The Cost Of Doing Take-Out...

 Two weeks ago I found myself in downtown Salt Lake City. I also found myself in need of food. About two blocks away was a hamburger joint that I really like. I thought I might as well get lunch there because I'm not in SLC very much anymore.

I arrived at the restaurant, took out my wallet, glanced at the menu on the wall...

And my jaw hit the floor.

Now, I understand millions of people pay a lot more for stuff than I do. Because of where I live the cost of living is relatively low. Years ago I remember a co-worker went to New York City. We asked about his trip after he returned and he told us what a great experience it was...except for the food prices, especially in restaurants. He said it cost around $20 for lunch for each person. That surprised me, but I understood that living in one of the biggest cities in the world would cost more than it did in Utah. That was almost two decades ago.

When we moved from a suburb of Salt Lake City a few years back, we moved into a bubble. Yes, all things cost more than they used to, but I can't imagine going into a local eatery for a burger and being asked to pay $8.29 plus tax.

We all know inflation affects literally everything having to do with commerce. And we know that employers must pass on the rising costs of food and labor, rent and insurance in order to stay in business. I guess I suffered culture shock going back to a place I thought I knew.

Such is the rising cost of take-out.

Slapfish's Power Bowl...Not A Ton Of Seafood But Oh So Good

My wife and I found ourselves driving through our old town last week, and interestingly enough, we drove through around dinnertime. It would be at least an hour before we got home so we agreed we'd stop somewhere and pick up dinner.

But, where to go?

Slapfish.

You may or may not live near a Slapfish Restaurant, but if you do, you have access to some pretty good food. Normally, my wife and I would choose a double order of fish and chips. It was a cheap meal for the two of us. But, as the old adage goes, absence make the heart grow fonder, since we've been away from Slapfish for a while, I decided to spend a little extra and order something off the menu I never ordered before.

I got a Power Bowl...

But, without avocado.

The bowl came and it was huge...more food than I thought there'd be. What is in a Power Bowl? I found this from the restaurant's website:

POWER BOWL

Mixed-grill seafood, brown rice, crisp veggies, avocado, extra virgin olive oil

Yes, there was shrimp and salmon--I could have used more, but since I don't have access to the economics and market prices of seafood, I'm not sure if the amount we paid justified for more seafood or less. But, as a whole, it was very good...delicious, in fact. 

I think if we still lived close to a Slapfish, we'd probably get the double order of fish and chips. Such is life (and budgeting...). But, last week I tried something new. I'm glad I did.

Decisions...

We took the family to a local eatery last week. Looking at those waiting in line, I snapped a picture and put in on Instagram. 

I thought it turned out great.

I blurred everyone but my son. He's staring at the menu wondering what he wanted to eat. This may have been the first time he ever ate there--maybe you can see it on his face. The good news is he found something he liked. Things turned out well.

I don't post a lot of pictures on Instagram...only a few this year. If you happen to follow me, you'll see this is true (my Instagram handle is: Hyggeman, if you're interested in following...). I like Instagram and follow many of my friends. I'm sure I could get more people following my account if I posted more.

Getting followers was something I used to pursue. Not so much anymore. I figure if others are interested, they make those decisions for themselves. I have friends who can number their Instagram followers in the tens of thousands. Good for them, I say. But, they have to work hard for those numbers (either that, or they are extremely good looking and people like to see as much of them as possible...). So, that's not really an option for me.

Yes, my son had decisions to make. I decide if/when I'll post any pictures on this particular social media site, and everyone out there decides what they're going to do with their time.

Decisions all the way around.

This Time...We Dined In

In the past couple of months our family has made an effort to eat out more often. Before, we'd eat out maybe once a week. We're now trying to help out local businesses at least twice a week. It's not much, but we hope we're helping out.

But, even with this change, we always took the food home with us at ate it in our own kitchen, away from people. Today, my wife and I went on a drive and on our way back, we stopped for Vietnamese food.

And it was good.

Thing is, we weren't home, or close enough to get the food to go, so we took a seat in a nearly-empty dining room and ate in. We were with two other groups (all, spaced sufficiently apart...), one a woman and who I assume was her mother. They chatted about this and that--obviously a need for one of them to vent about things to the other. The second group sat further away--couldn't tell what they talked about. The whole time we ate, the restaurant kept cranking out take-home orders for people like us--those who ate at home.

This was the first time we at a meal inside a restaurant since this began.

If you follow the news--which I try to avoid--you'll see reports of how cases of Covid-19 have increased across the country. It's hitting our state, too. I have no idea what's going to happen in the future. There's no way I could have predicted the events of the past few months. In some states, businesses are again being closed due to the increased cases of infection. 

Even though we ate inside today, I still prefer picking it up and taking it home. And that works...

As long as we're home.

Trying To Help Out...

I read somewhere that to help the economy during this crazy time, Americans should try and order out three times a week.

I mean, if that's what we need to do to help, I guess that's what we need to do.

But, seriously, I don't necessarily thing that's a bad thing. I am fortunate enough to have a job that has not been greatly impacted by this disaster. I've worked my regular hours since it all began and the workload has remained steady. If I were working the job I had more than a decade ago (working unemployment insurance claims...) oh, how life would be different. But, no--my job's pretty much the same.

That can't be said for millions of others.Take any fast food establishment. There's the food preparers and the food servers. Until we get a grip on this thing, the servers are not needed, well, most aren't I suspect. I told my wife over the weekend I wish we could order out every night. It would help those scared about the future and give us some tasty food as well.

Unfortunately, we can't do that. Plus, eating out can become a chore--like when you're on vacation and all you do is eat out. After a while, It's not so great.

Tonight we got Subway for the boys. The wife and I made dinner from what we had. That way, we helped a business, but didn't go overboard. I have no idea what's going to happen when this thing ends. I know everyone will have changed--how can we not? I saw a post on social media the other day. It was simple, but conveyed a lot. Basically, the post said, "I can't wait until I can take things for granted again." I hope I never do, but I can understand what the writer meant. Yes, we'll all have changed--let's hope it's for the better.

Dinner And Conversation...At Mamma Mia Pizza

Last night the gals were out taking in some culture. The boys stayed home. After making dinner for them, I decided to check out a mobile pizza oven down at our local eatery. I mean, how often do you get a chance to eat pizza made in an oven that's pulled behind a car?

The pizza oven was parked next to the cafe. They set up a tent where the pizzas were prepared. Good thing because as I waited for my order, it began to rain. At times, it was raining hard. I could have waited for my dinner inside, but it was a beautiful night out, and besides, it was fun chatting with the owners. 

I watched as they quickly put together all the orders that came before mine. As they worked, we chatted. I found out the main pizza-maker is from Rome, Italy. His eyes grew when I told him we named one of our boys after his hometown. 

"He Italian?" he asked excitedly?

"Nope--pretty much northern European." I explained why we chose that name and how I absolutely loved his city. It took about twenty minutes until my order was ready. I kept thinking how fun it was to spend time with these strangers, getting to know them, if only a little. It made me think about how the act of eating shouldn't only be just about the food. It should be about those who make the meal and not just about those eating it.

The couple said something interesting as they worked and I waited. They said that they had taken their oven into Salt Lake City many times, but they enjoyed the smaller towns, talking to the people, and slowing down just a bit. It seems I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the experience.

Oh, and the pizza was delicious as well.