Yesterday was another lockdown grocery day. Trying to maintain food normalcy for my kids in these times. Luckily, our eating habits have always been pretty simple and homebound. But grocery shopping during this pandemic is concerning – for my health, for the safety of grocery workers and shoppers, and in furtherance of making ethical choices considering the food supply.
I have always enjoyed grocery stores. The kids do too, especially Trader Joe’s where they spent time going up and down the aisles snacking along the way. I regularly shopped at Publix, Kroger, Aldi, and occasionally at farmers markets, buying my favorite foods at the best prices. Gone are those carefree days of making a spontaneous stop on the way back from a school pickup or an excursion to the zoo or botanical gardens.
Now and for the forseeable future, grocery shopping means a carefully planned solo trip. I prepare a list to cover two weeks, make sure I have my gloves and face mask, strategically place my phone and keys so I do not need to touch them, select my “grocery” shoes that I leave by the door, and have wipes ready with a place to clean everything before bringing it in the house. I think twice before venturing out to consider whether I can wait a few more days – with a non-traditional meal or two made from what we have on hand. Just another risky venture into a public place with too much potential to share germs. – a dash, grab, pay and leave quickly activity. Or an online order for pickup or delivery.
It was so strange the other day when I realized my kids had not been in the car for more than a month. I wondered if the car seat straps would need to be adjusted since they were getting tight the last time I remember taking them anywhere. Their pant legs and shirt sleeves seem shorter recently, an indicator that they are growing. And the twins have lost several teeth (good thing the tooth fairy -and the Easter Bunny are essential workers just like in New Zealand).
Gone is the weekly special food night when we would pick up Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Fellini’s Pizza, La Fonda quesadillas, or Desta Ethiopian food. The kids have stopped asking, assuming everything is closed. Instead, I have put to good use my experience cooking from scratch. During my time in southern Hungary in the 1990’s, there were few prepared foods, few restaurants, and no take out. And I got inspiration from all of the BBC’s Ready Steady Cook episodes I watched while there – great for quick and creative use of random food items. I have become reaquainted with the many kitchen machines I collected in my pre-kid days: the blender, food processor, mixer, donut maker, and more. We even pulled out the ice cream maker that had lain dormant for years and started experimenting with new flavors.
Our house is well stocked with food and toiletries. I learned that from my father who grew up during the Depression and was famous in our family for keeping a dozen tubes of toothpaste or a dozens of rolls of toilet paper in the closet. In Hungary, my tiny apartment had a walk-in pantry closet where I stored a couple weeks worth of food, much to the amazement of my colleagues. There was no pandemic to worry about, but there was a war simmering not far from us just over the border. So I was comforted by feeling prepared enough not to need to go to a grocery. Like now. A reality I could not imagine back then. The past is prologue.
Standard guidance on food choices
Whatever food choices you end up making, it’s important to follow the pandemic eating commandments that many … public-health experts have already laid out: Don’t shop at a crowded grocery store; have a shopping list and don’t browse; ask delivery people to leave food on your doorstep (and not hand it off to you); stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are at greater risk of dying from it; and of course, wash your hands before and after getting food, try not to touch your face, and wear a mask when you go out. Taken together, these guidelines are a powerful way of reducing the potential health risks to you and others that come with getting food—whether from a grocery store or a restaurant, via pickup or delivery.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/grocery-delivery-takeout-eating-ethically-pandemic/610111/