The last few days have been a whirlwind, we have gone from “don’t go on a cruise if you’re 70” to the announcement that schools are to shut till further notice. The country has gone into protocols that wouldn’t be out of place in wartimes, suspension of public schools, rationing in supermarkets and limiting group gatherings. This is a very surreal and crazy place to be right now.
Today as Prime Minister Boris addressed the country in his daily briefing ( a strange sentence to type) the best guess is it will be “12 weeks till we turn the tide” and self testing kits will be available. So 3 months till it starts easing and God knows how long till we are service as normal.
That’s the context, not to say right or wrong I am far from an expert in these matters but something I do have a bit of knowledge about, for what it is worth is hospitality. With 18 years experience in a range of positions of the trade I can comfortably say “BORIS, YOU HAVE FUCKED THE INDUSTRY!!!”. During one of his babbles to camera he has advised social distancing, and told people they should not go to pubs, restaurants, cinemas, cafes etc. This is sound medical advice I am sure but a reporter followed up with the question of “does this mean you are shutting the pubs, restaurants and other venues?” was met with (to paraphrase) “I don’t think I will need to”. THIS FUCKED US, you see businesses can claim insurance if a government shuts them down, but by giving a vague statement he has told customers not to go to venues but wont allow them the clause that triggers the insurance. The government has offered all sectors of business possible grants and low interest loans but these aren’t the easiest to find and its not going to be quick enough to keep paying staff. Also taking a loan means extra personal expenditure as opposed to insurances who cover those expenses.
As I speak companies are shedding staff, with no real industry left to find work in, hospitality is the front line casualty. This industry has been knocked down, we are blooded and battered but we can never die. From scrolling through my social media I see all my mentors and inspirations of years of following post after post, they are suspending operations. NO one can afford to keep a place open with no customers. Margins are tight at best, its become the impossible scenario.
So, what to do if you one of these many casualties of circumstance? Well like some people I see on social media, you can bitch and moan about how you have been dealt a bad hand or you can stand up and fight, as Les Brown says “if you can look up, you can get up!”. Or as this little bald asshole says “TIME TO MOTHERFUCKING HUSTLE!!”,
Last week as I watched my boys sleep and I told myself “you do whatever it takes”, that fire you feel fuels you. YOU FIND YOUR WHY!!. Now I completely accept that I may have to do non chef jobs for a little bit, that’s ok. I am going to take a pay cut, that’s ok. Its ok because I know I will chef again and that true chef fire, passion and desire for food can never be extinguished. I did manage to pick up a shift this Sunday, so far that’s it but after a week out of the game I am rested, excited and eager. Its a beautiful hotel in the country with a small restaurant, its own garden and is family owned, it’s just gives you a serene feeling being there. That’s it so far, but I have worked too hard and saved for taxes and my van for it to be spent on this negative, soul sucking virus.
Food purveyors are beginning to create new takeaway menus and restaurant at home culture, this is something that has always (pre virus) been massive in America and the rest of the world, in Britain we have always had a bit of a history of distinguishing between the places that do and don’t accommodate food to go. Just Eat and Deliveroo started to blur that line but Corona has rubbed the old line out. As its time to HUSTLE and I have a registered kitchen I am launching a pre order delivery food service, people can just warm it through and enjoy. Hopefully it eases this shit show for people a little bit, it would be humbling to feel that my food could provide a moment of escapism from this dark cloud. For the people in isolation I can be the friendly neighbourhood chef-man. I get to see if people want certain styles of food, cover costs and help locally which in a world of shutting borders the spirit of community is blossoming.
As I continuously apply for temporary work, it dawns on me there is a beauty to come out of this all. Although the media are reporting about the panic buying, people fighting, numbers of unfortunate victims at a more basic level you are seeing the wonders of the human spirit, whether its apartment blocks in Italy having a sing song from their balconies, people offering to drop food to people, people offering educational advice to ALL children, people offering to help those less fortunate than themselves. The banks are freezing mortgage payments if needed, the government are spending more than ever (they still fucked hospitality but they are giving at lot elsewhere), even China where it seems to originate have sent aid and experts to Italy to help. Today was the first day without a new case in China so a major development. Maybe new relations and humanity will progress out of this.
These 12 weeks will seem a very long 12 weeks, then like the returning birds of spring or summer or whenever birds return (I know food not fucking birds, I’m trying you portray a romantic notion) the customers will come back, whenever they can. My hope is like a catholic girl repressed locked away in a dorm, at the first sign of freedom you’ll all go cock crazy, but for food, unless you want cock its your life. Until that moment where we raise from the ashes like a phoenix (There is the bird metaphor!!) please support your local and independants. Shop at the local grocer and get food from that family run place, your order gets them through this a little bit more. Lots of little actions will always amount to big results, we all say we will do it then life gets in the way. So how about for the next 12 weeks we make that effort.
Remember
“if you get up one more time than you’ve been knocked down, you always win”
happy eating
FOOD ANARCHY 