I do Grab Food delivery and noticed that some shops purposely put different name on their Grab profile and actual signboard name. At first I thought it was just laziness or simply some people fucked up, an annoyance to us riders having to play hide and seek, but now I begin to feel like this is a deliberate ploy.

These are so called virtual kitchens. They don't actually exist, but just a front for some other companies/operations. Nothing wrong with that, even Nestle don't sell everything under the Nestle brand.

Where it gets insidious is when a single shop use multi terminals, spamming the marketplace. Customer don't realise that the vast choice they see on the platform are actually them getting more of the same, and platform owners don't mind because it makes their platform look thriving. This is just hearsay but it seems like the platform marketing people are also encouraging/facilitating this behind the scene.

For customers, virtual kitchens by brick and mortar restaurants is not a big problem actually, other than feeling spoffed, since this are still run by people with actual experience in food business industry.

Dedicated virtual kitchens? Those can be really sketchy. They don't accept dine ins, so there is zero customer monitoring of their cleanliness etc. Even for us riders we can only go up until the hole in the wall pickup counter. Can't see anything inside.

British media did a coverage on this in the UK, aka ghost kitchens

And since they are not an eatery there is also a question on whether they are subjected to inspection by the authorities. I don't recall seeing any of those Gred Kebersihan stickers in these premises.

So yeah, guys, tech doesn't always make life better. It can be a source of issues that we have no idea how to navigate at all.

Caveat emptor. (Buyer beware)

We all seen it happen at least once. Mention anything that touches stereotypes on our Indian community, and you will be bombarded with responses shutting down the whole conversation. Even if it is a genuine attempt to understand and learn.

Basically, "We don't talk about that"

What's most frustrating about this is not all the negative responses from people who don't even bother to read what you wrote, but the total absence of sane responses to balance it out. This is the internet, of course reactionists exist. But you would expect there should be at least some voices from the other side. In this case however, it is eerily silent.

So because no meaningful conversation can take place, people are left with their imagination, assumption, speculation.

And this piece is too is my own speculation.

How I see it is that our Indian community are very well aware that they are getting screwed, hard. Everything is falling apart, and things are fucked beyond repair. Insecurity is deep. And the very last thing they have left is their dignity, aka "face", "honour".

Left with only this thin veneer of "face" to show the world, anything that touches it becomes a personal attack. Because a little crack in the veneer and all the pent up insecurities will risk getting exposed.

Raising these topics, therefore, becomes an attempt to shame. And the only acceptable way to approach it is to not approach it at all.

Again, "We don't talk about that"

It's not just regular netizens. Even professional media people are not immune to this.

Below is a piss poor attempt by an MY Indian on the K word. Conclusion? Doesn't matter why, just don't use the word! Very disappointing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8GcttrztME

If you manage to read until this very last paragraph, I appreciate it. You are welcomed to disagree with me. Just, please, elaborate your points. We all want to know more.

Not a fan of Airbnb myself due to having lots of sketchy properties on that site, but most people who say they don't want it in their neighborhood always say that they are a lot of trouble.

I am lucky to never experience this before, so I am curious to know what's your side of the story?

And what do you guys think about ori Aibnb concept of couch surfing with live in owner? Would it be more acceptable?