how to support your local restaurants + bars

Last Sunday, Governor Cuomo ordered all bars and restaurants to shut down, other than delivery and takeout. Pretty much everything in New York is now closed except for essential services like grocery stores and pharmacies. Walking around the city is eerie: everything is closed, the streets are empty, every restaurant has a sign outside saying they’re closed (and a handful are still open for delivery). It’s the biggest city in America and the whole place is shut down, a sight I thought I would never see.

The restaurant scene in New York is one of the things that makes the city what it is. Without it, the place feels empty and desolate. And there are hundreds of thousands of restaurant workers who are now unemployed. The restaurant shutdown is supposed to be temporary, sure, but most restaurants can’t afford to keep paying rent and taxes while not bringing in any revenue. So if this continues for a long time — and all signs indicate it will — many of these restaurants aren’t closed temporarily, but possibly forever. They won’t be able to afford to re-open their doors when we finally get to the other side of this. And restaurant workers? The vast majority of them are hourly workers, so if there restaurant’s not in business, they’re unemployed. Many restaurants have already been forced to lay off much, if not all, of their staff.

This week I have felt extremely fortunate that I still have a job and that it’s the type of job where I can work from home. And since I am lucky enough to be financially stable right now I’ve been trying to do my part to support the restaurants, bars, and cafes that I frequent in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, the ones where I have spent countless evenings and had so many fun memories. If you’re in a position to do the same, I encourage you to do it too: those workers who have served you your favorite cocktails or your favorite meals are now, for the most part, out of work and unsure of when they’ll see their next paycheck or whether they’ll make rent at the end of this month. Support them however you can: buy gift cards, order delivery or takeout and tip well, buy merch, go to their wine sales, donate to their GoFundMes. Contribute whatever you can: even if it’s just a few bucks, it all adds up and will make a difference for someone working at your favorite neighborhood restaurant or cafe.

What I’m quarantine cooking this week

Slow cooker honey soy pork. Pasta with garlic, capers, anchovy, and red pepper. Bon Appetit’s best banana bread. Ramen carbonara! Kimchi fried grains.

What I’m reading

Pregnant in a pandemic, The Cut.

How communities are rallying around one another — and Google Docs — to bring coronavirus aid, NBC News.

The coronavirus outbreak is a nightmare for people with eating disorders, BuzzFeed News.

What living through a pandemic is like for kids, Slate.

How the coronavirus pandemic has turned Andrew Cuomo into America’s Governor, Vogue.

When your home becomes your office — and daycare, Medium.

A boom time for the bean industry, New York Times.

Someday we’ll look back on all of this and write a novel, New York Times.

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