What happened to all the Flour?

[ColinEssex]

Col, thanks for the offer, but my wife insists on making her lists in ink. But there is some hope for her entering the the brave new world. She still uses paper for our grocery list but she has started using the "Notes" feature on her cell phone for some other things and will simply erase the entry when done there.

No, I can't use a phone for shopping. I write what I need on a little dry wipe board in the kitchen as I go along, then, when it's shopping day, the list is transferred to paper and off to Sainsburys I go. Call me old fashioned, but in my world, a list has to be handwritten on paper, but using a little dry wipe board is a modern touch for me. My house is a flash back in time to the 1970's with orangey brown colours and lava lamps. I do sometimes use a phone though.
I've also got a juke-box, it can take cents or dollar bills (it does have a free play override)

Col

 

[kilroyscarnival]

I'm in Florida, and we had the same issue being unable to find bread flour. I bake periodically and usually have a container partially filled with bread flour ("strong flour" in the UK), but I used it all up around the holidays and hadn't replenished it. Yeast is also very hard to get too, but fortunately, I'd bought a jar of instant yeast so I had a decent amount left.

I cannot say scientifically that it's a boom in home baking, but anecdotally, many friends are posting their cooking and baking feats while staying at home. And, concurrently, many of the baking YouTube channels have experienced a giant leap in subscriber numbers, including the excellent "Bake with Jack" out of the UK, who also reports he's sold out of merchandise after a brisk increase in orders.

The gardening forums and channels also have seen increased subscribers. The sad thing is so many in central and south Florida have popped onto local gardening groups, unaware that they've bought plants and seeds that it's too late to grow here in the heat.

Interesting times!

-- Ann

 

[ColinEssex]

Why do you bake bread? Is there none in the shops?

Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

There is always the issue that a recipe you put together for yourself frequent tastes better than one you bought in store. Freshness, for one thing. Having the aroma of the fresh-baked bread permeating the house is another. Pride in workmanship (it it is edible) counts, too. And it is a fabulous way to do something constructive around the house during the lock-down.

 

[ColinEssex]

I didn't think there was a lockdown in the USA. We see on the news all those people mixing and protesting, some even dressed in combat gear carrying huge machine gun things. You know what Yanks are like about freedom rights and the constitution amendments. If they're advised to do something, they'll ignore it.

Col

 

[Steve R.]

Need to add Mother's Day cards to the "what happened to all the ... ?" list. The pickings were slim today. My Wife's birthday is also in May. Again the Birthday card pickings were slim. For self-protection, get your cards now. Divorce on the horizon?

 

[Isaac]

I didn't think there was a lockdown in the USA. We see on the news all those people mixing and protesting, some even dressed in combat gear carrying huge machine gun things. You know what Yanks are like about freedom rights and the constitution amendments. If they're advised to do something, they'll ignore it.

Col

LOL .. that was funny and actually made me laugh out loud. Yes, I can see where you would get the impression that these people are hardly on any lockdown! And we're not on any sort of "nation-wide" rules, different states differ. But generally speaking, at least until a few days ago, most states recommended that people shelter-in-place and only go driving out for essentials: grocery store and the like. In most places it is not really strict, but still, in most places (up until a few days ago), including where I live in the southwest, 1) most non-essential businesses are closed, so there isn't much place to go anyway 2) we were 'requested' (I would say Ordered, but these executive orders had very little enforcement broadly speaking) to stay at home, and 3) big one - most people are working from home if they can. To me it definitely feels lockdown-ey. But truth be told, I can get away with driving around wherever I want (again many businesses closed), any time I want. In the very rare event that law enforcement noticed or cared, I would just be on my way to the grocery store, which I usually am anyway. It's very mixed here.

Between that and all the rituals my wife has been enforcing (spraying the bottom of my shoes, wearing masks any time enter a business, and disinfecting by hand every single item that comes into the house)....it's not much fun to go in and out anyway.

 

[ColinEssex]

Hmmm, seems to me that it's a bit hit and miss with each state doing different things, I don't think that bodes well for containing the virus. Still, this is new to the whole world, so it's a massive learning curve for every country, some do better than others. If I was Prime Minister I wouldn't have a clue where to start for the best.
Actually, I'm a bit excited, it's my weekly trip to the supermarket tomorrow, I'll need to queue up to get in but at least it's a bone fide trip out, even if it is only half a mile away. We are lucky, our Sainsburys is well stocked.

Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Col, it is in fact somewhat hit-and-miss with us. But then, some states have such low population that for them, social distancing is almost automatic. However, others have not fared so well. New York and Florida were hit hard, and Louisiana was also in the hot seat for a while. It depends on the population of retirees in the urban areas. New Orleans and some cities in Florida were retirement havens and got high infection and death rates.

The problem with the USA is that unless there is actually a formal declaration of war, the President doesn't have national quarantine authority despite what Trump might have said. But he is learning that sometimes the United States are not so united. Time will tell how badly this will hit us and we will have 50 separate experimental results for comparison.