In India, a new online platform called FoodNeverComes is offering users the thrill of shopping without the cost. Visitors can browse through 22 different cuisines, select dishes like butter chicken or bibimbap, and proceed through a checkout process that mimics a real food delivery experience. However, no food is ever actually delivered. Instead, users receive a call from an AI-generated voice that claims to be delivering the food but is unable to find the correct address. The site's slogan, "The food never comes – but the dopamine does," highlights its focus on the pleasure of the shopping and ordering process, rather than the actual product. FoodNeverComes was created by two 26-year-old software developers from Udaipur, Rajasthan: Purvansh Parmar and Anshul Sharma. Since launching in June, the site has attracted over 2.7 million visitors. It offers 327 dishes and 319 recipes, all with fake prices and a simulated delivery experience. The site is part of a growing trend known as "dopamine sites," which replicate the rituals of consumption without the actual consumption. These sites range from fake shopping experiences to virtual holidays, and have become popular in South Korea and beyond. The founders noticed a common behavior in their own lives and among others: people often fill online shopping carts with items they never end up buying. Sharma would browse electronics and add items to his cart without purchasing them, while Parmar's mother would add items to her online grocery list but delay the actual order. Parmar himself spent between 5,000 and 10,000 rupees a week on food during a project in Mumbai, often ordering items he didn't really need. He realized that the pleasure might not be in the food itself, but in the ritual of ordering it. Experts like Ravi Dhar from the Yale Center for Customer Insights explain that the pleasure of anticipation—known as "anticipatory utility"—can be more rewarding than the actual possession. Kent Berridge, a neuroscientist, distinguishes between "wanting" and "liking" in the brain, with dopamine driving the former, not the latter. This means that the desire to obtain something can be stronger than the pleasure of having it. Dr. Anna Lembke, a Stanford psychiatrist, notes that the rituals and cues associated with rewards can become reinforcing on their own, potentially leading to addictive behaviors. While the sites might offer a temporary release for some, they could also reinforce the very habits they aim to replace.