Well, I guess we're all going to die

Good morning everyone, how are you today?
I am well, I’m doing well, but I have to tell you — news is in short supply this week. And it’s not even because of my incompetency, it’s because of what’s going on worldwide.

So how about we talk about this news because we go into what I cooked this past week? Good?
Alright, here’s the lowdown:
So if anyone is reading this in a somewhat timely fashion, then you’ll know that the COVID-19 Coronavirus infection has grown beyond China in the east coast and has made it’s way around the world, including the United States. Now me being a newsperson means I was offhandedly mentioning the virus in our Foreign News segment as a “here’s whats going on around the world” type of thing.
But, that really changed when a few things happened: 1) when a number of the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship passengers were evacuated to the bio-containment unit/quarantine unit in Omaha and at Camp Ashland, and 2) when the infection started to spread throughout the United States.
Now, as soon as we knew those passengers would be in Omaha, that instantly took the virus news from being foreign news to local, high-profile news, since it is in Nebraska. So we were already updating the public on who was in containment/quarantine and what their test results were, and if they were released yet.
That being said, soon other virus cases started popping up around the country and naturally there have also been deaths. So basically my job in the mornings have been trying to update people on the lastest COVID-19 news with a Nebraska-flair. This includes things like testimony from our governor and senators, and tips from various in-state medical officials. Now most of my job is trying to give people updated information while also including details like: the deaths were elderly individuals with preexisting conditions, most of the virus cases are in people who traveled recently, you shouldn’t go out and buy masks in you’re well becasue medical professionals need those, and medical professionals say you need to be more worried about the flu.
In fact, this past Friday (March 6 evening) a new case in Omaha popped up in someone who traveled recently and that person has been moved into containment; this prompted our governor to remind everyone of basic hygiene protocols (not touching face, washing hands, not going to work when sick). So all this is still relevant and local news, so I imagine I’ll be updating the public more on that. Not to mention as of March 8, 2020 at 11:31 a.m. there are about 460 cases and 19 deaths. Thus, this will be ongoing national news for a bit, too.

Now, on a personal level, I’m not terribly worried. Essentially if an individual has not traveled to affected areas and if they aren’t elderly or have preexisting conditions, then chances are they’re going to be fine. At least for the time being. And as long as the public practices appropriate health and safety measures (i.e. washing hands, not touching face) then chances are you’ll be fine. I mean, 19 people have died, which is an exceptionally small percentage of the U.S. population. Not to mention everyone’s basically doing their best to control the situation.
But what I’m saying is this is an ongoing things that, chance are, will be around for a bit, so I may either refer to it’s status occasionally or will just mention personal stuff.

In fact, while we speak of travel. . .Weekend Friend and I are planning a trip to New York! Due to a change in plans (due to the virus) we had the time and opportunity to go to New York — and we are! The U.S. Department of State’s travel restrictions/advisories are still fine for in-country travel, and all we’d have to do is again practice basic health and safety measures. So I’m super excited to see New York (I’ve never been) and to go there with a dear friend of mine!

Now, as far as cooking goes, here is what I made this time around:
– Fried Cauliflower: I’ve been trying to figure out how to make Gobi, which is this sort of fried cauliflower dish I had at that Indian place and was super, super good. So I figured the first step was just making normal fried cauliflower and it was still so good.

– Curry Shrimp with Roasted Cauliflower: this is a modification of the curry chick I made last time from the YSAC cookbook. I wanted to try it with shrimp and try marinating it overnight. This was a great plan and turned out super well. I also roasted some cauliflower to have on the side.

– Peanut Butter French Toast Rollup: this was something new. Essentially this was normal french toast all rolled up with peanut butter inside. 10/10 would recommend.