The Dutch, in partnership with catering giant Sodexho, have built an entire restaurant as an ongoing behavioral experiment. I am curious and horrified at the same time.
Forget the side issue of audio and visual recording throughout the place — most people will know all about it before walking through the doors. Do we really want Sodexha to know the visual, auditory and olfactory triggers that make us pick where, when, what and how much we eat — the culinary equivalent of poker tells?
Imagine the subliminal cafeterias that will comes, where every aspect is contrived to force us into spending as much as possible on the highest profit margin items. What a a way for shepherd's pie to make a comeback.
This article appears in Oct 10-16, 2007.