Robots create a stir at canteen for elderly in Guangzhou

"The food ingredients are reassuring," she said.

"Plus the dishes are frequently changed and the saltiness suits my taste very well."

Office worker Deng Xianshen, one of the many younger diners, has become a regular at the canteen after being enticed by the satisfactory dishes and low prices on his first visit.

"I can enjoy a fast food dish with two meats and a vegetable at 15 yuan and, sometimes, 20 yuan if adding another dish," he said. "It's cheaper than ordering a takeout."

The dishes are served quickly, he said, adding that it took the robot only two minutes to complete a dish of scrambled egg with tomato.

The canteen is about a 10-minute walk from his workplace.

Jian Yubing, a technical consultant who helps look after the stir-frying robots, said the canteen now has two of them.

"As long as the chefs have keyed in the required time, degree of heat and related information for stir-frying on their mobile phones, then standardized dishes can be ensured and the time of serving is guaranteed," Jian said.

He said the seasonings are placed in boxes in advance and during the stir-frying process, the robots will automatically add ingredients in order and on time, accurate to the gram, and the degree of heat and pan flipping speed can also be adjusted to imitate a chef's skills.

Jian said the robots now know about 500 recipes, and they can stir-fry up to 7 kilograms of vegetables at a time — enough for more than 15 dishes — in just 5 minutes or so.

If a robot is required to stir-fry a small portion of vegetables, or one dish, it takes only two 2 minutes, he said.

Tan Shaojun, deputy director of Liwan's Nanyuan subdistrict office, said the subdistrict will continue to make great efforts to actively explore and scientifically plan a catering service network that solves the dining difficulties of elderly people and residents in the communities, allowing them to feel more fulfilled and happy in the months to come.

Nanyuan street, in the city's old downtown area, has a registered permanent population of more than 57,000, including about 17,000 elderly people — 29 percent of the total.

Liwan district now has 116 elderly canteens.