How an Economic Lockdown Hurts Efficiency, Even in Personal Life
The mandatory social distancing rules and government-mandated lockdowns associated with the ongoing coronavirus epidemic has hurt economies around the world as the flows of good, traffic, and capital grind to a halt. But perhaps no industry is suffering during the lockdown more than restaurants, bars, and other establishments that serve readily made food and drinks to the masses. As spots where plenty of people congregate and food are prepared and passed around among different people before being consumed in often densely packed halls, they are rightly viewed by the authorities as potential hotspots for a deadly virus to easily pass among complete strangers.
But the enthusiasm with which governments have taken to shut down restaurants and pubs also stems from the perception that they are not considered economically essential. Whereas grocery stores and supermarkets are vital because they provide food for the general public, eateries are not placed in the same category because the assumption is that most people, with raw ingredients purchased from food markets, can make their own meals at home. And that perception is only reinforced with some people's desire to shun foods made by complete strangers who may have the virus.
Yet, to call a home-made meal a substitute for a restaurant-made one is imperfect at best. Let's be honest, some people are horrible cooks who simply cannot put together a meal that they can even stomach. The availability of ready-made meals in major urban areas around the world, supercharged by the availability of cheap home-delivery options via the phone or the internet, has made the ability to cook using store-bought ingredients a nonessential skill. It simply makes no sense to learn how to cook, when more delicious meals can be had for just as cheap, without all the hassle of looking up recipes, buying utensils and groceries, and cleaning up after oneself.
Indeed, the emergence of a large, diverse, cheap, and convenient restaurant industry has been a source of increased economic productivity. Not only does the restaurant industry provide a steady income to otherwise unskilled migrant laborers without necessary language skills and education to make it in the sophisticated big city in other ways, but the industry also allows free other workers from spending time and energy cooking mediocre meals so that they devote themselves further to their work and other means of consumption, further boosting the economy.
As COVID-19 makes its way around the world, the economic boost provided by the vibrant readily-made meals industry is suddenly gone. With more people skeptical of strangers making their foods and governments eager to close down restaurants, countries are becoming nations of hesitant, mediocre cooks. The average urban-dweller with disposable income but little free time find themselves relatively undernourished and frustrated by the inability to get their favorite meals whenever they want and the need to take productive time away to think about what they can make at home.
That frustration will only be deepened in time as unemployment take their toll. Millions who lose their jobs due to the epidemic's economic impact will no longer be in a financial position to patronize their favorite restaurants, even after the epidemic is brought to an end. And as restaurants permanently shut down, more and more people that cook and serve for them will be thrown out of work, giving those seeking meals outside their homes fewer and fewer choices. The world will see a devastated restaurant industry when it comes out of the epidemic.
That is not to mention the logistical challenges of keeping people nourished. As people hoard certain goods and transport networks are prioritized for healthcare-related items, people will find the diversity of available ingredients steadily decreasing even in the most well-stocked grocery stores. For those whose cooking repertoire consist of few dishes made using a few highly demanded ingredients (think pasta and rice), cooking and keeping themselves well-nourished at home may become even more challenging over time.
Of course, the internet is a game-changer but it remains a question of how much of a lasting impact it has. Home deliveries of ready-made meals from restaurants have ensured some eateries to stay afloat and millions employed by delivery platforms to continue being gainfully employed and keep the general public well-fed. But as restaurants shut down, people grow skeptical of strangers, and the internet-illiterate elderly and poor bare the brunt of the epidemic, would the internet be enough to save people from the bane of making their own meals?
But the enthusiasm with which governments have taken to shut down restaurants and pubs also stems from the perception that they are not considered economically essential. Whereas grocery stores and supermarkets are vital because they provide food for the general public, eateries are not placed in the same category because the assumption is that most people, with raw ingredients purchased from food markets, can make their own meals at home. And that perception is only reinforced with some people's desire to shun foods made by complete strangers who may have the virus.
Yet, to call a home-made meal a substitute for a restaurant-made one is imperfect at best. Let's be honest, some people are horrible cooks who simply cannot put together a meal that they can even stomach. The availability of ready-made meals in major urban areas around the world, supercharged by the availability of cheap home-delivery options via the phone or the internet, has made the ability to cook using store-bought ingredients a nonessential skill. It simply makes no sense to learn how to cook, when more delicious meals can be had for just as cheap, without all the hassle of looking up recipes, buying utensils and groceries, and cleaning up after oneself.
Indeed, the emergence of a large, diverse, cheap, and convenient restaurant industry has been a source of increased economic productivity. Not only does the restaurant industry provide a steady income to otherwise unskilled migrant laborers without necessary language skills and education to make it in the sophisticated big city in other ways, but the industry also allows free other workers from spending time and energy cooking mediocre meals so that they devote themselves further to their work and other means of consumption, further boosting the economy.
As COVID-19 makes its way around the world, the economic boost provided by the vibrant readily-made meals industry is suddenly gone. With more people skeptical of strangers making their foods and governments eager to close down restaurants, countries are becoming nations of hesitant, mediocre cooks. The average urban-dweller with disposable income but little free time find themselves relatively undernourished and frustrated by the inability to get their favorite meals whenever they want and the need to take productive time away to think about what they can make at home.
That frustration will only be deepened in time as unemployment take their toll. Millions who lose their jobs due to the epidemic's economic impact will no longer be in a financial position to patronize their favorite restaurants, even after the epidemic is brought to an end. And as restaurants permanently shut down, more and more people that cook and serve for them will be thrown out of work, giving those seeking meals outside their homes fewer and fewer choices. The world will see a devastated restaurant industry when it comes out of the epidemic.
That is not to mention the logistical challenges of keeping people nourished. As people hoard certain goods and transport networks are prioritized for healthcare-related items, people will find the diversity of available ingredients steadily decreasing even in the most well-stocked grocery stores. For those whose cooking repertoire consist of few dishes made using a few highly demanded ingredients (think pasta and rice), cooking and keeping themselves well-nourished at home may become even more challenging over time.
Of course, the internet is a game-changer but it remains a question of how much of a lasting impact it has. Home deliveries of ready-made meals from restaurants have ensured some eateries to stay afloat and millions employed by delivery platforms to continue being gainfully employed and keep the general public well-fed. But as restaurants shut down, people grow skeptical of strangers, and the internet-illiterate elderly and poor bare the brunt of the epidemic, would the internet be enough to save people from the bane of making their own meals?
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