At this point, we have enough fresh food to make it through the weekend.  And though we have several weeks of frozen / shelf-stable food, I’m trying to keep that untouched.  Based on the number of COVID cases reported already at Amazon warehouses, in freight and shipping and delivery companies, and with grocery store clerks, I can easily envision a world in which the food supply chain grinds more or less to a halt here in NYC.

So, while I can, I’m hoping to restock our fridge.  Which, it seems, will necessitate a trip to the grocery store.  At this point, every single grocery delivery option here – Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, FreshDirect, PeaPod, Instacart, Shipt, etc. – is entirely booked, some for the full two weeks ahead that they accept orders.  And, even if they weren’t, I’ve started to feel increasingly unsure about the morality of it all. I’m young and healthy, and I don’t see how I can justify paying someone minimum wage to take on equivalent or greater Coronavirus risk on my behalf.

Fortunately, it appears the Fairway supermarket about 15 blocks off is open 24 hours.  Hence the current plan: head there at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, when I can shop with minimum exposure to the biggest source of risk – other shoppers and employees.  Similarly, while I’ve been cooking up a storm thus far, I’m going to try and streamline my next week or two of dishes, to require fewer separate ingredients.  That should help me get in and back out quickly, touching as little as possible along the way.

At this point, leaving the apartment really does feel like something out of a dystopic sci-fi film.  So, channeling my inner Will Smith, and making it work.