How to Serve Man
Will these robots make chefs obsolete?
[Dining begins with ]a robot greeter . . . at [a] Haohai Robot Restaurant in Harbin, China. Diners are then seated at their table, place an order with a robot waiter, have their food prepared by a robot chef, and then pay as their (robot-cleared) dishes are being scrubbed by a robot dishwasher.
All I know is, when I went to Carrefour (more or less the equivalent of Walmart or Target) in Shanghai, labor costs were sufficiently low that they paid people to stand in the aisles holding linens or whatever the appropriate product was to engage customer.
Of course, I've seen quite a few stories about comely robots, mostly out of Japan, so I suppose these value added employees are at risk, too. I hope ColumbusGal isn't googling husband models . . .
posted by ColumbusGuy @ 3:00 AM
3 Comments:
There is a robot restaurant in Shanghai as well, per the article. We are visiting Shanghai this coming summer - we'll report back!
BTW, does Columbus Guy have any recommendations on things to do, places to see in and around Shanghai?
As long as no tipping is required, I'll take robots every time. Anyway, it's just an updated automat.
Yes, my recommendation is to memorize the map carefully before you go, and if you're really serious, do what a friend of mine who travels regularly around the world: Put yourself on Shanghai time about a week ahead of your trip. It takes discipline and dark curtains, but he swears it worked for him.
I have no language, so if you do your experience will be different. I was bemused by the hotel staff, which gave you little cards when you were heading out: One card to tell the cab where to take you, and another card to tell the cab where your hotel was.
Apart from that, one of my favorite experiences was just a neighborhood market full of all sorts of goods--live crickets in wicker balls and the like. When I was there, perhaps four years ago, the skyline from 20 miles away was all construction cranes, and driving into the place was like driving into Orlando--beautiful new Interstate quality highways everywhere. And the best part, behind the screening walls that ran along the highway, dilapidated wooden structures that might have dated to the 1800's.
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