I Took Restaurants For Granted

What I’d give to be inside Sato Sushi on Avenue L right at this moment. I miss late fall when I would meet two of my friends there on a Friday night when we would walk up to the front door through a cold breeze in nice clothing and ask for a table for three. Then we’d order drinks — a Shirley temple for me and sodas for them — and an array of different rolls that we’d share. They would always get full first, and I would gobble up whatever they didn’t finish. The three of us would go on talking for hours past eating and just enjoy each other’s company. We’d talk about what’s going on with our friends, crushes, and family — but never school — until we paid with money we earned or that our parents gave us.

 A night at a restaurant seems like a fever dream of the past. I’ve done outdoor dining once or twice but mostly take out. It’s not the same, of course.  There’s something about restaurants, in particular, that’s so romantic. A large room with dim lighting filled with people from all walks of life that cross each other’s paths for a moment to have a meal. The clanging of dishes, the clattering of the kitchen, and the chattering of voices; it’s a serene experience in retrospect. It won’t be for weeks or, more likely, months until I can get back to a glorious night like that again. However, I’ll make sure to cherish it when the time comes.

But They Can’t Even See What I’m Wearing.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m waking up 20 minutes before my classes at seven or 7:30 in the morning. With any luck, I will be able to get up a little earlier in the upcoming weeks and establish a morning routine for myself, but until then, I am still making myself get dressed for my Google Meets. I used to be a full-fledged fashionista on campus, so this is my small attempt to recreate that, and, frankly, everyone should be trying to establish their morning routine, too.

There is something about getting out of pajama pants or sweatpants, and hopping into a more put-together look that is refreshing. Sure, it felt a little weird to dress up only to march up to my desk and sit down, but it was also satisfying. I felt more awake and motivated to settle into an academically-oriented routine and get my homework and college applications knocked out. I felt particularly unstoppable with my hair tied back in a slick ponytail and acrylic nails chirping as I type out my assignments. Of course, these are getting into some more personal preferences.

If you feel especially unmotivated to push through in this online environment, try getting ready for a regular school day; it could help save a grade.

Pajamas are Acceptable School Attire

During quarantine, people have lost the energy to get dressed for the day, opting, instead, to spend their time in their pajamas. However, with online school starting, there have been rules set by individual school districts that ban students from wearing pajamas while attending virtual classes. Families are baffled by the practice since students will be learning from the comfort of their own home. I’m in no way saying that students should be allowed to show up to their virtual classes looking like they just woke up or show up wearing inappropriate clothing, but banning pajamas is just too much. Is the school really going to send kids home for wearing clothing they find snug? Oh, wait…they’re already home. As long as the student is still following the dress code and showing up to their tiresome classes, their clothing shouldn’t matter. When school was an in-person experience, I recall many students arriving in apparel similar to pajamas, with some even carrying around blankets. These outfits were allowed when school physically took place, so there shouldn’t even be a problem with pajamas now.

Anti-Mask Protesters

As coronavirus continues to strike largely populated cities with a breathtakingly large amount of cases and mortalities, it has become commonplace to wear a mask. It’s the least we can do to protect ourselves and others from ourselves during this time. Unfortunately, many people willingly choose not to even though their safety is on the line. An example of this would be the anti-vax phenomenon. People created rumors that vaccines caused even more disease and side effects, which are scientifically wrong, simply to support their skepticism.

History appears to be repeating itself, but this time with masks. In fact, a large anti-mask protest occurred in Madrid, Spain, on the 17th of August. Obviously, this didn’t work out very well, and coronavirus cases skyrocketed in Madrid due to the mass gathering. People choose to put their “freedoms” ahead of their safety, and it goes against all human decency. According to protesters, they decide not to wear masks because they feel that the masks violate their rights and fail to offer protection against the virus. However, the face coverings are currently the only solution for suppressing coronavirus cases, and if this ignorance becomes even more widespread, we might as well stay quarantined for life.

In-person School is Better than Online School 

In-person school is better than online school because it is easier to communicate with an instructor face-to-face. During virtual meetings, students can experience poor Internet connections, which makes understanding lectures difficult. When teachers conduct lectures and write or present materials to the class, it is sometimes difficult to view.

Additionally, online school doesn’t allow students to see or communicate with friends. While social interactions may not be the main focus of school, these connections provide students with an outlet for stress. Also, online school has made it harder for students to participate in sports and clubs, yet another outlet for students. Distance learning has made it tough for sports and clubs to continue under these new and foreign circumstances. 

Also, students are in comfortable and familiar areas, which can create distractions. In-person schooling was a supervised and strict setting where students couldn’t use their phones or eat during class. These distraction-free policies helped students focus on their education; however, students pay less attention to school in an unsupervised setting.

Down with Out-door Dining

I believe outdoor-dining should no longer be allowed as long as this pandemic is ongoing. It doesn’t matter if it is a patio or at a restaurant; the risks are too high. As we see, our numbers increase in both deaths and confirmed cases, and it is sad to see the amount of carelessness and carefree attitude that many privileged people have during this pandemic. Many of these people are COVID deniers until it hits close to home, which is a horrible mentality. With that reasoning, many more people are going to die before we ever see this pandemic wane.

*Writers are listed in order of article appearance.