Why Florida Locals Don’t Eat Outside In The Summer

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Sharon and I have sat down and had a meal at a restaurant a total of two times since the novel coronavirus started its spread throughout Florida. We feel much more comfortable eating at home and if we really don’t want to cook, there’s always take-out.

When dining outside of our home, our first meal was at Universal Orlando where we had pizza at Red Oven Pizza Bakery. We picked the location, not because of the food, but because all the seating was outside and tables were socially distanced from each other.

The dining experience reminded us of the meals we ate when visiting Japan. Utensils were brought to the table individually wrapped. Our menus were single use to prevent cross-contamination. They had beers on the menu but they were only available by the can or bottle, not from the glass. The thing most reminiscent of Japan was that our check was presented on a tray where I placed my credit card. The card was brought to the back (where I imagine someone actually had to touch it) and returned to me on the tray with the receipt. We were never asked to leave a tip, which might have been because this was usually a fast-service dining location. It was kinda surreal for our first dining experience in months.

Our next dinner was a bit more refined. During our beach day, we visited the Kimpton Vero Beach & Spa. Our table here was also outside and spaced from other guests. It was the first time I’d gotten a drink from a bartender in months.

We were treated to a wonderful sunset and a great meal. It was also the last time we’ve eaten out at a restaurant.

Since then, the number of coronavirus cases in Florida, and particularly in Orange County, have kept increasing.

We’re willing to eat out but the seating needs to be outside. Our previous outings were in May and June and it was still comfortable to sit outdoors. It’s now mid-July and we’re smack dab in the middle of “Heat & Humidity Festival 2020!” Eating outdoors isn’t appealing right now, when the temperature index is over 100 degrees.

Add to that almost daily torrential summer downpours. If we did want to eat outside for lunch or dinner, there’s a chance we’d end up like this guy.

While we’re okay with eating meals out, it’s the whole “sitting in a restaurant with other guests” that we’re not down with. Eating outdoors makes us feel more comfortable, but sitting outside in Florida in July/August just doesn’t go together.

I guess we’re just going to be eating meals at home for now, staying dry and in the air conditioning until the humidity festival ends around September or October.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary