Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'

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Food Sleuth

A 20q type device that tells you what you want to eat

(+11, -2)

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Every day I spend at least the first 7 minutes of my lunch break trying to figure out what I would like to eat. Sometimes it's easier just to go without. What would be handy is a hand-held device based on 20q technology that asks you a series of questions about foods and tastes and textures which you answer yes, no or sometimes etc. After 20 questions the machine informs you of that perfect meal that you didn't know you wanted.

Food Slueth: "You want an egg-mayonaise sandwich on rye."

User: "Wow, come to think if it, that's exactly what I feel like eating!"

—	lukecleland, Jun 09 2005

20 q ? http://www.sithsense.com
more 20q fun. [neilp, Jun 09 2005]

For Ian. http://theguinnessdiet.blogspot.com/
Re: "Why complicate things with pizza?" [jutta, Jun 10 2005]

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Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee

Destination URL. E.g., https://www.coffee.com/

Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)

maybe you could have an 8 question version.

Would you like Pizza ?

Would you like beer?

—	neilp, Jun 09 2005

I wonder whether a decision-tree paradigm would work better.

Do you want hot or cold?

Do you want savoury or sweet?

...

Your preferred meal is ... Avocado and Marmite doughnuts with Hollandaise sauce. Cherry Coke with non-dairy creamer.

—	angel, Jun 09 2005

Shame. I was hoping for some sort of food detective to track down the perpetrators of food-related crimes.

If it is asking you about your tastes and about textures then [Pa`ve] is probably right when he says that you would get the same answers.

The one question version:
So, pizza and beer again?

—	hidden truths, Jun 09 2005

Coffee and beer properly represent all of the traditional food groups. Coffee is a bean, so there's your vegetative matter; milk (in coffee) is from the dairy group; and sugar (if desired) from that really small bit at the top. And beer is just liquid bread.

—	Detly, Jun 09 2005

When I'm in this building I usually am able to plot the shortest path to a table via the canteen, in my head, on approach.

I will tell various people that I'm going to lunch and they'll say "just wait a minute for me" which translates as "I'll be on this call for fifteen minutes and then start waiting for someone else" and to which I will respond "I'll see you up there".

As I approach the canteen, starving and slavering, I will scan all possible options while accounting for price, taste and healthiness, but mostly shortness of queue. This is the only criterion for choosing a till.

I will generally take less than five minutes from "I'm going to lunch" to sitting down at a table. I think there's still a bit of wolf in me.

—	wagster, Jun 09 2005

Or enlisted military.

—	justaguy, Jun 09 2005

Sah!

—	wagster, Jun 09 2005

Perhaps the device should also feature a "gut girth strap". As your ponderous midsection expands, the Food Sleuth could modify its menu suggestions. Some of the folks I work with would be looking at a lunch of distilled water and a grape.

—	crater, Jun 10 2005

Mwahahaha! Hve fun eating your..... GRAPE!

Mwahahaha!

—	DesertFox, Jun 10 2005

This could be fun... and I'm sure it could be considered a Christmas gift for the person you don't know what to get. Should I get them a Foot Spa or Food Sleuth? lol.

—	flynn, Jan 02 2007

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