well on developing the the meaning on “gotta eat.” What he tried to convey is that although a person needs to eat, does not mean they have to endure worse quality of pre- made foods. Instead, they can enjoy freshly-cooked ones. It reminds me of the experience of buying foods from convenience stores like 7-11 simply because how quick I could get the food without waiting.

[bob]

Hillibilly Utube:Rants about Kitty get woke up 6am,becuz they don't work for a living,they want to sleep all day.(americans all over in city/rural accept neighbors mow grass because some work during day or at night)Hillibilly Utube:Accept Money,Hand-outs,Welfare goodies/Wood etc SSI disability(Hillibilly does carpentry /mechanic etc)Hillibilly rants he mad at his neighbors move into his area ,He don't like get new neighbors it crowd in his style,he feels they crowd them in (thoughts) and THey don't want to follow the crowd lol.jk.