delivery tracking is one of the few consumer technologies designed to make a perfectly manageable wait feel like a military operation. the driver has accepted the order. the driver is waiting. the driver is apparently moving in a direction that suggests an entirely different meal.
the map is always serene about this. a little icon glides around with the confidence of a person who has never had to find an apartment complex after dark. meanwhile, the food is becoming a philosophical concept.
i do not need a detailed route. i need one honest sentence: ‘there has been a development.’ maybe the driver is on a bike. maybe the restaurant has entered a fugue state. maybe the app has decided miles are a kind of vibe.
i will still order again, obviously. there are some systems we criticize because we believe they can be better, and some we criticize while opening them for the fourth time.