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| Is My Takeout Risking Lives or Saving Restaurants? | Is My Takeout Risking Lives or Saving Restaurants? |
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| LOS ANGELES — The very small, mundane things that have become dangerous in the context of the pandemic are the ones I miss the most — a kiss on the cheek from a friend meeting me at a crowded bar, a packed car ride to the beach, a hot cheese pizza carried home in a cardboard box. | LOS ANGELES — The very small, mundane things that have become dangerous in the context of the pandemic are the ones I miss the most — a kiss on the cheek from a friend meeting me at a crowded bar, a packed car ride to the beach, a hot cheese pizza carried home in a cardboard box. |
| For weeks, I’ve continued to chase the comfort of takeout in Los Angeles. I’ve called restaurants, or put in orders online. I’ve read, and carefully followed, the new rules of a dozen restaurants, and been continuously moved by their staffs’ commitment to keep working, and their ability to adapt. | For weeks, I’ve continued to chase the comfort of takeout in Los Angeles. I’ve called restaurants, or put in orders online. I’ve read, and carefully followed, the new rules of a dozen restaurants, and been continuously moved by their staffs’ commitment to keep working, and their ability to adapt. |
| I’ve stocked my home with tamales from Broken Spanish, filled with chicharron and chicken, and comforting rice porridge from Porridge and Puffs. On a particularly busy day, reporting across the city, I started with a huge, crisp-edged chicken biscuit that I picked up from All Day Baby, and felt, momentarily, as if things were OK. | I’ve stocked my home with tamales from Broken Spanish, filled with chicharron and chicken, and comforting rice porridge from Porridge and Puffs. On a particularly busy day, reporting across the city, I started with a huge, crisp-edged chicken biscuit that I picked up from All Day Baby, and felt, momentarily, as if things were OK. |
| But as the Indian author Arundhati Roy asked recently, “Who can think of ordinary pleasure and not assess its risk?” | But as the Indian author Arundhati Roy asked recently, “Who can think of ordinary pleasure and not assess its risk?” |
| Over and over as the public health warnings have been updated, I’ve assessed the risk of picking up food cooked outside my own home — for myself and my partner, who is immunosuppressed. But what about the risk for the people who prep it, cook it, pack it and deliver it to us? | Over and over as the public health warnings have been updated, I’ve assessed the risk of picking up food cooked outside my own home — for myself and my partner, who is immunosuppressed. But what about the risk for the people who prep it, cook it, pack it and deliver it to us? |
| Restaurant workers make it possible for more people to shelter in place, by putting themselves on the front lines of the pandemic every day. Are we putting them at risk by ordering restaurant food, or are we supporting local businesses? Is it possible we’re doing both at once? | Restaurant workers make it possible for more people to shelter in place, by putting themselves on the front lines of the pandemic every day. Are we putting them at risk by ordering restaurant food, or are we supporting local businesses? Is it possible we’re doing both at once? |
| Each city is on its own timeline. Going into the fourth week of lockdown, the toll of the coronavirus in California has skyrocketed to more than 17,000 cases. Los Angeles County officials have urged people to stay home this week to slow the spread of the virus, to avoid stepping out, even for groceries. | Each city is on its own timeline. Going into the fourth week of lockdown, the toll of the coronavirus in California has skyrocketed to more than 17,000 cases. Los Angeles County officials have urged people to stay home this week to slow the spread of the virus, to avoid stepping out, even for groceries. |
| The continuing risk to the restaurant industry’s millions of workers — many of whom are already underpaid and undervalued, uninsured and unemployed — is high, and only getting higher. | The continuing risk to the restaurant industry’s millions of workers — many of whom are already underpaid and undervalued, uninsured and unemployed — is high, and only getting higher. |
| In a New York Times article about Los Angeles hospitals preparing for the peak of the outbreak here, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, the chief executive of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, made the point that people who were vulnerable to the virus tended to be workers whose job it was to care for others, but who hadn’t received care themselves. | In a New York Times article about Los Angeles hospitals preparing for the peak of the outbreak here, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, the chief executive of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, made the point that people who were vulnerable to the virus tended to be workers whose job it was to care for others, but who hadn’t received care themselves. |
| “These are the same people who are preparing food in fast-food restaurants, taking care of people in day care centers,” she said. | “These are the same people who are preparing food in fast-food restaurants, taking care of people in day care centers,” she said. |
| That quotation stuck with me. Some kitchens are enforcing rules, keeping distance between workers on the line, handing out gloves and masks. Others are not, but in most cases workers don’t have a choice to stay home. | That quotation stuck with me. Some kitchens are enforcing rules, keeping distance between workers on the line, handing out gloves and masks. Others are not, but in most cases workers don’t have a choice to stay home. |
| After an employee at a McDonald’s in Crenshaw tested positive for Covid-19, the worker’s colleagues filled the parking lot with messages written on their car windows, honking their horns, demanding a two-week quarantine period with full pay. It seemed, all things considered, like such a small ask. The protest was broken up by the police. | After an employee at a McDonald’s in Crenshaw tested positive for Covid-19, the worker’s colleagues filled the parking lot with messages written on their car windows, honking their horns, demanding a two-week quarantine period with full pay. It seemed, all things considered, like such a small ask. The protest was broken up by the police. |
| Many restaurants in Los Angeles have already decided that takeout isn’t worth the risk. Businesses that were pushing to stay open a few weeks ago have announced their closings on social media, in some cases specifying that it’s for the safety of their staff. | Many restaurants in Los Angeles have already decided that takeout isn’t worth the risk. Businesses that were pushing to stay open a few weeks ago have announced their closings on social media, in some cases specifying that it’s for the safety of their staff. |
| Konbi, the Echo Park cafe with the Instagram-famous egg-salad sandwich, closed last week. And Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl transformed into a relief kitchen to hand out free meals to unemployed restaurant workers. | Konbi, the Echo Park cafe with the Instagram-famous egg-salad sandwich, closed last week. And Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl transformed into a relief kitchen to hand out free meals to unemployed restaurant workers. |
| Takeout seems, on some days, like an entirely superfluous luxury that’s putting restaurant workers, whose choices are more limited than mine, at risk. | Takeout seems, on some days, like an entirely superfluous luxury that’s putting restaurant workers, whose choices are more limited than mine, at risk. |
| Other days, I think that even if takeout isn’t quite enough to keep restaurants afloat, it’s crucial — the only way to sustain the precarious businesses fighting to stay open through the pandemic. | Other days, I think that even if takeout isn’t quite enough to keep restaurants afloat, it’s crucial — the only way to sustain the precarious businesses fighting to stay open through the pandemic. |
| One estimate from restaurant analysts has it that 75 percent of the independent restaurants that close during the pandemic may not reopen, even with intervention from local and state governments. The result could be disastrous — millions of unemployed restaurant workers across the country, staying unemployed, unable to make their rent or get health insurance for themselves and their families. | One estimate from restaurant analysts has it that 75 percent of the independent restaurants that close during the pandemic may not reopen, even with intervention from local and state governments. The result could be disastrous — millions of unemployed restaurant workers across the country, staying unemployed, unable to make their rent or get health insurance for themselves and their families. |
| Updated June 22, 2020 | Updated June 22, 2020 |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| I shudder to think of a post-pandemic, homogeneous restaurant culture dominated entirely by corporate chains. Of everything we knew and loved — the most delicious, idiosyncratic hard-to-categorize cooking that defines Los Angeles — becoming a relic of the before times. | |
| On Saturday — the first in nearly two years that my neighborhood tamale vendor didn’t walk down my street with a granny cart, calling us out from our homes — I transferred money to Alfonso Martinez via Venmo, and he delivered me a brown paper bag full of tamales by car. | On Saturday — the first in nearly two years that my neighborhood tamale vendor didn’t walk down my street with a granny cart, calling us out from our homes — I transferred money to Alfonso Martinez via Venmo, and he delivered me a brown paper bag full of tamales by car. |
| The collective obsession with beans may be new to some of the people cleaning out the supermarket aisles or hoarding beautiful, speckled heirlooms, but Oaxacan tamales de frijol are an ancient tradition, usually wrapped in fresh corn leaves, and eaten in various pueblos with chicken soup, or red salsa, or mole. | The collective obsession with beans may be new to some of the people cleaning out the supermarket aisles or hoarding beautiful, speckled heirlooms, but Oaxacan tamales de frijol are an ancient tradition, usually wrapped in fresh corn leaves, and eaten in various pueblos with chicken soup, or red salsa, or mole. |
| Mr. Martinez, who wraps his bean tamales in avocado and banana leaves, runs the pop-up Poncho’s Tlayudas, a one-man show and a hub for the city’s Oaxacan community in South Los Angeles. For his family, the craft of cooking is a gift that’s been passed down through generations as a means of economic survival. | Mr. Martinez, who wraps his bean tamales in avocado and banana leaves, runs the pop-up Poncho’s Tlayudas, a one-man show and a hub for the city’s Oaxacan community in South Los Angeles. For his family, the craft of cooking is a gift that’s been passed down through generations as a means of economic survival. |
| Closing, even temporarily, is a luxury that he, and so many other small food businesses that are essential to their communities — immigrant-owned, Indigenous-owned, black-owned — cannot afford. Los Angeles, in turn, cannot afford to lose these restaurants. | Closing, even temporarily, is a luxury that he, and so many other small food businesses that are essential to their communities — immigrant-owned, Indigenous-owned, black-owned — cannot afford. Los Angeles, in turn, cannot afford to lose these restaurants. |
| The word “restaurant” comes from the Latin “restaurare,” to renew, and even without dining rooms, without regular menus and service, without consistent customers, even in the midst of a global pandemic, mass unemployment and deep uncertainty, restaurants are tapping into their extraordinary power to make people feel safe, nourished and restored. | The word “restaurant” comes from the Latin “restaurare,” to renew, and even without dining rooms, without regular menus and service, without consistent customers, even in the midst of a global pandemic, mass unemployment and deep uncertainty, restaurants are tapping into their extraordinary power to make people feel safe, nourished and restored. |
| I’m both moved by this, and infuriated. The survival of restaurants is at the top of every chef and restaurateur’s mind, along with how to rebuild the industry before it disappears, but restaurants don’t exist without the people who run them. | I’m both moved by this, and infuriated. The survival of restaurants is at the top of every chef and restaurateur’s mind, along with how to rebuild the industry before it disappears, but restaurants don’t exist without the people who run them. |
| And it’s impossible to ignore that restaurant workers at every level, even those taking extreme precautions, are putting themselves at great risk each day to make us dinner. | And it’s impossible to ignore that restaurant workers at every level, even those taking extreme precautions, are putting themselves at great risk each day to make us dinner. |
| Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. | Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. |