A Pandemic Latte

My work travel is decidedly less enjoyable these days.  Wearing a mask for hours on end is tiresome and uncomfortable.  (I am aware that health care workers and teachers and everyone else on the front lines of this pandemic must wear masks and protective gear for much longer stretches and I can only say that I admire and respect your sacrifice.) Discovering yummy places to eat, always a highlight of my travels, is no longer something I can count on.  Many restaurants have closed and others have limited menus or do not have outside seating.  I often resort to getting takeout and eating it in my hotel room… as I said, decidedly less enjoyable.

But every once in a while, I chance upon a place that is still making it happen.  And I am transported to times when I could look forward to visiting favorite places I’d found on previous trips or finding new little gems.  Such was the case with this perfect latte I had at a little French bakery in Englewood, New Jersey.  It was a crisp, fall day and there was outside seating.  I had enough time before a talk that was scheduled later that morning to indulge in a coffee that promised I will again get to travel and indulge post-pandemic.  It was served with two scrumptious butter cookies, the perfect accompaniment to the rich coffee and frothy milk.  And I was able to relax, sip my coffee, nibble on the cookies, and feel grateful for this brief oasis in the midst of all this craziness.

Here’s hoping you are all able to find your little slices of culinary heaven – whether it is a local restaurant that has remained open and mastered the fine art of takeout or a place that has increased its outside seating and is now accommodating the cooler weather with heat lamps and extra tables – and that these places that are struggling will survive and make it through this challenging time.  And here’s to a frothy latte on a beautiful fall day and feeling grateful to be alive.