🙂
Study of Emoji Use: An Eggplant Story
Just what we’ve been waiting for: a study on emoji use around the world. There are plenty of gems in the report from SwiftKey, a software company that makes keyboards for mobile phones. Among them, some food emoji. Apparently, we use the pizza and eggplant emojis most often. (Eggplant? There is no way we’re using that to mean an actual eggplant so… enlighten me?)
Additionally: “The American diet mirrors American emoji usage. Americans use emoji that looks like meat—the burger and drumstick, for instance—two times as much as the global average.” Top food emoji worldwide include the pizza slice, cake slice, chocolate bar, and lollipop. Ha.
NEW
All About That Apple Watch
After months of anticipation, the Apple Watch arrives on Friday, and with it comes a host of apps specifically developed for the wearable technology. One of my personal favorites: the Smart Timer from Epicurious, featuring specific timers for specific dishes (like roast chicken or different cuts of steak.) There are over 40 options and I’d guess there are more to come. You’ll get a notification when it’s time to do something important, like flip the protein.
It works on the iPhone without the Apple Watch, but the in-your-face interface (LOL) of a watch just makes this even more useful (seriously, if the thing just pings you and says, “Go look at the recipe for the next step,” it’s a multi-tasker’s dream.)
I love the idea of the Apple Watch for things like this. I’m excited about it. I can’t decide if this is just a novel idea or something that could change how we cook in our own kitchen. (A flash in the pan, perhaps?) Regardless, exciting to see a publication like Epicurious, owned by Conde Nast which might be historically seen as a dinosaur in the age of digital content, come through with something like this. Nice work.
MOAR WATCH
Screenshots of Chipotle’s Burrito Button
In the vein of doing one thing and doing it well, 9to5Mac has screenshots of the “Burrito Button” app by Chipotle, tailored specifically to the Apple Watch. (Scroll down to see ‘em.) Included: favorite orders, frequented locations, and a countdown clock (!) to tell you exactly when your beloved Chipotle order will be ready to head out the door.
SPEED
Good Food, Delivered (Very) Fast
More speed! Caviar, the restaurant-food-delivery service recently acquired by Square has introduced “FastBite” in San Francisco — a service that will deliver any one of a handful of meals in as fast as 10 minutes in certain parts of the city. (SoMa and the FiDi if you’re curious; assuming this is most often used for lunch orders.)
This is an interesting take on “fast food,” especially after today’s news that McDonalds is closing hundreds of restaurants in the US this year. It’s probably not a coincidence — Americans are realizing that accessing great quality, fresh, good-for-you food is easier than ever, no trip through a greasy drive-through required. Plus, I’d take the front-door service that so many of these companies offer over sitting in my car and talking to a machine any day.
DELIVERY
Sprig Goes National
We’ll just carry this thread straight through to the last item of the day. Delivery! Fresh food! Nationwide! Delivery service Sprig made a major announcement this week — a $45 million Series B round that will allow the company to delivery to addresses across America. The company’s blog post has more on the news, as well as a great explanation of its philosophy and mission to bring fresh, accessible meals nationwide. Great stuff.
Digestifs
- Win an all-expenses paid trip to this year’s National Restaurant Association show in Chicago (Who doesn’t want a free trip!?) — Swipely
- In case you don’t ever get tired of looking at great images of food… — FoodGawker
- HA. Hahaha. Starbucks Name Generator replicates that awful Starbucks spelling —WhatsMyStarbuksName.com
