Covid-19: Food shopping

As I mentioned early on in these posts about the virus, my husband and I are accustomed to taking dinner plans a day at a time. Late afternoon comes around and we'll have three options: scrounge leftovers (or make nachos), go out to a restaurant, or head to the market and buy some groceries. The last option may involve me seeking out an interesting recipe, if I am cooking; if David's cooking, we usually just go for the basic animal protein, green veg, and rice/potato accompaniment. A typical week sees us paying a visit to the market four, five, even six times.

All that has changed now. I haven't set foot in our local Safeway in . . . is it over a week? That time, the store had supplied six-foot-spacing floor tiles for checkout, and we were only allowed up to the conveyor belt one at a time, as the checker had to wipe the belt down between each order. There weren't that many shoppers on that occasion, so I don't know if they are limiting the number of people allowed inside at once, as they are at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

We are getting low on scroungeables in the fridge, so tomorrow I am going to have to get real and draw up a shopping list. Then . . . go shopping. I am not especially happy about it. But, we gotta eat.

Friends of mine have been shopping remotely: sending in an order online, or shopping by phone, with the shopper explaining what's actually available (substitutions are the norm). I'm not sure I could do that. Well, I could, but I'd probably have a lot less variety in my diet. I like to browse, see what catches my eyes while having a conversation with my stomach and taste buds—they get a say too.

I've even been having trouble ordering takeout food, never mind that familiar menus from our favorite haunts are available online. But it's not the same as sitting in a restaurant, smelling the food that wafts by, seeing the bustle in the kitchen, enjoying the ambience of the dining room full of fellow patrons, and again—checking in with my taste buds as I peruse the menu. "What are we in the mood for, hmmmm? Artichoke-truffle ravioli? Diavola pizza? Or something else entirely, for a change of pace?"

This afternoon we went out to stock up on wine and beer at BevMo. On the way, David remarked that we needed some cat kibble, and PetExpress is more or less on the way. We might as well pick up some canned food as well, he said.

But when we got there, it seemed there was curbside pickup of online orders only! We got out of the car to investigate further, and no, thankfully, it wasn't that draconian. However, the store itself was blocked off—no browsing. The young woman sweeping up said she could help us, and asked what kind of kibble we wanted. It took a moment for us to remember the brand. After all, we usually just look for the right packaging on the shelves: the pretty metallic pink and copper bags. But we finally mustered up the name, and she went and got what we needed: salmon (à la veg, but who's counting), chicken (also à la veg), game bird, and salmon-tunachovy. Yes, the cats eat better than we do; and no, they couldn't care less about all the variety—as long as we don't try to feed them beef. 

For the canned food, we will have to go online. And hopefully they will supply photos. Because that's how we shop: by looking.

BevMo, same but worse: only online or via email. No friendly person at the door to ask if they could help. Fortunately, when it comes to wine and beer labels we do have a better idea of names; we've got our favorites. It shouldn't be hard. Fingers crossed.

I am adaptable. The current situation requires me to be a bit more strategic than usual, less in the moment. But it won't last forever. And in the meantime, I can think of it as cultivating new skills. Nothing wrong with that.

Meanwhile, tonight was the last of our leftovers. Tomorrow, mac and cheese with tuna, with fresh salad? I think we have enough to scrape together one more decent evening meal on Wednesday. So that means, Safeway run Thursday. I will prepare myself.

*****************

Today's numbers for Monterey County: same as yesterday; updates no doubt coming.

Stay inside. Stay hydrated. Stay healthy.