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> In China, if I recall correctly, they have a food economy such that it’s cheaper to order take out, and have the food delivered, than actually cooking.

Is this true?

Here in London, a typical delivered meal would cost ~$20, whereas a weekly shop and cooking probably takes 5 hours/week, but costs only ~$2 per meal.

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I believe so in some areas, but only because they are using kitchens/ingredients that cost less than restaurants or stores, IE located in bad areas, conditions/treatment worse for cooks, payment less for cooks, etc. Not something that should be supported but something that technology unfortunately makes possible and convenient

This is just reflective of inequality. I don't know about China specifically but in other asian countries that I know, most locals buy their ingredients at the market, and grocery stores target richer less price-conscious consumers. So it's certainly possible that the markup that the grocery store applies is greater than the cost of cooking and delivering the food, but that doesn't mean that it's cheaper than buying the ingredients at a market and cooking it yourself.

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