Food was there to introduce you to new experiences when you were a baby. It also attended most of the big events in your life, from celebratory dinners to first dates to weddings.

It comforted you when you were having a rough day, and brought you joy when you shared it with a friend or family.

It kept you energised when you had that deadline to meet, and kept you company when you ditched your plans and binge-watched a series instead.

What’s the meaning of all this? Well, Uber Eats ran a study in South Africa to uncover the language of food. Here’s IT NEWS with some of the stats that reveal our secret and ongoing relationship with what we eat.

The food delivery app set up a booth in Sandton, armed it with an ECG machine and a nurse named Nick, and set about measuring 104 people’s responses to their Uber Eats orders which could be delivered to them, a nearby friend or a local charity.

The majority of participants (94%) opted to order meals for themselves, with the most popular food types being pizza (23%) and Asian (18%), with burgers, health foods and desserts all tying in third place with 14% of participants ordering these. So it seems that when treating ourselves, South Africans prefer to ‘speak’ Italian.

While placing their orders, the survey participants’ heart rates rose by 8.44 beats per minute on average, with 27% having heart rates over 100 (the normal resting heart rate) – all of which reveal the excitement and anticipation that come with ordering takeout (and getting a free meal).

On social media, users were invited to answer a series of questions about their ordering habits.

Among the insights gathered from these was that 53% of people feel most excited when ordering sushi for delivery, versus the 47% who get amped awaiting the arrival of a juicy steak.

Another (unsurprising) observation gleaned was that 78% of South Africans turn to comfort food when feeling down, with 22% of us choosing something healthy instead.

Ailyssa Pretorius, General Manager of Uber Eats South Africa, had the following to say about the experiment:

“From our research, we have seen that not only does food make South Africans incredibly happy, with upticks in heart rate, but that we are fluent in ‘Italian’ – pizza in particular. With Uber Eats delivering food from anywhere at any time to anyone, we can all easily speak the Language of Food”.

In another study of the data collected by Uber Eats, it was revealed that the most commonly spoken language of food is ‘fast’. Business Insider reports that a KFC in Jozi was the most-ordered restaurant on Uber Eats in the last year.

And the two-piece chicken Streetwise Two was the most ordered meal from the KFC on the platform…

But, surprisingly, a Simply Asia in Cape Town came in second, with a roasted chilli paste and cashew nut noodles as the most ordered meal.

Afro’s Chicken in Durban came in third for their “strips and tjips”. Uber Eats currently operates in five South African cities, working with over 2 000 restaurants, providing over 50 000 meal options.

Uber Eats helped to create 1,500 flexible economic opportunities for delivery-partners the past year, Pretorius said.

“It has been an exciting two years, demand from South African residents and businesses has been amazing, and our delivery-partners continue thrive,” Pretorius said.

In case you didn’t know, the Uber Eats app is convenient as can be and the options are many.  Anyone who has ever been inside a KFC on a Friday night will appreciate the convenience of having your guilty pleasure delivered to your door.

[sources:businessinsider&itnews]