Thirty days ago, I ate my last meal in public. I was in Savannah, Georgia, and I was so excited to introduce traveling buddies Susin and Clinton to one of my favorite restaurants on the planet – The Olde Pink House.
I have such fond memories of the Olde Pink House, from a Seattle girls’ trip, to happy hours, to my birthday celebration a couple of years ago. I love it so.
The building itself has stood since 1771, first as a private residence, then serving many other functions throughout the centuries, including a bank and a military headquarters. It became a restaurant, first as a tearoom, in the 1920’s. At the time of our visit it had reopened less than a year before, after a fire in December 2018. I remember reading about the fire and being devastated, and I thrilled to the news of its rise from the ashes.
Coronavirus was already on our minds as we were seated, and obviously on the minds of others as well; we walked right in for lunch, without reservations, on a Friday afternoon – the Friday afternoon before St. Patrick’s Day on Monday, to boot. We side-eyed the cutlery and glassware, suddenly hyper-aware of everything we touched.
The meal was, as always, superb.
It wasn’t too long before restaurants were limited to take out and delivery only, but I’m not willing to risk it given my immune system deficiencies. Based on what we know right now, the illness is not spread through food, as it is a respiratory virus. The current common wisdom is if you throw the packaging away, wash your hands of course, and heat the food to at least 165 degrees, you will be fine. Oh, how I wish I could know that for certain, because I love eating out, I’m sick of eating my own cooking, and it’s breaking my heart to see so many culinary institutions fail. But I’ll be damned if I die over a taco or a mint julep.
At least I can say my last public meal was at The Olde Pink House. It could have been fast food or something equally uninspiring.
For the last couple of years I’ve been toying with the idea of cooking more at home, for both health and budgetary reasons. However, I can tell you there is no way in hell I would have gone 30 days without darkening the door of a restaurant if it weren’t for this virus!
So how have I put these last 30 days to good use food-wise? The answer is not at all. Many of the recipes I make from memory and scratch are from my childhood – hearty southern meals full of carbs and calories. I even made squash casserole last week, which I’m pretty sure I last ate when I was around age 14.
Last year my GI doctor recommended some dietary changes to at least partially address my ongoing digestive disease; it’s called the FODMAP diet, designed to limit the fuel fed to bad bacteria in your gut. As this whole thing began, did it occur to me to start FODMAP because I would not be eating out or communing with friends over meals?
Nope. Not one bit. We all get through shit the best way we know how.
Are you eating at home exclusively like me? If so, what was your last meal out?
Whether eating in or out, how are you finding comfort right now?
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I feel the same way. I hadn’t seen my best friend in weeks and weeks and we ate out the Sunday before they closed the dining rooms at restaurants here in Portland, OR. We both knew it was probably coming but it was still a bit of a surprise. The place we ate was almost empty at noon on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day. If it was surreal then; it’s even more bizarre now. I don’t eat out often, but I sure do miss my favorite places and the idea that I can’t just pop into one on a whim for a quick lunch.
There is a New Mexican Restaurant (very different from Mexican food) named Gabriels on the north side of Santa Fe that we ordered take out from and ate it in the car in the parking lot. They have since closed and don’t even offer that. I can remember many times during Spanish Market when I waited two hours to get inside that restaurant.
Another beautifully written essay! Good to see you pop up! Funny, we have never met however you are at the top of “I wonder, I worry about” List!
Food – Took up with the electric pressure cooker a couple of years ago with a desire to master the pot. I have a Mealthy which I adore. Soups, applesauce, veggies, yogurt and so much more – wonderful creations!
Tammy! who would ever believe that food shopping would become a competitive sport?
I hit the egg lotto yesterday – eggs have been impossible to get here in Fresno. With them, I made chocolate pudding from scratch.
When this is over, I hope to have improved my bread-making techniques. LOL
Stay well – I keep hearing better days ahead – I surely do hope they are close at hand.
Good to hear you are still taking your health into your own hands. But, it is a bummer when you enjoy other foods and cultures other than your house!
We are in Ocala proper, on the east side in a RV park in the Silver Springs community. For the most part, we have resisted being in public spaces any more than absolutely necessary, given we fall into a couple of high risk categories.
However, we live and die for good, authentic Mexican, preferably a family-owned joint. Needless to say, as soon as we pull into a new location, the search is on for such an establishment!
Lucky for us, we found one only 5 minutes from our RV park! We didn’t have a chance to sample the dine-in menu before the shutdowns occurred, but, we HAVE sampled their takeout options after the fact.
Happy to say, we seem to get a greater portion of food by takeout than we could imagine in a dine-in situation. They seem to be expressing their gratitude for takeout business by increasing portion sizes. True to our hopeful expectations, it is FANTASTIC.
So, that has become the sole takeout food venture we are taking every Saturday evening, but, it is soooooo well worth the chance!!
Here’s hoping for the dearth of dining out options to become much more plentiful for you as soon as healthy possible!
I rarely go out to eat, been cooking at home for years. A lot of it was because of being Gluten intolerant ( and vegetarian) and also because I enjoy cooking. Or maybe too many years working the restaurant scene. I didn’t have too adapt too much until I went out and couldn’t find my GF pasta or flour!! Who would have thought so many were these products!!
I find comfort in my little garden, I have a small plot in our Community Garden). I read and once or twice a week go on a hike. I walk the perimeter of the park once or twice a day. I clean a lot!!
That’s it!!
Stay safe!!
Good to know you are doing ok. We have different food issues. My husband has serious issues with salt which is in nearly everything you order out as well as all (that I’ve seen) prepared meals, mixes, sauces, etc. I apparently (seems to be a good working theory) have lots of internal scar tissue that causes bowel blockages if I’m not supper careful. All that means simply is there has been very little change for us because I have no choice but to cook everything we eat with few exceptions. I am lazy so I would have serious issues if I were deprived of my crockpot & crockpot liners. I had never heard of the FODMAP so I looked it up and have a ton of technical questions but they are all strictly hypothetical so I’ll likely not persue the answers. I will do about anything if I thought it would make all our little cells happier. Hoping things really are turning a good corner.
I saw your blog title in email, and that set me on a search for our last meal out. Turns out it was the very same day, and we were still in Calistoga on our wine tasting trip. We had made the decision the night before to cut the trip short, and were headed to the airport to take my sister and our friend for their flights home. But our hotel didn’t have breakfast, so we ate at the Calistoga Roastery, which had become a favorite during our short stay. I wonder now if it was probably their last day of dining in.
We’re fortunate to be able to eat pretty much what we want, and the favorite local restaurants in San Antonio are doing a booming takeout and delivery business, si we have probably done a third takeout and the rest eating at home.
We’re walking a lot, doing yoga, puzzles, reading…no blogging. If the coach were fixed, all would (almost) be right with the world. Sort of. 😂
Hey Tammy, I love to cook and am finding this isolation okay as I have alot more time to cook and bake, with only working part time. I have been baking cookies, banana bread, more cookies and have mastered a jalepeno cheese bread. We live in cottage country so our dining is very limited. Found a really good homemade pizza place 7 minutes away. For the flip side, I have gain 10 lbs. If you need simple recipes give me a shout out with an ingredient. Keeping safe in Ontario, Canada