COVID in the Capital: An afternoon jog gets heated
Our nation’s capital, Washington, DC.
My cousin Chris started prepping for quarantine before most of us, and he had no doubt the virus was going to infiltrate our lives in serious ways. He’s hunkered down in his apartment in Washington D.C. and here he recounts an afternoon jog that left him fearing for his own safety and the well being of us all.
It’s been well over a month of lock-down in Washington, D.C. Permitted activities include running, walking your dog, and bike riding. If you do any of these activities with someone else, that person must be a member of your household.
Recently I went out for an afternoon jog with my partner. We wore fabric masks. At the end of our jog, we entered the crosswalk that intersected with a bike lane to cross the street back to our apartment. While we looked both ways for vehicle traffic, a masked middle aged man on a bike almost hit me, then wove, and continued to almost hitting my partner.
“Whoa, we have the right of way,” my partner exclaimed as the man stopped his white bike a few feet from us, well within the 6 foot social distance buffer. I thought that maybe my partner knew the guy because his tone seemed urgent but not aggressive; I thought perhaps they were going to have a conversation. That idea quickly changed when the man lowered his mask, looked at my partner and intentionally coughed in his direction. He then turned his head and proceeded to cough toward me. Finally he slipped the mask back over his mouth and continued his trek uptown as if nothing had happened.
I was speechless as I realized this was his attack. It was his road rage, out of spite, and he could’ve potentially infected us with the virus. I sat down to write this after coming home and decontaminating, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. This man was obviously a professional biking from downtown D.C. that had no regard for the health and safety of others.
The symbolism of the event still shocks me. By removing the fabric that protected him from us, and us from him, he exercised his power. In a time when we rely on our neighbors to keep us safe, it feels to me like this man left that social fabric in tatters. How can we feel like we are all be in this together when some people are showing such blatant disregard for one another?
How I’m making the most of COVID: A sprig of hope and the joy of cooking! Having the time to spend on hobbies, new and old, is bringing me joy. This week I was delighted to walk past a hardware store selling fresh herbs and container tomato plants curbside. I happened to have some patio garden containers, that I thought would be empty this summer since the seed company had supply issues and cancelled my online order. Now, there are two tomato bushes and an assortment of herbs to garnish dishes bringing some life and color contrast to our city balcony.
My container garden's fresh cut herbs will be put to good use soon. I'm reading two cookbooks and trying to prepare recipes from them a few times per week. These cookbooks are fun since they are written in narrative style so I'm learning about the Korean and Israeli cultures, their history, cooking techniques, and new flavors. It is like traveling without leaving home.
One cookbook is called Seoul Food Korean Cookbook by Naomi Imatome-Yun. It's great because spans traditional dishes, street food, and new Korean food that is more fusion. Naomi provides some quips about each category, and even has a chapter on Korean manners and cookware! The ingredients are typically available from grocers that deliver, and the dishes are mostly quick to prepare or can be done in an Instapot.
The other cookbook I'm perusing is called Zahav a World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. This cookbook won the James Beard Award and is written in the long form narrative style, which is cool because you learn more about the cultural background of the dishes. I have made the Tehina sauce and hummus so far. Over the weekend I cooked up a batch of Shakshuka - a simple brunch like dish with eggs poached in spiced tomato puree. These recipes are providing a welcoming challenge, but so far they’re tasting great.