Before I first came to China in 2017, I had only a few 【小题1】 using food delivery (递送) or takeout apps.

After I came to Beijing, I found out that I could order McDonald’s from my phone and have burgers and fries delivered 【小题2】 to my door. I didn’t even need to leave my place. I 【小题3】 in love with it at once. Food delivery apps like Meituan and Eleme have been surprisingly 【小题4】 and convenient. They are very important for me while living in Beijing. 【小题5】 I want to order takeout, or I need to get ingredients (食材) and medicine, these apps have me covered!

However, my love for these apps has led to 【小题6】 I hadn’t realized-the rise in packaging waste. Even after ordering waimai for a few nights, it’s 【小题7】 to see my trash can quickly filled up with plastic bags, cardboard boxes and disposable (一次性的) chopsticks. I can 【小题8】 not to have eating utensils (餐具) provided on the app. But it worries me to see my food covered in several boxes that later will be 【小题9】 away.

I hope that, with the joy that Waimai apps can bring, we should also reduce the waste we produce 【小题10】 our modern lifestyles.

Nowadays, it’s very usual for people 【小题1】 takeout, but did people eat takeout in ancient times?

Maybe you don’t think so. In fact, there 【小题2】 takeout in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). According to history books, Emperor Xiaozong (1127-1194) liked ordering takeout late at night. His servants went out 【小题3】 up the dishes and bring them back to the palace.

Common people also ordered takeout. The owners of restaurants got their waiters to go out into the streets and ask loudly which dishes could 【小题4】 that day. People could then place an order. Delivery (快递) workers 【小题5】 food to their homes later. In the famous Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival (《清明上河图》). A takeout worker 【小题6】 delivery work since then. We can easily see the man 【小题7】 with food in his hand in a hurry.

People at that time even 【小题8】 boxes for takeout dishes. Although, they weren’t like normal boxes. They were long wooden boxes with several layers (层).   People also used plates 【小题9】 of two layers of porcelain (瓷). Hot water could be put between the first layer and the second. In this way, they 【小题10】 the dishes warm.

After work, you go back home, open an app, place your order, and wait for your food to be delivered（递送） to your home. 【小题1】 the latest report from the China Internet Network Information Center, 421 million Chinese people use online food delivery services.

Which group of people is 【小题2】 food online the most? For sure, it is mainly young people. A recent report by Meituan, a food delivery service, showed that 86. 3% of 【小题3】 users are between 20 and 34 years old.

Small families 【小题4】 largely on food delivery services. Chinese families have changed in size over the past ten years. In 2002, only 7. 7% of families have 【小题5】 one person. But this number increased 3% 【小题6】 15. 6% in 2017. Two-person families rose from 18. 4% in 2002 to 27. 2% in 2017. For small families, cooking always takes a lot of time and energy, 【小题7】 ordering food online has become more popular.

The improvement of China’s food delivery services has also made more customers 【小题8】. According to Meituan’s report, the arerage（平均的）【小题9】 it takes to make a food delivery dropped from 38 minutes in 2016 to 29 minutes in 2022. Many delivery apps are also offering more services, delivering products such as fruit, vegetables, medicine and even 【小题10】. As their services continue to improve, it’s certain that the food delivery industry will keep growing in the future.