Panic buying, takeaway, eating in and surviving on Western delicacies during virus scare
- The coronavirus has caused a terrible loss of business for restaurants and bars in Hong Kong, with most people eating at home
- You may not be able to get your favourite tinned food at the supermarket, but Western luxury foods are always in stock
Covid-19 isn’t just the technical name for the coronavirus, it sounds like an evil droid in a Star Wars movie. Yes, that’s kind of a lame joke, typical of what you might hear in the monologue of a talk show. These days, there’s so much that’s depressing and cynical, I’m trying to find more positives in everything I see and hear.
The pandemic panic extends to a fear of delivery drivers and kitchen cooks. The worry is that couriers on their bikes will spread their mobile germs all over the food, even though it’s all covered up in plastic boxes and a bag. The suspicion also goes to our pad Thai orders being stir-fried by filthy chefs with nasty, plague-infested coughs. Yeah, it’s far-fetched, but people are taking their worst fears to extremes. But, like I said, I want to look more at the positives …
This new crisis has encouraged more people to actually buy groceries and cook their own food. That can’t be a bad thing, especially for Hongkongers and their families. Whatever you prepare at home, it’s highly likely to be healthier, probably with less oil and salt, and obviously cheaper on the wallet.
However, the cynic in me suspects that too many of these family dinners just consist of instant noodles with pan-fried Spam, or rice with a can of black bean dace fish and chilli turnip pickles. My reasoning is based on the stuff that is flying off the supermarket shelves during the recent market runs.