Beijing Food Sharing App Brings me the Taste of Home

I am a foreigner working in Beijing. A lot of my work can be done at home, and there are both good and bad restaurants nearby. As a result, since last year I have been ordering lunch a dozen times through the shared kitchen app “Home-Cook”. This App offers many dishes, including Fried Oat Noodles, Roast Duck, Kung Pao Chicken, Jiao Hua Chicken, and Curry Crab. Generally speaking, this is currently the best Share App for me. The majority of private kitchens are run by nearby residents. Many of the private kitchen owners are elderly men and women who are Beijing locals and those from other parts of China. The taste of the food falls nothing short of an ordinary restaurant.

One time I ordered Fried Oat Noodles and was so moved by the taste that I cried. It is just impossible to eat such a fine dish at a normal restaurant. The hygiene of private kitchens is also pretty good; I have never taken a bite of any unexpected object like a strand of hair. Private kitchens have no way of buying cooking oil that has been used, discarded, and put back on the market. Besides, who will use discarded, re-processed oil in their home kitchen? In order to operate transparently, private kitchens adopt several open policies such as encouraging self serve, direct Internet broadcasting via webcam, and entrance through the back kitchen. By ensuring these measures private kitchens are able to assure their customers and gain their trust. They have even purchased insurance for their food products. If you’re still feeling a little iffy let me tell you some more about “Home-Cook”. “Home-Cook” kitchens have admission requirements. Private kitchens must provide identity cards and health certificates. Furthermore, the platform requires on-site inspection of all registered kitchens by professionals who ensure equipment and food safety, as well as taste test the foods. In short, the inspectors ensure that the kitchen is in a good ‘home’ environment rather than a temporary pop-up food stall. After gaining access, the inspector that is responsible for each area regularly returns to check-upon the hygiene status of the establishment.

In addition, the platform assigns different rankings to the private kitchens based on user ratings and comments. If users are not satisfied and give negative feedback for a private kitchen, then that kitchen’s ranking will decline. The cost for a meal averages about 30 RMB. I usually order two dishes which is always more than I can eat. Generally most people will feel that eating one dish is enough. Private kitchen dishes are perfect for my light taste preference and are not as greasy as fast food. More importantly, private kitchen dishes are able to provide me with that warm human touch. The first meal I had was selfserve. The kitchen owner came from Sichuan to accompany her children who study here. She would just leisurely cook at home. When I arrived she had not yet fi nished cooking. Upon seeing me she quickly greeted me, told me to have a seat, offering me fruits and yogurt in every form of apology. After a while I decided just to wait and eat there, I had already spent time waiting anyway. Perhaps it was because I was so hungry, the dish smelled absolutely delicious, she even cooked up some laver and egg soup free of charge. As I ate I burst into tears. Every time I see the elderly men and women taking great pains to ride electric bikes back and forth to deliver food during the cold winter months, I always get a warm fuzzy feeling that wells up deep inside me.