Friday, April 8, 2022
Medium bowl of oatmeal with milk, flax meal, toasted slivered almonds, and blueberries; water. Rode Muni to UCSF Parnassus. Orgchart work all day. ResourceSpace meeting with the team. Got a PCR COVID test at UCSF Parnassus. Errands. Lunch: ordered a chicken wrap and lemonade to go from LaLe. It wasn't a great experience. I was told it would be 10 minutes. Since we're still in a pandemic, I waited outside expecting someone to come out to tell me when my order was ready. Someone other than the person who took my order noticed I was standing and waiting a long time, certainly longer than 10 minutes, but I figured they were busy from all the outdoor table activity I could see. I said I was waiting for a chicken wrap. He said, "Oh! It's ready!" and motioned me with his hand to follow. I was disappointed to realize that somehow it was my responsibility to know when my order was ready. We went inside. I expected a chicken wrap wrapped in foil perhaps in a paper bag or wrapped with a napkin as well as my lemonade. Instead, I was presented with a giant, blue, zippered, insulated, and reusable bag that looked like it was intended for delivery drivers. I said no, I just want a regular bag. They showed me that the bag contained a metal container with a plastic or silicone lid that contained my meal. The entirety was designed to be better for the environment. A phone number on the side of the bag and the metal container promised that I could call it and all of it would be easily picked up and taken away to be washed and reused. Noticing that my order was not complete, I asked, "Where's my lemonade?" One person asked another to get my lemonade, confirming that it had not been prepared. I sighed, then accepted my fate with the packaging. Seeing that the meal included a small salad and there was no fork in the bag (another preparation failure), I requested a fork and received a prepared, likely disposable, plastic-wrapped package of plastic fork, plastic spoon, plastic knife, paper napkin, salt, and pepper. I paid. They didn't deserve it for such poor service, but I attempted to write in a $2 tip because I know wait staff have been working so hard or not working at all through the pandemic. I'm not sure it took since I paid with Apple Pay, and I think the person taking the payment blew past the tip part on my behalf before asking me to sign the receipt with a pen. (Touchless payment fails again.) My lemonade arrived. I said thank you then walked to the nearby baseball diamond in Golden Gate Park. I opened my meal. The food container was about 9 by 7 by 2 inches. Inside my chicken wrap lay neatly on its side, soaking in the dressing for the adjacent salad. A small disposable container of hummus was included. I was so disappointed by the chef who thought that anyone might possibly enjoy a soggy chicken wrap. The meal was delicious, even when soggy, even when not as hot as it should have been. After finishing, I returned to LaLe. No staff could be seen as I entered the restaurant and walked to the rear. I left the bag on the table where I received it. I walked out. This experience made me think about the cost, convenience, and meal experience of a single sheet of foil and a paper bag versus the cost of drivers retrieving reusable containers and bags from wherever they end up and then washing them. I have knowledge of how I plan to eat my meal, but my packaging preference was not taken into account. They have knowledge of how large the order is, and it seems that even the smallest order is not exempt from the new procedure. The meal still had disposable components. Does the new packaging procedure really help? Is it really worth it? I'm not sure I have the answer, but this experience was disappointing. More orgchart work. Rode Muni home. Dinner at home with Patrick: red onion, mushroom, and green chard bulgur wheat pilaf. Afterwards we watched standup comedy on YouTube including part of Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy on Netflix instant watch. Patrick went to bed. I joined him to cuddle a while. We slept. After about two hours I awoke then washed dishes. Late snack: one small carrot and four small mushrooms with raita for dipping.