The other day, the boys and I got our first take-out since the virus outbreak. It will be our only take-out during this time. I’ve felt convicted ever since then not to do it again until the coast is completely clear.
The person who made our food did one glaringly unsanitary thing, then put on gloves before preparing our order. While paying and conversing, it was clear that this person was not at all fazed by the virus and its potential for harm. Nor did they pay any heed to the warning on distancing, judging by their words and body language. Almost like it was a bunch of hogwash. I debated over and over whether to throw the food away after paying for it. Had it escaped unscathed? Had it not? In our hunger, and perhaps our idiotic folly, we ate it.
If we end up getting sick and testing positive, I’ll know why. Uggghhh.
Even before that day, I’ve been questioning the sense of keeping take-out places open. How does it jibe with social distancing when someone else is handling, breathing over, and perhaps conversing and laughing around the food we eat? Even worse, what if they’re licking their fingers, scratching their nose, or rubbing their eyes while making it without gloves? I watched someone else who was preparing a drink spill it down their hand and lick it off in a different establishment several weeks ago when I happened to pop in for a second. I don’t know if they planned to wash, but I was glad I wasn’t buying anything there.
On the contrary, I know there are people who are being extremely cautious with the food they’re preparing. Nonetheless, they’re right there with it. Not six feet away from it.
I do not want businesses to go under and for business owners to suffer greatly. On the other hand, if we can keep this thing from going one more inch on this island, we will come out alive and perhaps broke rather than dead and gone.
People on the news are saying that some take-out is “essential.” At this point, I don’t care what the media says. If it doesn’t make logical sense, it doesn’t make logical sense. Staying alive is essential. In a few weeks, the news will report that all of the experts are now telling us not to buy take-out because it turns out that it wasn’t a wise thing to do.
At the least, if you don’t absolutely know the sanitary standards of the person preparing your food, you might want to consider it “non-essential.”
Disclaimer: I’m not a fearful type.
The cover photo is just meant to be a generic photo; it’s not something served at any establishment here on the island, nor is it meant to stand for one.
Eating food that has been breathed on, spit on, or sneezed on cannot give you a corona-type virus. If you touch it (or the packaging) and then rub your eyes or pick your nose, it can. So, like everyone has already said, just wash your hands.
I get what you’re saying. Even though you can ingest the virus and it’s not foodborne, those same germs, if they get spread to your face and into your respiratory system can infect you. I think it’s a lot easier to completely remove oneself from those germs altogether by limiting/avoiding contact and forsaking take-out made by other people. I can’t say I will perfectly disinfect the packaging, totally avoid touching my face after touching it, etc. Rather than relying on my disease barriers being absolutely bomb-proof, I’d rather err on the side of distance from other people’s preparation of my food entirely. To me, it just makes sense to avoid every channel I can that isn’t necessary.
I would feel bad if my previous comment minimized the danger. I still believe that you can eat anything made by an infected person without much risk, and if you touch anything infected you should wash your hands, but I should also say that you CANNOT inhale anything that someone else has exhaled. Thus, the social distancing. So, I amend my statement to “wash your hands and keep your distance”.