Covid-19 Discussions and Stories

[BakerAunt]

Our dog would definitely have been on board with such a plan before we retired, but now she has us around most of the time, there is no incentive for her, especially if it might interfere with dog food deliveries.

[BakerAunt]

Wolfgang Puck's approach to restaurant closings:

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/wolfgang-puck-coronavirus-relief

[Mike Nolan]

Lincoln Public Schools just announced they are closed indefinitely.

Hy Vee stores will start closing at 8PM so that they have more time to clean and restock.

How long will it be before you have to make an appointment to buy groceries? I've not used the grocery pickup options yet, soon I may not have much choice. The Wall Street Journal says major chains are looking at opening 'dark stores', which only allow delivery and curbside pickups.

One has to wonder how many of these changes will become permanent?

[chocomouse]

I went to BJs today for a few items, and was pleased to see lots of parking spaces, no lines, and tons of fresh produce and more being put out. I had read that yesterday it was a zoo, and there was little of anything left on the shelves. However, one thing I need is flour! And there was none! Of course I wanted KAF, but would have purchased GM, or any brand. So, Thursday my husband (retired, but works as a consultant on Thursdays) works almost next door to the KAF store, so he will get me a 50 pound bag of Sir Lancelot.

Most everything is shut down here, all dental offices, all schools, restaurants (which are mostly doing curb side and home delivery),libraries. My daughter-in-law is a cardiac nurse and today she was put under home quarantine as she had contact with someone who tested positive for c.virus. A dental hygienist friend and co-workers were laid off, and the owner said they would then be eligible for unemployment benefits. True, but she discovered that the maximum benefit is 427 a week, and she earns that much every day!! And the office is closed for the next three weeks. A lot of good things are happening too -- people volunteering to shop for the elderly/disabled/ill, small mom and pop stores making home deliveries, checking on neighbors, donating money to food shelves, and on and on.

[BakerAunt]

In an email today, King Arthur acknowledged that it is having an issue with flour availability. I'll paste the relevant passage here:

"If you’ve shopped on our website in the last few days, you may have noticed that a number of our products have sold out. An unexpected volume of sales have made this March unlike any other. It’s the same on grocery shelves. Know that we’re in contact with our mills, production partners, and stores to replenish stock as soon as we can. These are abnormal times and we’ll continue to pour ourselves into maintaining the highest level of service possible while supporting the safety and well-being of our team members. We also recognize that every day carries with it some new unknown, and we’ll keep you informed of any relevant updates."

Chocomouse--Your husband might want to call before making the trip.

[RiversideLen]

They had some specialty flours on the website, like French Style and several others, maybe some rye but I didn't check that. I put in an order for a 3 lb bag of French style and Graham pastry flour. I'll have to wait and see if the order gets fulfilled. I like the French style for making pizza.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Just received an email from KAF today telling me my 3/14 order had shipped including WWW, pastry, and cake flour. Still no bread flour to be had.

[chocomouse]

I'm hoping KAF doesn't get much call to ship out 50 pound bags, compared to shipping 5 pound bags, and will have ample flour in stock tomorrow. Today I used 2 cups AP and 2 cups whole wheat for bread. I'm also out of white whole wheat, but I can live without that - it is not my favorite flour at all.

[BakerAunt]

I had an email from KAF today that shipping on my order would be delayed. In addition to their shortages on certain items, FedEx, their shipper, is at its limit for shipping capacity, so items cannot ship right away.

Curiously, the post office seems to be doing rather well. Two books from Barnes and Noble that I ordered on Sunday arrived today. I just hope that Amazon gets the dog food here in a timely manner. We are running low. The dog says that it's ok, she'll just have what we're having. 🙂

[chocomouse]

Wise dog. I bet she's done some taste-testing already!

[Mike Nolan]

I stocked up on cat food a couple of weeks ago, because our cat won't eat people food and not all types of cat food. She will drink the water from canned tuna, though, never met a cat that wouldn't! Our older cat, whom we lost last November, developed a taste for people food late in her life, including bread.

When I was a kid, we had a cat who'd eat angel food cake from the store, right through the wrapper. We had to keep it well out of her reach.

[BakerAunt]

Our dog made it clear within a couple of days of our bringing her home that she prefers me and is devastated if I'm not there. Part of this behavior may be that she spent time with the breeder and her mother, and so prefers females, but we suspect that she may have had a failed placement that involved a male. Even after 5 1/2 years, she will not allow my husband to take her for a walk unless I accompany them. To encourage her to form a bond with him, on advice of a trainer, he puts out her kibble, and for a time, the trainer had him hand feeding her. He also developed the habit of feeding her some of his food at lunch and dinner and when he snacks. Occasionally, she will have some of his morning oatmeal. She is particularly fond of bread, as well as chicken, salmon, and turkey, (Beef makes her sick, so we avoid it.) As you might expect, she is putting on a few pounds more than she should, so my husband is trying to cut back on what he gives her. The weather has not been conducive to walks, and she doesn't want to leave the yard, even with me, since two weeks ago she heard the sound of someone target shooting (sound really carries in rural areas) while we were on a walk, and her fear of loud noises kicked in again. She is very sensitive to fireworks, construction noise, gun shots--and there is a lot of those three around here.

She has been good these last few years at not stealing food, although that may be in part because I don't give her the chance. Our mini-schnauzer, of beloved memory, was an ace food thief.

P.S. The dog food arrived on Thursday morning.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

We heard yesterday that there are three cases of Covid-19 in Lubbock, TX where we used to live. The Patient 0 appears to have been a university student, evacuated from overseas (there is a study abroad campus in Spain), who was told to self-isolate for fourteen days after returning and proceeded to go to the family home AND a restaurant that is always packed with people.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[chocomouse]

My husband just snagged the last 50 lb bag of AP flour at KAF. They were putting out a few 10 lb bags, the last they had. It's encouraging to know that so many people are baking from scratch, although I suspect it's mostly for chocolate chip cookies and brownies, made by the youngsters who are home from school closings!

My cat loves tuna fish juice, but doesn't eat the tuna. The only other human food he eats is asparagus. Oh, yeah, he loves butter, too, but we don't let him have that.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I think some stores just don't get it! Target and Costco are making people come to the store to buy stuff!

We have done more baking then normal. I made some breakfast cookies that used rolled oats and almond butter. We didn't have almond butter so we subbed in sunflower butter. NOT A GOOD SUBSTITUTION! I doubled the vanilla and cinnamon. Should have doubled the honey too (just a tablespoon). I was the only one who liked them.

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