A Taste of Home

If you were to walk into my home on any given evening, you would most likely be greeted by a harmony of aromas. You would also notice a hint of Sazon, my mom’s go-to seasoning, accompanied by whiffs of cilantro and garlic. A couple steps closer to the kitchen would reveal the sizzling of empanadas or tostones being fried to perfection. When everything comes together you’re transported out of my dining room and into a typical kitchen in Colombia, my family’s home country. 

In the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m reminded of how much I miss home. September 15 to October 15 is dedicated to Spanish, Mexican, South and Central American people, offering space to celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of the hispanic community. Authentic hispanic cuisine is difficult to find in my town, let alone around Boston College. Thankfully, a variety of clubs, organizations, and offices coordinate events and meetings throughout the month. These events showcase typical foods and traditions, and they elicit important conversations about celebrating diversity.

Boston College is filled with latin flavor during this month. Various celebrations are held to highlight the rich culture and bold cuisines of the hispanic community. The Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center lead the way by planning a multitude of events. This year, the annual Opening Ceremony was held in Gasson, a stark contrast to the virtual format from last year. The ceremony, which featured a wide array of prominent hispanic faculty and staff, included a dinner that emulated traditional meals from hispanic countries. Throughout the month, the BAIC has also led efforts to highlight the Hispanic/LatinX community on campus in other ways. Whether through posting on social media or educating the student body on significant historical figures, the BAIC offers a taste of hispanic culture.

OLAA (Organization of Latin American Affairs) is another of many clubs on campus that puts together events for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year they were thrilled to organize a wide array of celebrations, shifting from the predominantly virtual model of last year as well. Mikayala Sanchez (MCAS ‘23), co-director of social and political actions of the OLAA, expressed how appreciative she was of the events organized this month. She talked about an OLAA event where they played traditional games such as Loteria and dominoes while eating food that reminded her of home. Sanchez described that while she and her friends have family in many different Latin American countries, food is one of the things that brings everyone together and makes BC feel like a home away from home.  

While my mom holds the culinary skills to replicate a traditional hispanic meal, I have not been lucky enough in my own kitchen while at school. I’ll sometimes joke to her that I wish she could ship my roommates and I meals from home with the slightest hope that she’ll catch on and find a way to do so. Until then, I, like many of my fellow hispanic peers, cherish home-cooked meals during school breaks and a taste of my roots through BC cultural celebrations.

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Beyond the Dining Experience: Restaurant Advocacy

For centuries, food has been an intermediate for gathering with friends and family, for sharing new ideas, and for celebrations. Now more than ever, food is also being used as a platform for social justice, initiating debates and discussions about the world around us. 

Restaurants around the world are veterans in serving their communities. More recently, however, there has been an increase in the number of restaurants involved in nationwide advocacy efforts and social justice initiatives. Following the outrage that ensued from a variety of racial crimes last year, many restaurants rallied their voices to host productive conversations, gather support, and extend their services beyond the dining experience. 

Boston-area restaurants have been leading efforts for increased social activism. Last summer, many restaurants stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by fundraising. At the same time, restaurants worked hand-in-hand to offer details on black-owned restaurants in the area through a rapidly expanding spreadsheet. Donating to organizations such as the Equal Justice Initiative, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and many others, these Boston restaurants have been catalysts for change. Mei Mei, a Fenway restaurant, stands out in its efforts to address just causes. In the past year, it has donated to a multitude of organizations including National Bail Out, The Loveland Foundation, and Black and Pink. It echoes the importance of having an equitable world to expand the business into; restaurants are no longer staying silent.

Image courtesy of Tommy’s SuperFoods

People are noticing. The efforts taken by chefs and restaurateurs to be leaders in the food industry have disseminated into day-to-day conversations, onto the news, and onto social media. Ben & Jerry’s, a fan favorite everywhere, is recognized as one of the most active food companies in this sense. It not only offers a wide array of ice cream flavors but also supports various social justice causes. From advocating for LGBTQ+  rights, to climate justice, to campaign finance reforms, Ben & Jerry’s truly believes that silence is not an option. 

Olivia Stump, MCAS ‘23, took notice of Ben & Jerry’s active social media presence throughout the most recent wave of the BLM movement. She took notice for a couple of reasons, beyond the carefully designed graphics and witty puns. Scrolling through Instagram, she started seeing video shorts on the criminal justice system, “how-to” on voting, and a much more active Ben & Jerry’s presence in general, especially this past year. She appreciated how as a prominent food company, it “used its platform to inform others on where to find resources and how to be active citizens.” She doesn’t stand alone in her recognition, nor in using Ben & Jerry’s resources to inform those around her. Social media has become an instrument through which restaurants can use their voice.

Image courtesy of Fortune

The food and restaurant scene is not limited to exploring different recipes or seeking sustainable and local sources. It has mobilized, blazing a path in social justice, using its platform and the power of food to bring people together and promote change. 

For more information or resources on how to amplify your voice through food and restaurants, see the links below:

• https://sanctuaryrestaurants.org/
• https://www.restaurantworkerscf.org/
• https://www.benjerry.com/values/issues-we-care-about 
• https://boston.eater.com/2020/6/5/21280696/boston-restaurants-fundraising-black-lives-matter

Cover image courtesy of Well+Good

The Magic of Quick and Easy Delivery

What if you could snap your fingers and have your favorite meal delivered to your home? That’s the magic of restaurant and food delivery services. Now more than ever people are using these delivery options as an alternative to dine-in. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, demand for food delivery services has surged. These third-party services have adequately responded by offering quick, contactless delivery. From GrubHub to Postmates, from UberEats to Drizly, it all starts with the swipe of a finger, and the magical click of a button.

As soon as your order swooshes away, a chef graciously takes up your request. They take a step back from slicing, stacking, or serving to make your order as fresh as possible. I’d imagine there’s yelling back-and-forth to their cooks, the typical chaos you’d see in a restaurant kitchen. Amidst all of this, your order is packed up tight, sitting ready for the next part of the magic. 

Just as your food is tied up with a knot and set down ever so gently, a delivery driver affiliated with one of these platforms picks up your order. As if you haven’t been tracking your order since you made the order, you jump at the sound of a knock or the doorbell. The magic hits as soon as the door cracks open. You get a whiff of your favorite meal, giving you the slightest nostalgia of sitting in your favorite restaurant. Reality sets in when you see the bright light on the dashboard of the delivery car, but you’re just as grateful. With the swipe of your finger and the click of a button, your food was served-right to you. 

Since the start of the pandemic, almost half of all restaurants added delivery options, prompting the rise in popularity of third-party food delivery services. The convenience of ordering in has led to-go sales to skyrocket, with similar trends across third-party food services. This has benefited the food industry itself, resulting in a higher volume of sales. Over 65% of restaurants say that they were able to increase profits during COVID-19 by offering delivery via DoorDash. 

Boston College has also taken advantage of this opportunity, implementing its own delivery service through GETMobile. With the motto “skip the line to save time,” BC Dining services have embraced the low-contact, convenient option to bring students’ meals right to their doors. BC Dining employee, Isabel Kenny, CSOM ‘23, says that the delivery program is an innovative way to serve students, allowing her to explore campus and see friends along the way. 

These delivery services rely on their drivers for convenience. A recent study found that it takes 35 to 50 minutes to complete a delivery. Convenience has never been more achievable. Delivery driver Ellie Gray, MCAS ‘23, recognizes her role in this entire process. Working with DoorDash showed her the “power of delivery,” as it brought smiles to isolated people’s faces. 

Many of these delivery services have worked with restaurants to motivate more customers to “eat local.”  UberEats now adds a banner that tags local restaurants to encourage supporting community businesses. DoorDash started to reduce fees by 50% for orders made to local restaurants. Founded by Boston College allum, Nick Rellas, BC ’13, and Justin Robinson, BC ’11, Drizly has become increasingly popular in the Greater Boston area, especially given its recent partnership with Uber. COVID-19 has called for more delivery options, which is where these platforms have stepped up and served up.

Delivery services, especially throughout COVID-19, have transformed the concept of “from farm to table.” Today, your order moves through the chef to the food runner to the delivery driver to you. While the process seems much more intricate and expansive, that’s the magic of restaurant and food delivery services. It attaches a sense of consideration and attention to your food and to you.  Not only do third-party services offer a safe alternative to dining-in, but they also bring a level of convenience that is incomparable.

A Growing Dependence: Diners and Servers

Restaurants have opened, steadily increasing their indoor capacity. Simultaneously, consumers have decreased their to-go orders, choosing to dine-in more and more. What sort of relationship has been created between diners and servers? And what does this mean for restaurants as winter approaches?

As you make your way down Newbury Street, there is a growing crowd. In April, the sidewalks were empty as stores and restaurants had virtually no customers. Today, there is more and more foot traffic. You see the usual holiday decorations, as twinkling lights begin to twirl up the trees which have slowly lost their colored leaves. They are joined by orange roadblocks and furnaces that surround a smattering of metal chairs and small tables. You squeeze by the lines of people waiting to be seated and dodge servers bringing out food. The street feels more crowded than it should, and with this comes a daunting sense of normalcy. 

Photo courtesy of The Boston Herald

This sense of normalcy has led to an increase in the amount of people choosing to dine-in, rather than carry out. As quarantine fatigue continues to uptick, more and more people are spending time outside, before the reality of winter settles in and keeps people in. The transition through Phases III and IV of the Massachusetts plan has facilitated this. Following the decline in the COVID-19 positivity rate, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker loosened restrictions across the state. An executive order was signed not only to increase the restaurant reservation group number to ten people, but it also extended the time frame for outdoor dining. Additional financial assistance has provided relief for restaurants in an attempt to keep them open. Boston’s Reopening fund plan offers grants to businesses, covering the costs of equipment to stay open throughout the winter. These policies and efforts have allowed individuals to step outside more, using restaurants as a break from the indoors. But how does this impact servers, restaurant workers, and restaurants themselves?

Photo courtesy of Morgan Stanley

As restrictions have loosened, Boston has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, raising concerns for restaurants who fear joining the 20% that have already closed during the pandemic. In anticipation of a second spike, there is a greater concern of what the winter will look like. 

Restaurants can no longer depend on their own protocols to ensure their safety and the safety of the community. They must work together with customers, encouraging a mutual of responsibility to uphold safe COVID-19 practices. Restaurants and their workers have faced the pressures of a shift in responsibility. Not only do they continue to offer food & drinks and practice strong customer service skills, they must now shift their logistics work to account for COVID-19 guidelines. Restaurant workers must be trained in these guidelines and protocols, essentially becoming “public health guardians,” as noted by a New York Times Article. 

Photo courtesy of The Boston Globe

The heightened responsibility and clear dependency in the diner and restaurant worker dynamic has brought mixed-feelings. Some servers have felt the added stress in the riskiness of their tasks. Others understand the significance of this new role. Lucas Gatz, MCAS ‘23, notes that customer interactions while working as a Boston College Dining employee “makes a shift worthwhile.” Noting that some people only leave their dorm to eat, he wants to make the dining experience as normal as possible. Yet he, like many others, longs to return to a time where interactions between servers and diners were light-hearted. Working at The Circle Pizza, Scottie Crockett, MCAS ‘23, has felt the effects of this added pressure of responsibility. During the pandemic, the restaurant itself lost its identity as a bar scene for Boston College students. Now, Scottie notes that, while students have followed restaurant protocols for the most part, the potential of unsafe practices affecting The Circle Pizza has “added an unnecessary amount of stress on us servers and our bosses.”

So what does all of this mean? There is a growing dependence. Restaurant goers also rely on restaurants to stay open throughout the winter holiday season to ease the fatigue of quarantine, especially as Massachusetts guidelines and restrictions remain. To do so however, restaurants rely on their customers to follow these guidelines, keeping the restaurant afloat and their workers safe and employed. This means people should continue to support local businesses, rather than using COVID-19 as an excuse to avoid dining altogether. When you dine-in, take a second to recognize the role you play. If you do so, while also following restaurant and COVID-19 practices, this strongly intertwined dynamic can protect the restaurant industry with the hopes of normalcy in the future.

Cover photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times

A Thank You Letter to Cooking

Dear cooking, 

We’re going into yet another month of COVID-19 restrictions and this “new normal.” We grab our masks before our keys, and we douse our hands in Germ-X. We’re facing greater fatigue, stress, and uncertainty than ever before. Thankfully, we have you as a much needed outlet. In fact, you have become something to look forward to for many. The prime of quarantine this summer brought with it new skills, shared recipes, and way too many hours of the Food Network Channel (at least on my part). While these trends were used to fill the endless hours of the time spent indoors, the results of them remain important to many, even as social interaction increases. From providing a much needed break to creating conversation topics, you have done much to deserve a thank you. 

Photo courtesy of our Spring 2019 Issue

In a recent food study by Hunter, 54% of respondents reported that they are using you more than they did prior to the pandemic. In the same study, it was noted that over 40% of the respondents enjoy you now more than ever. It took a pandemic for individuals to realize their potential in mastering one of life’s most basic skills, you. Nearly everyone is making an effort, amounting to a “tremendous public health opportunity” noted Hans Taparia. Not only do you provide immediate gratification and opportunities for increased physical health, but you also act as an asset for improved mental health.

Photo courtesy of our Spring 2019 Issue

This surge in your use has not simply been to fill time, but it has acted as a productive and mindful outlet. So much remains out of our control. Except for you. You’ve taken on a role beyond functionality. You have allowed so many people to channel their uncertainties and anxieties. Rather than sitting in front of a screen mindlessly for another hour, people have turned you into a creative and entertaining activity. Our kitchens have turned into a competitive stage as our friends, kids, and siblings grab a random assortment of ingredients from the pantry and create dishes from Pinterest recipes we’ve been collecting for years. You’ve given all of us the opportunity to feel like all-star chefs. All of this is in hopes to take a break from the stressors of COVID-19.

You give us a feeling of normalcy. You distract us from the sobering reality that lessened restrictions does not mean there is an end in sight. Unfortunately, this is an especially hard truth for college students, who face a demanding workload along with the other anxieties, frustrations, and fears caused by the pandemic. With all of this, you have been notably mentioned for your impact. “I am especially grateful because cooking instills some kind of normalcy amidst such a chaotic time,” said Kayleen Italia, CSON ‘22. In Kayleen’s reality, like many others, you remain enjoyable amidst the global backdrop filled with fears. 

With no resolution in the foreseeable future, you remain a constant source of entertainment, enjoyment, and certainty. If you have no idea what you have been able to do for us, just take a look here, and you’ll see what we’ve accomplished. Whether it be cheffing up brunch with a group of friends on what would be a football game day or making dinner for one after a stressful round of back-to-back Zoom meetings, we can always count on you.

Needless to say, thank you.

Sincerely,

All of us at home