Coronavirus Non-Hoarding

I probably have less fear of the coronavirus than I should.  Being a generally healthy person with no chronic immunity issues other than mild asthma, my precautions are just frequent hand washing, vitamins, enough sleep, staying hydrated, and staying out of the line of fire of sick people.  I have bigger issues going on in my life, like a leak under the kitchen sink and needing new tires now that it's finally raining.

I did decide to start keeping more than four days of food in the house.  I live in earthquake country, and it doesn't hurt to keep a few extra things in the pantry.  By the time the "safe at home" program for L.A. and "stay at home" for California began on March 19th, I had two weeks of meals, plus everything for Passover except the meat.  The emergency measures allow for all the necessities of life, just not the extra-curriculars like retail shopping and entertainment.  That's what the internet is for.  What I'm discovering is how few people have any sort of supplies for earthquake shortages.  This wouldn't be happening if more prepared for natural disasters.

I love that the only thing left was zucchini.  It's not just me.

Sidebar, I think the term "self-quarantine" is hilarious.  It just means staying at home if you're sick.  We're at a point in this society where that is the exception, not the norm.  No wonder there's a pandemic.

Since Passover is almost here, I combined the stocking up with regular KLP shopping.  The benefit of that is I'm not after what everyone else is, at least until I went down to the kosher supermarket for mayo.  A couple extra cans of fish, the 5-pack box of matzoh, that sort of thing.  Frozen veggies.  Gefilte fish.  Dried fruit.  Nuts, including almond flour for baking treats (that one was expensive).  Apples.  Eggs.  Potatoes (the 10 lb bag because hoarders had bought everything else).  Medium and hard cheeses.  A couple of flavors of Lärabar that don't contain kitniyot.  Meats to stick in the freezer.  You know, things I use anyway that won't go bad for a while.  A bean, rice, legume, and pulse restock will have to wait until after Passover, but I have enough quinoa for KLP vegetarian meals.

I have specific plans for almost everything I bought.  I created a meal planning calendar so nothing will go to waste.  Twelve days of KLP food is a bit excessive for an 8-day holiday, but that had more to do with package size than over-buying.  I'm even making my birthday cake a week early so I can finish eating it before Seder.  Instead of planning two days ahead, I'm doing two weeks.  It's a huge shift, and  I keep having to redo menus when something is out of stock.

What I am not hoarding is soap, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and bottled water.  I have normal amounts of those.  This isn't the Zombie Apocalypse.  It's until April 19th (possibly), and you can still get things delivered if you're in quarantine.  I'm still trying to figure out why people are hoarding bananas.  Unless you're freezing them for smoothies, they're just going to go bad in four days.

I did get a kick out of what was still on the shelves.  Even the end of the world can't get people to buy some things.  It took two weeks for people to break down and wipe out the zero sugar Powerade.  There's still coffee on the shelves (first thing on my list).  I had a coupon for a free vegan pot pie.  No problem there, even though everyone on the store's Club had the same coupon.  Frozen okra and pearl onions were the only vegetables in the case the first visit.  On the most recent trip, there were six whole (15 lb) brisket slabs, I presume because temples aren't having community Seders and these were probably ordered a month ago.

As far as home sanitizing, this is the middle of Passover cleaning.  I've been scrubbing for over two weeks, with one week to go.  For most of the house, I'm done except washing the sofa and seat covers to get rid of cat hair the day before people come over.  The only room that's not detailed is the kitchen, and it's halfway there.

I'm still working, if only half my usual hours.  Not much foot traffic, and everything has to be takeout or delivery.  Takeout food is considered an essential service, as we are feeding those who have to work, like city and utility employees.  If I am forced to stay home, the hardest part is going to be giving up fresh fruit and veggies.  Well, no, the hardest thing will be running out of milk for my coffee.  I bought a quart of shelf-stable boxed milk that expires in December.  I usually want tea when I'm sick anyway.

Remember folks, this isn't Stephen King's The Stand.  It isn't Ebola.  It's a nasty virus with undertones of pneumonia.  I may have actually had a similar virus a few years ago when I caught some hideous cold on a - wait for it - cruise.  Wash your hands regularly, and remember that germs can live on doorknobs and elevator buttons for a couple of days.  Stop touching your face.  Hopefully, we'll all develop immunity to this virus in a year or two, around the same time a vaccine is available.