Food-Wise

 

“In your opinion, what do you think (food wise) Howard County needs more of?”

It’s the sort of fun, speculative question that elicits all sorts of wishful responses.  And it’s just the kind of discussion suitable for a social media page created to support HoCo local restaurants.

The question was asked three days ago and so far there are 393 responses. I just added one this morning. My husband would like a truly authentic Brit-style chip shop.

I love questions like this. Don’t forget I spent many hours imagining fantasy re-uses for the former Columbia Flier building. My family knows me as the person who will discuss such things as, “if you could cast your family/friend group as the characters in the Muppets, who would they be?”

I spend afternoons contemplating my future career as a philanthropist once I win the lottery. There’s no delight quite like envisioning who I could give that money to.

We all have our dreams.

Back to the question of the day: In your opinion, what do you think (food wise) Howard County needs more of?

I can’t help but notice that all of the suggestions are dependent upon things that we don’t talk about.

Restaurant workers need to be able to make a living wage. And they need to be able to afford adequate housing nearby. If they can’t have that then they will need to have reliable transportation. Does their salary permit ownership, maintenance, and fuel for a car they can use daily? Or does our area boast appealing, comprehensive, and affordable public transit?

Restaurants are dependent on labor. We can fantasize all we want but none of it comes true without the human beings who do the work.

If our communities don’t commit to public health goals - - keeping vaccinations current, wearing masks when feeling ill, making it financially feasible for workers to stay home when they are sick - - then we will continue to see restaurants struggle and even deal with unanticipated closings. Food service/hospitality workers are in close contact with the public daily. We just can’t expect them to keep getting sick over and over* so that we can enjoy those delicious meals we crave. 

If our communities don’t defend workers from ICE raids then we will suffer the logical consequence of our actions. We know that the people being disappeared are, by a wide margin, hard-working members of our community. Not criminal. Not dangerous. They are the people doing the work that makes so many things that we enjoy possible.

Are we doing anything to make a safe and enjoyable life possible for them?

How about materials - - food and supplies? How are these wonderful restaurants of our imaginings going to come into being and succeed in an environment of weirdly fluctuating tariffs and selfishly devised price-fixing by large corporations?

A friend posted this question yesterday: do you think 42 dollars is too much for a pie? 

Well, it depends. How much are the ingredients costing these days? Utilities? Insurance? Is the restaurant able to find enough workers? Are they trying to pay them a living wage? All of that comes before all the old supply and demand stuff like: is it the busiest time of the year, and can the establishment charge more because their goods are highly sought-after…

And then there are the consumers. How many of us have lost jobs, sustained wage loss, seen healthcare costs skyrocket and consumer goods go higher and higher? How long will we be able to go out to eat with enough frequency to sustain a thriving restaurant scene?

I know, I know. I’m just so cheery this morning. I’m going to blame it on a YouTube video.

Howard County Thanksgiving Dining: Restaurant Infrastructure Value, Maryland’s Tallest Realtor Scott Moran (running time: 28 seconds)

The value of buying a house in Howard County? Our restaurant infrastructure! We are fortunate to have what we have but oh, how fragile it is.

Luckily the weight of fantasy will not break it. Dream on. When you have a minute, though, spare a few thoughts for the people behind your dreams.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

*Repeated COVID infections increase the likelihood of Long COVID and debilitating and disabling conditions.