(Photo/Weibo)

“Yearning for fried chicken, hot pot, and milk tea, but also worried about your weight? Then our ‘Eat for You’ services will help!”

No, this is not an overdue joke for April Fool’s Day. Similar advertisements are spreading among Chinese social platform, reflecting China’s youngsters’ interest in developing social contact under the rapidly developing internet.

On a trading platform, buyers only need to pay an extra $2 in fees in addition to the original price of a meal to hire someone to taste the food for them. These deals are often offered with hot pot, fried chicken, barbecue, and other calorie-rich foods. After payment, sellers will take photos or film the whole process while they are eating, and also give feedback.

There are multiple reasons behind this unique industry. Some want to avoid the trouble of lining up for food, but many more say they just want to avoid gaining weight. Still others simply enjoy watching others eat, which in turn breeds more sellers who turn their passion for food into a business.

There is also a large proportion of people who just want to meet and talk to new people.

Most of the consumers and sellers are people born after 1990 and the most enjoyable thing for them is the fun of communication and final products instead of the simple eating process. For example, they are willing to share insights with sellers on the food as well as techniques on how to film such videos, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Beyond the “Eat for You” services, other services like writing love letters and playing games for consumers are also popular on Chinese social media platforms.

These services, like eating on the internet, are an entertainment demand for younger generations, as they can acquire spiritual satisfaction through such purchases. Their social requirements are expressed and enlarged through the internet.

However, this fresh and interactive consumption is merely the product of games, follow-up, and hype, so it is unlikely they will develop into a stable and continuous consumption model. Instead of calling it emerging service consumption, the “Eat for You’ services can only be considered as a market inspiration, Chengdu Evening News commented.