Are you eating out? If so, how?

[KSRBEvans]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Barber Shop--thought I'd try it here first.

So before Covid, Mrs. BEvans and I ate out a couple of times/week. After everything happened, we ate strictly at home food that we made.

After a couple of weeks we started getting carry-out/curbside pickup orders and eating that at home.

Once we were permitted to eat at restaurants, we started going out 1-2 times/week again, but only eating places where we could sit outdoors--I still haven't eaten inside a restaurant and probably won't until there's a vaccine.

Just curious what others are doing.

[Darrell KSR]

Carry out only.

We're more cautious than most. I'm not going to criticize anyone else's decisions, but just explaining ours.

I agreed to meet a friend for a margarita on patio seating (it got canceled), but with my daughter's wedding in 10 days, I'm not going to do those things anymore either until after the wedding.

[dan_bgblue]

Carry out only as well and my wife follows recommendations on facebook about cleanliness and following mask wearing and no contact service at the window or at the door.

[KeithKSR]

Carry out only for us. We always preferred getting our food to go anyway, so it was no big deal for us.

[kingcat]

We have eaten in several times (especially on our vacation) but visited only at the slowest times in the day. And most every time no one has sat within ten or fifteen feet of us.

We've done a mid afternoon at Rafferty's or the like locally a couple of times. And I commend them particularly for the isolated atmosphere they provided and their extreme attention to cleanliness and distancing even among themselves. They used every inch of space to accommodate only the handful of patrons.

Mostly carry out though, and quite often.

[Catonahottinroof]

My wife and I are at the Mellow Mushroom in Ft Myers at the moment. All are well distanced as well as many are outside. All good...
Attachment 9573

[blueboss]

Ms boss and I ate out at least once a week before the “thing”. After the shutdown ended and businesses started opening with limited seating and out door dining, we stuck to carry out/curbside and delivery. I’ve gone out for lunch a few times for business purposes which have been indoor seating, the tables and patrons were kept at 10-20 feet apart.


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[CitizenBBN]

Have only done carry out since this started. Would otherwise go out probably once a weekend.

Honestly for me it's an atmosphere thing. Having my server in a mask, the place 3/4ths empty, etc. just takes the fun out of it for me. So I'll just eat at home I guess until this over.

Also I have a very very strong preference for eating at bars. I like the energy, the atmosphere more than tables where I'm separate from the crowd. So for me there's not much point in going out when the bar areas are closed and it's as private as eating at my house. There's no energy, no vibe, no experience for me. If it's strictly the food most of it translates OK to the same for take out, and I never really went out just for the food anyway.

I miss it, walking around downtown and stopping here or there for a drink and an appetizer, but nothing to do about it for a while.

It's also cheaper. I get some carryout here and there, but not a lot.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Carry out and cooking at home. Ate out once without kids. Late lunch, maybe 10 other people in Longhorn.

We have always ate out at odd times to avoid crowds.

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[VirginiaCat]

In the past 7 days I have spent 2 nights in Myrtle Beach (lunch in NC on way down and back) and 1 night in Minneapolis MN (with a lunch in Cold Spring MN).

Those are considered hot spots.

I have eaten both dinner and lunch in both areas in those 7 days.

On the way down to , we did CFA in NC. had to go drive thru and ate in truck.
That night in MB we ate in a bar called FlipFlops. Wore masks in. Took off when eating.
The next day we had lunch at a mexican restaurant near Barefoot Landing. Masks in, off when eating.
That night we had dinner at Greg Normans by the water. Had a drink at bar while waiting. Wore masks in, took off for drinking and eating

yesterday flew to MN. Lunch at a Burger King in a gas station Near St. Cloud. Dinner at Hazelwood (YUMMY!). Mask in. Sat at bar with no mask. Seated outside, no mask.

So, I wear a mask in. Remove when eating and drinking. Put back on when leaving. Use hand sanitizer. Wash hands.

It is fine. .0004...

[Darrell KSR]

It is fine. .0004...

I'll tell that to my wife. It'll help when she's crying about her deceased cousin.

Or the families of the patients my daughter is treating while she's risking her life treating them. One of her co-workers was hospitalized this week.

Or the nearly 170,000 Americans who have died.

It is NOT fine. And wear a damn mask, I agree with.

(Edit... If you mean eating in is fine, I apologize. I don't judge for that. But I'll damn sure judge if you are going to throw out a percentage and act like a disease is fine that's killing people.)

[VirginiaCat]

I'll tell that to my wife. It'll help when she's crying about her deceased cousin.

Or the families of the patients my daughter is treating while she's risking her life treating them. One of her co-workers was hospitalized this week.

Or the nearly 170,000 Americans who have died.

It is NOT fine. And wear a damn mask, I agree with.

(Edit... If you mean eating in is fine, I apologize. I don't judge for that. But I'll damn sure judge if you are going to throw out a percentage and act like a disease is fine that's killing people.)

I did mean eating out.

But , sorry D, we disagree. a .0004 death rate is not worth what we have done to our economy...as my friend knows as he is burying his son from a heroin OD. The medicine is worse than the affliction for many in our society.

I am so sorry for your wifes loss. Truly am. But our focus SHOULD be on those truly at risk.

And of that 170K...what is the excess death rate? We will not know for about 5 year but we already know death from other normal killers (Flu etc) are way down...

[suncat05]

Mrs. Suncat and I ate at a Bob Evans last weekend in Sebring. She worked from home last week, so it was a nice change of pace for me.
Lots of social distancing enforced there, but the service was good, and the food was good too.
The Boss has gone back to Titusville, so I'm eating alone again. I'm not eating out by myself with all of this nonsense, so trips to Publix & Winn-Dixie meet my cooking at home needs.
I prefer to eat my own cooking anyway, ultimately it's more economical, and it is prepared the way I like it.
I'm funny like that. And since there's no one else here besides the pups, there's no one interrupting me or bothering me while I'm eating.
I know you guys here wouldn't understand this, but I actually enjoy dining by myself, or with my wife, without being bothered in a restaurant by some nitwit bothering me when I was trying to eat a meal in a restaurant while I was still working for the Sheriff's Office, in uniform. There is ALWAYS somebody that just wants to "ask a question" while you're trying to eat a meal in peace. That's why I just stopped eating out in public while in uniform.
I just like my 'quiet time'.

[Darrell KSR]

I did mean eating out.

But , sorry D, we disagree. a .0004 death rate is not worth what we have done to our economy...as my friend knows as he is burying his son from a heroin OD. The medicine is worse than the affliction for many in our society.

I am so sorry for your wifes loss. Truly am. But our focus SHOULD be on those truly at risk.

And of that 170K...what is the excess death rate? We will not know for about 5 year but we already know death from other normal killers (Flu etc) are way down...

I lost my nephew from a heroin overdose, and there's another moderator here who had (I want to say his nephew, but I'm probably wrong) lose his from the same thing fairly recently. And other good board members have. It is a horrible, horrible epidemic of its own, and I feel for your friend and all loved ones who have been so affected.

I've seen all of the arguments postured trying to diminish Covid-19, from the "it's not a real thing" to some of the ones you're using now. While we have shut down the country and taken steps most of us have never seen in our lifetimes, we're still approaching Spanish flu figures. What would it be had we not taken a breath to figure out what was going on? Remember, we're not even 1/2 a year in this thing. I hope we never reach those numbers, and there are really good reasons why we hopefully won't.

What bothers me the most is the slide people have made. It started with raw numbers early as people didn't understand geometric progression and the spread of the disease. Then they switched the argument to comparisons to the flu, hoping others would not understand (or they did not understand) that taking small portions of a calendar year and comparing to seasons was a daft comparison. Maybe it was the hope that it would be seasonal--a reasonable hope that I shared, although I was concerned about arguments that counted on that. Even your argument here hints at that--when the flu kills 35,000 a year, and we're at 4.5x that figure in less than 1/2 a year already, you can't manipulate the numbers to make this seem less than it is. Then the arguments switched to decimal points, which is where you are now. I'm reminded of that TV commercial where the old lady posts photographs on her house wall, and says she's "unfriending" somebody by pulling it off, and the other one looking incredulous saying, "It doesn't work that way." The numbers are what the numbers are. Some try to diminish it and claim it includes too much. Others suggest the numbers have been underreported. Whatever the numbers are, they are large. This is bigger than we've seen.

I am also concerned about residual effects. I told everyone 2-3 months ago about heart issues that they were seeing it in the hospital, and now it is finally starting to become more commonly discussed. Lung issues that linger are another matter. People are leaving the hospital "cured" yet not able to climb a flight of stairs two months later. Not everyone. It's pretty dang random in that regard. Death is certainly the worst outcome, but there are others affecting people of all ages. Again, this is a biased position I hold, but my oldest daughter treats immune-compromised cancer-stricken children. She's seeing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in her kids. Well, some. Fortunately, not many. Her kids are mostly put in a pseudo-bubble for obvious reasons.

That goes partially to your position that we should be focused on the ones most at-risk. There's one common ground we have. We have others.

The arguments that we need to move forward and deal with it is a different argument, and more common ground. The manner in which arguments are crafted diminishing the Covid-19 which allow you to arrive at that position, however, I take very personally. I pray every day my daughter stays healthy while treating Covid-19 ICU patients for 13 hours at a stretch. She isn't complaining; she knows what she bought in to. But it would be a decent sight indeed if everybody else realized that, too. I WISH this was just the flu she was dealing with. So does she, and every one of the health care workers treating it. That ought to be enough to tell you what you should know. That ought to be enough. I do give them a lot of credence. Granted, my point of view is again, biased because of that. It's also shaped in part by a 30-year friendship with a UAB epidemiologist. I get that, too. If you know me, I'll sometimes throw off some steam because of something like this and then I'll move on. I realize a good part of this is personal/anecdotal. And I don't mean anything if I have a debate with you about this; I hope you know that without me having to say this.

Socially, mentally, financially, we need to be better than shutting down and cowering in our basements. Socially, mentally, financially, we need to figure a way to get on with "normal" life. Socially, mentally, financially, we need to work through this. While I recognize the severity of Covid-19, it's also not something that should force us to be cavemen and do without electricity. I want my business clients to operate. I want to operate. I want my son to play his college sport. I want my daughter to perform on stage her senior year of college. We all want these things. I disagree vehemently with those who suggest we can't do these things. Life is not without risk. This is a big risk, but one that can be managed if we're smart.

And I do think better days are ahead. We've already seen improvements in treatment..I am fortunate that I am told about them regularly, first-hand, by an expert in the field. I am told about the improvement in outcomes; the medicines previously used and no longer used, the medicines now used, and some prophylactic things that can be done now. We will have a vaccine that will be decently effective to very effective (even 50% is good), and we'll have enough people being vaccinated that it will make a dent. These are all good things coming, and some already here.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. I get that you disagree with me. As you can probably tell, I won't agree with you about Covid-19, but we're probably very close on what we should be doing economically otherwise. Hey, as soon as I see "wear a mask, wash your hands," I'm pretty much in agreement with the rest.

[Darrell KSR]

There is ALWAYS somebody that just wants to "ask a question" while you're trying to eat a meal in peace. That's why I just stopped eating out in public while in uniform.
I just like my 'quiet time'.

It took me a number of years before I figured that out. I know CitizenBBN regularly buys the drinks for servicemen he sees, and I've picked up the tab for those and others in uniform from time to time. I used to go over and thank them personally, but I realized (finally) that many just want to relax, and as much as they appreciate the gesture, it was an interruption. I don't need the "you're welcome," so doing it without them knowing works better. And hey, for a lawyer to pick up a tab? You know they must be thankful lol.

[dan_bgblue]

VC, I am sorry that you had to visit Minnie. Our home office is in Anoka and they make me visit twice a year if not more. It is a long drive, but I do it now rather than flying thru that miserable airport. Delta used to have multiple non stop flights a day between BNA and MSP, but they cut back to 2 non stop flights a day, one really early morning and one late afternoon, and the cost of the flight quadrupled.

[KSRBEvans]

I appreciate you all sharing what you're doing. It's very difficult to know where to draw the line. For example (changing the subject slightly), our church is open but limits attendance to a max of 100 (our sanctuary holds 500), reservation only. Mrs. BEvans is a very social person and really wants to go back, but I'm scared to death to do anything indoors that's not essential so I'm watching our church's stream on Sunday mornings. Discussions have ensued.

In fact, having read your comments I'm thinking maybe I'm being a little too risky even eating outside, at least under the circumstances we've encountered recently. We went to our favorite seafood restaurant to celebrate Mrs. BEvans' retirement last Friday--we sat outside, but they had the tables too close together for our liking. I was turned away from the person closest to me at the next table, but she was probably only 3-4 feet away. That's too close IMHO, especially when unmasked and eating/drinking. Then I read sportswriter Bill Plasche's column on contracting Covid recently and he speculates he got it eating outside at a restaurant with another couple:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story...-19-experience

So I'm thinking I might need to dial it back a bit. Again, appreciate your perspectives.

[MickintheHam]

Eat out every day at least once. It’s much more socially distanced and cleaner than Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Home Depot, or Lowes. I’m scared to death to go to any of those awful places.

[KentuckyWildcat]

I likely lost my only uncle worth a damn because empty hospitals were shut down. A dear friend of mine has fallen off the wagon and looks to be on a path to divorce because of the depression of being at home. There is sensitivity to all sides of this. Anyone that thinks there is one perfect answer is wrong IMO. Lives will be impacted regardless. Do what you can to protect yourself and turn the rest over to God. Even the worry, stress, and frustration.

[suncat05]

It took me a number of years before I figured that out. I know CitizenBBN regularly buys the drinks for servicemen he sees, and I've picked up the tab for those and others in uniform from time to time. I used to go over and thank them personally, but I realized (finally) that many just want to relax, and as much as they appreciate the gesture, it was an interruption. I don't need the "you're welcome," so doing it without them knowing works better. And hey, for a lawyer to pick up a tab? You know they must be thankful lol.

That is a good way of doing it, Darrell. And you're right, those troops certainly appreciate the heartfelt gesture.
I am not anti-social by any means. I actually like people, and I still believe that if given a choice between doing right or wrong, most people will choose to do the right thing.
But there is always that one guy that, as soon as he walks in the door, he stops, scans the room, and as soon as he sees that uniform, he has target lock.
I hate that. Absolutely hate it.
And that is why I stopped eating out in public in uniform. There is always that one guy, who while he is likely harmless and really means no harm, just will not leave you alone if you're in uniform. He just doesn't get it.
But you do, and I'm glad. Thank you.

[KeithKSR]

I likely lost my only uncle worth a damn because empty hospitals were shut down. A dear friend of mine has fallen off the wagon and looks to be on a path to divorce because of the depression of being at home. There is sensitivity to all sides of this. Anyone that thinks there is one perfect answer is wrong IMO. Lives will be impacted regardless. Do what you can to protect yourself and turn the rest over to God. Even the worry, stress, and frustration.

There are no easy answers, especially for small town America. Most of the people that claim our community as home don’t live within city limits. The city has a population of around 1500 or so. My high school graduating class numbered fewer than 150, everyone knew everybody. Lots of us are still fairly local, lots of us remain connected due to social media. I’ve taught a lot of their kids over the years. When you walk into most businesses they know you by name. At the time of my retirement 7 of my coworkers were former students, of the 30 faculty members only 7 or 8 weren’t graduates of the local high school.

How has the virus impacted our community?

One of my high school classmate’s husband was diagnosed with cancer as soon as doctors began taking patients again. Only time will tell what impact the delay in treatments will have, surely delaying treatments wasn’t a good thing.

Another high school classmate attended a family get together In July, several came down with Covid. Most of them had no symptoms or were asymptomatic. My friend didn’t fare as well. About the time most of them were able to exit their home quarantines he entered the hospital, he was later transferred to UK and was placed on a vent earlier this month. He lost his battle on Tuesday. I’ve known him since 1978, when we started high school. Our girls played softball together, I taught his kids in school. Everyone knows his family, so turnout for visitation would normally be huge, but with the virus restrictions that require social distancing many will be unable to pay their respects.

There are a number of small businesses in our community. They were really hit hard by the mandatory closures we had. Restaurants have been hit especially hard, and for a small community we have a number of family owned restaurants. The community has made a concerted effort to patronize the restaurants throughout the pandemic, as they offered takeout services. These business people sponsor local sports teams, hire local people to work for them, hold fundraisers when people are having financial struggles, and are friends of most of their customers. Closing those businesses permanently would impact the entire community.

I know people who have been trying to sign up on unemployment benefits since March. The state’s system is totally messed up, and it may take years for these people to be able to recover from the results of the virus closures.

There are problems no matter what we do

[blueboss]

That is a good way of doing it, Darrell. And you're right, those troops certainly appreciate the heartfelt gesture.
I am not anti-social by any means. I actually like people, and I still believe that if given a choice between doing right or wrong, most people will choose to do the right thing.
But there is always that one guy that, as soon as he walks in the door, he stops, scans the room, and as soon as he sees that uniform, he has target lock.
I hate that. Absolutely hate it.
And that is why I stopped eating out in public in uniform. There is always that one guy, who while he is likely harmless and really means no harm, just will not leave you alone if you're in uniform. He just doesn't get it.
But you do, and I'm glad. Thank you.

When I see a guy out in a uniform in a restaurant, store, or wherever, I give them a nod and wink as I walk by. If I feel it’s not being intrusive I’ll thank them and offer a “stay safe” wish and keep moving.

If they are engaged in a conversation or reading or something, I just stick with the nod and wink, and keep moving. 99 times out of 100 I get a nod and smile if acknowledgement back.

I hope that’s not too intrusive, and just a sign of respect/acknowledgement.


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[VirginiaCat]

VC, I am sorry that you had to visit Minnie. Our home office is in Anoka and they make me visit twice a year if not more. It is a long drive, but I do it now rather than flying thru that miserable airport. Delta used to have multiple non stop flights a day between BNA and MSP, but they cut back to 2 non stop flights a day, one really early morning and one late afternoon, and the cost of the flight quadrupled.

It's worse. I am looking at acquiring a 32 bed facility up there to allow me to serve and educate autistic kids so it could be a permanent business for us!

My wife is Minniesnowtan.... I know to only visit in June-Aug!

[VirginiaCat]

Darrell,

we likely agree on 95% of this stuff on Covid. You and I and society can play with the stats all we want and that is where disagreement will come in but that is numbers.

It is Real. It does have dangerous consequences, espcecially for certain demographics of society. We do not know long term effects of the virus and will not for 5-7 years at best. Wear a mask in public. Wash hands. Consider those at risk. Pretty sure we can agree on those things.

As far as the 170K deaths. Well I know that number is inflated based on the way the attributed deaths are being reported (covid positive but dying from auto accident injuries is not a covid death). I know that nursing homes are having much lower mortality rates from all other issues but Covid. Those are facts.

But, it is an issue. Just not one I (and personal opinion) feel should have disrupted ALL of society Just the portions truly at risk.

Thank you for your passion, your information, and quite honestly your reasoned and supported response.

[Crazy4Blue]

We eat out about twice a week, sometimes three. Honestly I like home cooking better