Food Research during COVID-19

 *This is part of our series on the nexus between COVID-19 and food systems.

Hibiscus tea and soup at La Khaima

A few days ago, I spent two hours on the phone with a friend in Shanghai, China discussing the zero covid policy and how it affected his economic situation and his physical as well as mental health. We also discussed the implication on the global value chain now that China is gradually returning to normal. The two-hours conversation reminded me of a pending writeup based on a documentation I did in December 2021. Please get a cup of organic tea, a bowl of ogi (eko), or a warm cup of rooibos tisane as you peruse the journey below:

On Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, I arrived at the Guelph train station enroute to Montreal. At this point in time, passengers are expected to provide hard copy or digital proof of vaccination. Before boarding, the QR Code on our proof of vaccination and boarding pass were scanned for all the passengers. After a brief stop at the Union Station in Toronto to change trains, I arrived in Montreal and was able to check in to my hotel just after 9 pm. On my way to the hotel, I was informed that restaurants and bars were closed which later turned out to be a misinterpretation of the government’s announcement. At the hotel, the staff on duty indicated that because of COVID there would be no room service including housekeeping. I discovered that there were also no room hand sanitizers. Guests were expected to use a general sanitizer by the elevator. Furthermore, the hotel stopped complimentary bottled water and there was no breakfast which had been part of their service in 2018. Services have deteriorated significantly within three years, and this is not entirely due to the pandemic.

I woke up the next day, Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021, mentally ready to document the challenges faced by the food systems in Montreal under the prevailing pandemic. Since there was no more breakfast by the hotel, I had to visit Cora, a Canadian franchise for breakfast and lunch. At the place, my proof of vaccination was also scanned before I was allowed into the restaurant. All other regular restrictions expected in a restaurant were also observed in the restaurant. A state of emergency was later declared by the Quebec Government because of the increasing cases of COVID-19 even though while passing through the streets of Montreal, the impact of the state of emergency was not necessarily apparent.

Breakfast at Cora, Montreal

Day three, Wednesday Dec 22, 2021. I started the day again with a Cora breakfast. Within less than my breakfast hour, ten people were in the restaurant. Thus, the state of emergency notwithstanding, some people were still willing to eat out. After my breakfast I called La Khaima to book a space to experience Mauritania/Morocco cuisines. Although the owner was not sure whether they would be open, people seemed not to understand the state of emergency implications. After a brief discussion I was able to get space for 5 pm. I decided to explore Montreal’s streets before my dinner at La Khaima. My exploration led to more than an hour stop at a specialty café, Café Olimpico, that is less than 200 metres to my destination. People are social beings, and the café was a solace for people longing for social interaction in a safe space. In this space familiarity trumped having a vaccine passport. The space is trendy, cozy, homely and classy and the customers are likely middle and upper class – those who could afford a latte for more than $5. It is generally a white space though I met a young Congolese lady studying law at a Montreal university. An indication that white is not necessarily based on color, there is a possibility of color privilege based on education. Did spaces become more class and race concentrated because of the pandemic? The francophone lady wanted to be seen but she didn’t want to say she is African. I am from here she said when I asked her country of origin.

Cafe Olimpico

The music playing was very soothing to the extent that I forgot that the pandemic was still around. Clover, a Cloud based point of sale platform, was the payment system used at the Olimpico café. People in this space seemed not to be bothered by, OMICRON, the strain of COVID-19 creating havoc that time. Most of the people were working on their laptops as seen in cafes such as Balzac’s coffee roasters and Starbucks. This space was where I discovered that media can be a source of misinformation. I totally forgot about the pandemic until I reached my hotel room and started watching scary news updates on television. My takeaway from Olimpico was that restriction may not go well with people even though OMICRON was then a challenge.

Cake and latte at Olimpico

Before returning to my room, I walked for around 10 minutes from Olimpico café to La Khaima, entering the restaurant at 5:01 pm for my dinner. The cuisine for the night was Soup – Lentil soup with turmeric and ginger and a three-course meal. 1^st – chicken with olives; 2^nd – Beef with dates; 3^rd – Mixed vegetables with chickpeas + couscous. The mixed vegetables were a blend of olive, okra, cabbage, carrot, chickpeas. The restaurant was designed in such a way that you felt you were in a desert tent. The air was filled with the aroma of the cuisines from the Sahel and different music from Africa. The dinner started with an appetiser, a hot hibiscus tea, served in a traditional kettle to keep the drink warm. The owner took his time to educate me about the cuisines and that the palatability of couscous is a function of the sauce. And that slow cooking improves the taste and spreads the ingredients evenly. The evening was pleasant and 30 people were at the restaurant while I was there. The shock was that I was the only person of African descent in the restaurant during my stay. Until today I still wonder why there were more non-Africans in a restaurant serving African cuisines. Could it be the price? I observed the same scenario in a Moroccan restaurant, The Sultan’s Tent and Café Maroc, in Toronto, six years ago. Food is already globalized but it may become exclusive for people of a certain class and/or education.

After my documentation, I returned to Guelph on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. I left Montreal with the first train at 6.11 am, arrived in Ottawa at 9.30 am due to a delay as a result of cargo freight obstruction on the rail. The stopover in Ottawa was to have a brief meeting with friends and deliver their Christmas packs. I left Ottawa at 3.33 pm, arriving at the Toronto Union station before 9 pm and took the 9.34 pm Go train to Guelph (Metrolinx has improved rail connectivity to include cities outside the Greater Toronto Area up to Kitchener).

This journey and other research experience during the pandemic indicate that inequality has deepened, exclusion is more prevalent, food shortages have increased and at times quality is compromised. Furthermore, socialization was significantly curtailed, and income was reduced because of layoffs and reduced hours. I hope we will be able to manage random events better in the future.

Bamidele Adekunle|IRG & ECVOntario|SEDRD|University of Guelph.