In a Small Way

January

September

Not far from the neighborhood, we stopped by Marugame Udon at the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco. It was our first visit since the lockdown began in March. Like everywhere else, most tables and all the chairs were stacked in the corner, and sit-down service had been eliminated.

The way it used to be

The menu had not changed, but business was down. There were a half-dozen bags on the table for pick-up by delivery services. Three patrons, including ourselves, waited for their order. The food was nearly as good as we remembered---the tempura and udon cooling off by the time we got home detracted from the experience--but we're glad we went.

Supporting businesses we like is important.

most restaurants are following the rules, working their butts off and doing their best. In turn, some diners are doubling-down and ordering out with intention.

Amy Dumas, a retired wrestler and vegan, considers takeout as a way to help San Francisco. “I don’t want to see this city become a shell of what it was!” Currently, cravings aren’t what dictate dinner in her house. “It’s ‘Where do we want our dollars to go? Who are we going to support tonight?’” She skips the delivery apps, with fees that cut deep into a restaurant’s bottom line, and instead zips around on her Vespa, picking up pizza at Beretta; dumplings from Golden Era in the Tenderloin; mushroom skewers from her friends at the Kebabery across the Bay Bridge.

It's a sure thing that not every one of the people and businesses we like will be here after normalcy is restored. We can't keep them afloat by ourselves, but we can help in a small way.