Life in the time of cholera
Thursday, March 12th, 2020 08:16 pmThe usually blasé Torontonians have finally lost their shit. Caused by the WHO announcement, maybe, or the ever-so-convenient for our drug lord Premier closing of schools for three weeks. (Ford has been feuding with the teachers' union for months now over increased classroom size, among other things). Anyway, today the local super was jammed with shoppers prepping for disaster, with lines as long, and carts as full, as if it were a long weekend. Also with people like me, who'd come by mid-afternoon of a weekday to buy bread and milk, wondering aloud what the hell was going on. 'Why are all these people off work?'
When I was at language school in Japan, our sensei reminisced about the Oil Shock of 1973 and how the Japanese had reacted to it by hoarding toilet paper, which made no sense to me since the two products have nothing to do with each other. "My father wouldn't hoard," Sensei told us. "He said we could just use newspaper instead." Sensible man, I thought. But today the local drugstore was completely denuded of toilet paper, and suddenly the prospect of newsprint didn't appeal at all. So I was chuffed to find the mom and pop Korean conveni still in possesion of twelve-packs, and bought one because I refuse to be my mother the hoarder and I refuse to hoard on principle. I hope I shall be as virtuous four weeks down the line, but I console myself that if even Italy still has lines of supply, Canada may as well.
When I was at language school in Japan, our sensei reminisced about the Oil Shock of 1973 and how the Japanese had reacted to it by hoarding toilet paper, which made no sense to me since the two products have nothing to do with each other. "My father wouldn't hoard," Sensei told us. "He said we could just use newspaper instead." Sensible man, I thought. But today the local drugstore was completely denuded of toilet paper, and suddenly the prospect of newsprint didn't appeal at all. So I was chuffed to find the mom and pop Korean conveni still in possesion of twelve-packs, and bought one because I refuse to be my mother the hoarder and I refuse to hoard on principle. I hope I shall be as virtuous four weeks down the line, but I console myself that if even Italy still has lines of supply, Canada may as well.
