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Comment by MisterTea | Hacker News Reader

> And vending machines with hot drinks and soups, my favorite being cream of corn soup...which I have yet to see stateside.

Its a cultural thing I am sure. As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene. I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable. Stale bread, wilted vegetables, low quality meats, cheese, etc, sloppy prep. Who cares, ship it.

On the other hand, I can see food vendors in Japan guarding their reputation with attention to their craft ensuring quality.

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> As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene.

The grandparent post is talking about canned food/drink that's heated in the machine. Vending machines with freshish prepared food do exist, but they're kinda pointless given the existence of...

> I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable

Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic: food from 7/11, Lawson, Family Mart, etc. is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S.

> Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic

Indeed. Spent a few weeks there last year. You can't throw a rock and not hit one of those places - it's absurd how many there are no matter where you are. Though, TBF in NYC the density of convenience stores/bodegas is similar but the consistency lacking. I do miss those gooey chocolate babka things they sell in the 7-11s.

> is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S.

Eh... I would say they certainly beat out fast food.

The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it up makes sense. You're not getting fine dining from the vending machines, you're just getting a quick and tasty snack (although there is also a culture of niche vending machines with serious meals that require cooking at home, which is another story). Just swap out the corn potage with something Americans would already be familiar with, like Campbell's chicken noodle soup in a single-portion can with a twist cap instead of needing a can opener, and it could work.

I think some Americans might object more to the idea of microplastics leaching into your food, or high amounts of preservatives, though. And the ubiquity of vending machines in Japan makes it possible to build a habit around vending machine food, whereas in the US they're fewer and far between, so you couldn't really depend on them.

> The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it up makes sense.

The US used to have much more diverse vending machine offerings, including prepared hot foods and drinks, but they started to disappear in the 1970s, though you could find stragglers into the 1990s in older institutional settings (e.g. government buildings), especially for drinks--coffee, hot cocoa, etc. As previously mentioned, I think they fell out of favor because they began to be considered very poor quality (it's a death spiral if turnover doesn't happen fast enough), perhaps as compared to increasingly popular drive-thru alternatives. I guess in a way it was a result of our car culture. Like with the demise of cafeterias generally[1], Americans preferred to jump in their car rather than choosing from what was available within walking distance.

[1] A wall of vending machines selling sandwiches, salads, soups, and hot drinks constituted a "cafeteria" in many buildings.

People always forget something, when talking about Japanese vending machines: vandalism. Vandalism is relatively uncommon in Japan, whereas it's sadly endemic in most Western societies.

Hang on – are you saying Americans don’t have vending machines with snacks and hot drinks in office buildings, schools, hospitals, etc.?

In almost 40 years, I have never seen a vending machine in the US selling anything hot.

It is always cold, usually carbonated, sweet drinks, water, or junk food like candy, chips, and pastries.

Wow, that’s quite surprising!

In Europe, it’s quite common to see machines like these in buildings: https://www.seeberger-professional.de/wp-content/uploads/202... (left to right: hot drink, snack, and cold drink machines).

Smaller ones are also common: https://www.observantonline.nl/Portals/0/OpenContent/Files/1... (there you can also see the disposable cups that the hot drinks are dispensed in).

Is that why Starbucks is popular in America - no hot drink machines?

The second type is ubiquitous in gas station convenience stores in America. Which says everything, really: it's car culture.

Yup, there was one! that I was aware when I worked at an 8000 employee IBM facility 20 years ago. It was novel to be able to get hot burgers out of it.

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