American Prohibition & Speakeasy vs. Emergency state & clandestine restaurants...

It’s been a long time since I shared with you some personal thoughts on the restaurant business.

I believe I found the perfect topic to fix it.

A few days ago, I read an article quoting this doctor from John Hopkins University that was explaining how Men have been handling the end of pandemic situations in the past.

To make it short, he was explaining that if the end of disease is not triggered by a medicine solution (leading to a decrease of mortality…), it may be triggered by a social conclusion: people desiring to go back to their normal life, and learning to live with the disease. A bit like if fear of dying was vanishing, as we understand that we have more to lose staying shut down in house for months.

Non sense would you say?

Well, if you have a look at what is going around, we already live in this scenario.

While riding my bike in Milan, I’m amazed to see the amount of people sipping a beer outside at lunch time or in the afternoon during a lockdown state.

Of course I’m pissed, because it ‘s this kind of “grouping” behaviors that made me lost my revenue for 14 months now.

But wouldn’t be easier to have the restaurant open again to regulate the flow instead of having bunches of people getting drunk during picnic in the parks or on the bars streets?

The other day I saw the police arriving in Piazza Risorgimento where guys were listening to music while sipping beer close to the kiosk. The police arrived, but they voluntarily took a lot of time to get out of the car so they won’t have to control anyone.

Why is it so difficult to give a fine to a group of guys sipping beers?

Why not checking the typology of receipts made by bars during the day (knowing know that every receipt in Italy is electronic)?

And if we don’t want to take that road, as we’re not living in a totalitarian state, why then not opening again?

I went to Leroy Merlin last Sunday to buy some cement, I had no idea how many people have become expert in Do It Yourself? Did you?

I always take the metaphor of water. If you block a pipe, the water will find its way anyway; Closing some realities made people getting stacked where they are allowed to go. They will become all runners or DIY experts…

But what I find the most “amazing” in this period, is the opening of restaurants that end defined “clandestine”…

I feel back to the prohibition period in the USA, when drinking alcohol was forbidden and people where heading to speakeasy to have a sip and socialize.

Different? Not sure.

The scandals come when the clandestine events are happening in incredible villas and the guests are rich.

But don’t you think it’s happening at all levels? How do you call a BBQ party between “regular” people?

I believe the “interdit” gives a thrill to people going to the “hidden” event or private club. The same thrill you get while giving the password to enter a speakeasy. People need status symbol and social recognition, they want to be part of the group and in that case the group must be part of the Elite.

On the BBQ scenario or the party between the neighbors, the people do it naturally, they still need to be part of a group, the one that sticks to their direct environment, they may not even fill the transgression after a few drinks. If you’ve been doing something for years that was legal (seeing friends and family), how can you feel against the law?

Though, do you think you have a better aeration in a private house than in a restaurant?

The important thing here is that in both case, it illustrates the will of people to get to normal life.

Being socially responsible or not, is not part of my discussion, but the fact is here, people wants their life back, including the ones not gathering but developing anger towards people doing a thing they would love to do.

So will we decide the end of the pandemic situation socially?

Have you ever thought what they will teach to our grand kids during history class in twenty years? Do you think they will laugh at our biased blind stupidity (if we have been)? Who knows…