Jonathan Wells

A tube of Pringles sits before me. It’s an odd blue-green colour, has a candy-cane question mark curled across its front and, in all-caps lettering just beneath the logo, the words ‘Santa’s Secret Flavour’. Which sounds frankly unappetising. Yet this is just one of a growing number of mystery-flavoured snacks currently on supermarket shelves: crisps, ice creams and other sweet treats committed to keeping their contents under wraps. What’s going on? When did we start playing Russian roulette with our palates and — more to the point — who’s paying good money for food that could taste of, well, anything?  From Gatorade and Chupa Chups to Fanta and SunnyD, several such cryptic products have been rolled out by brands in the past year.

The first time I took a ride in a Waymo was in 2024. It was summer in San Francisco, and my wife and I had spent several weeks watching these curious, sensor-laden Jaguar I-Paces gliding– driverless – up and down the city’s famous slopes. Intrigued, we downloaded the app, summoned one and climbed in.  It was the stuff of sci-fi. The car knew my name and displayed our route on a screen as we traced through traffic. Uncannily, the wheel still turned; phantom hands steering us into every corner. My wife was slightly perturbed; I loved every self-driving second.  But what struck me most wasn’t the technology, but how little fuss these all-electric cars were causing.