The lunch-delivery system for office workers used in India and as a major portion of the story from The Lunchbox relies heavily on bicycle delivery and pickup. Granted, India uses bicycles for transportation far more than the US, however, I see a definite fit for something similar in US cities that are trying to go more bicycle-friendly and environmentally conscious. Chicago and Portland come immediately to mind.
Additionally, I think the creation of such systems in the US could for a natural alliance of commercial interest between bicycling organizations, restaurant and local food organizations, as well as fitness advocates and health insurers. Also, any service that is studied by Harvard university for its accurateness and reliability deserves serious attention.
There's a lot of foot traffic, and on the negative side, cab traffic, going about lunch in the office districts of big cities in the US. I don't know about statistics on this, but I do know that I've been working in downtown Chicago for over a decade and a half, and it's crazy trying to get anywhere at lunch time. A lunch-delivery service would allow time-pressed office workers more time to spend actually enjoying their meal. It would also bolster the local restaurant business, and drive up demand for local foods.
This would also give such cities and economic reason to bolster bicycling infrastructure - and thus open further avenues for bicycle-based parcel delivery services that are just burgeoning in those areas, creating another natural ally.
Additionally, food trucks could go into designated spots and cook up for both foot traffic and bicycle lunch deliveries.
Even better if their were "open-air" cafeterias every couple of blocks for people on their lunch breaks to go eat with other people and still get in a bit of a walk and enjoy the nicer weather. The natural choice would be the upper floor or two of parking ramps. Such floors could also double as bicycle parking for the lunch delivery services and parcel delivery services off-hours.
In the end, The lunchbox is a human story - and a visual example of what could be both possible and improved.
Dan
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Review from Reviews You Can Use:
Double-Header - Chef and The Lunchbox:
It
was a foodie day that almost got off on the wrong foot, which is highly
synchronistic with both of these films. In fact, there were several
synchronicities running through the day, which I'll mention after my
ratings.
First,
we had breakfast at Maxfield's, a local Greek family-style restaurant
in Lombard, IL. I had a Greek salad, which was good and healthy.
However, typically in these type of restaurants, you have to tell them
NOT to put anchovies on the salad if you don't want them. (Note to Greek
restaurants: train your wait staff to ask about the anchovies.
Otherwise we love you.) HERE, however, you have to tell them TO put the
anchovies on. As if that's not already singing the latest restaurant
hit, "Corners Where I Cut, Corners Where I Bleed," I happened to
specifically ask them TO put the anchovies on. It has taken me years to
get used to fishy and salty at the same time, and I'm trying hard to eat
healthy and tame the waist. They forgot the anchovies. Turn up the
volume on your tear-jerker much? I had to wait to eat my salad because I
still need to eat the anchovies with other strong flavors like cucumber
or bell pepper. On top of that, my wife thought her egg breakfast was
so blah, she only ate a quarter of it. Beautifully remodeled,
Maxfield's, but I know you're capable of a better game than that. We'll
give you a little time to step it up before we come back. Rating: 4/10
After
saying so long to our Sunday morning brunch buds Jim & Bill, we
rode over to Glen Ellyn and killed an hour at Starbucks waiting to see
Chef, our first flick of the day. I killed most of it in line to order
and then to get our drinks, just because they were insanely busy, but
Saren got some reading in.
Downtown
Glen Ellyn is as pretty an old downtown as you could ever want to see,
and it was sunny and 89 degrees, so it felt like a beautiful Summer day.
The
Glen Art Theater is an old Vaudeville theatre chopped up into four
movie screens in the oddest way. It is dark, and in one of the current
theaters there are a couple of seats for nappers, because you can only
see half the screen. In another, there is a long, narrow hall that you
must walk through in order to enter that has a floor closely related to
that place with the gravity anomaly, leaving you in a constant state of
rolling tilt until you arrive. The seats are old enough that there are
no cupholders. You avoid sitting near the walls because the cloth
covering them is so old, you fear it might disintegrate in a puff of
choking dust if you touch it. However, they got a grant to upgrade their
equipment to the latest digital tech, they sell their used marquee
posters reasonably, they have great popcorn, and they get the best art
films around. The place is like a musty old treasure that you love and
treat gently, and their ticket prices are very reasonable.
Chef:
I loved this flick. It's about a dad who was an up-and-coming young
chef in his early days, but is under serious stress in his
relationships, from his son and ex-wife to his boss and the food critic
who originally endorsed him. It is also a lesson in why you should
understand social media before using it, and why businesses and
organizations must. Clearly his kitchen staff love him, but the
atmosphere is explosive. However, what I adore about this movie, aside
from all the heart, love, beautiful, beautiful scenery, amazing food,
joyriding, and awesome food porn, is that not. a. single. incidence. of.
gunpowder. was. used. Not a bullet, not a bomb. It was actually a great
story. (Another synchronicity for the day) There were a lot of big
names in this, and touches of great music. The big names did teamwork
well, instead of stumbling over each other. Rating: 10/10
Lunch
at Made In Italy Trattoria: We came in right after they opened (4-10pm,
they are a dinner restaurant) and the place has the look and feel of a
traditional small Italian restaurant done upscale. The manager (owner?)
waited on us personally, (which was synchronistic with a scene in the
above film but better) and was very attentive and helpful. Small yhings
everywhere reminded me of my Italian grandparents' home, but it would be
unfair of me to compare any restaurant food to the golden memory of
Noni's cooking. The salami and prosciutto hanging above gave ne a
positive flashback to be sure. The food was delicious and so was the
chianti and gelato. It wasn't a food-truck cubano, but it was damn good
food. I had eggplant lasagne and a side of Italian sausage in marinara,
Saren had tilapia limone. The prices were Western suburbs dinner prices,
so not cheap, but not on the high end of that scale, maybe
three-quarters of the way up. Rating: 9/10 and definitely worth going.
The Lunchbox: Number one, I want one of those lunchboxes!! They are cool!
The
traffic and the lunchbox system in India are both impressive. The
technology and infrastructure not so much, but are interesting to see.
In wonderful synchronicity with Chef, this Baliwood flick dealt with
aging with grace and dignity vs. not, the value of human relationships
and connection in life, fidelity and its lack, and the stresses of
career and loneliness. It is beautifully-done, and takes its subjects
seriously. Though there are humorous and odd moments, it is not a comedy
and most definitely not clumsy. In fact, it is extremely agile. The
lack of explosive violence and inclusion of well-told and substantive
storyline are also synchronistic with the first film, and the
home-cooked Indian food looked really good on the stove. Both films are
beautifully shot and visually rich, and this one has the novelty of
another culture added. This is a high-quality film as good as anything
out of Hollywood in the genre. Go. See. Enjoy. Rating: 10/10
It wound up a gourmet-delicious kind of day.
Dan
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