Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Chef Jose Andres, a True American Hero

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Donald Trump likes to bloviate about - and honor - individuals who are much like himself.  For instance, shortly after coming into office Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a known bully, liar, and racist, for the crime of refusing to follow a lawful order of a federal judge.  And last month Trump gave the once highly esteemed "Presidential Medal of Freedom" to radio hate-monger Rush Limbaugh, also a bully, liar, and racist.  Those two individuals have much in common with Donald Trump and fall well within his comfort zone.

Trump considers people like Joe Arpaio and Rush Limbaugh to be American heroes in the same sense that he considers himself to be one.

It's a shame that Donald John's field of vision isn't just a bit wider or he might be able to look down the street from the White House and see a true American hero.  Jose Andres is a Spanish-born American chef who has restaurants in several American cities including a few in and around Washington, DC.

Chef Andres closed all of his restaurants in Washington, DC, and New York City on Sunday due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, and he announced that employees in those restaurants would continue to be paid for the next two weeks.   He also announced that some restaurants would reopen today as "community kitchens" offering affordable or free meals to people in need.  At some locations people will be able to drop by and pickup a packaged meal, and at others they will be able to actually sit down and enjoy a meal.  The brunt of the expense of this effort will come out of the personal pocket of Chef Andres.

Chef Jose Andres has also been taking his campaign to feed people in need onto a wider political stage.  For the past several days he has been engaging with New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo with suggestions that the governor use his state's newly closed schools to prepare meals for the hungry in their immediate communities.  Most schools already have functioning kitchens and cafeterias with the ability to prepare and serve meals - and to seat patrons while they eat.  They are resources that can and should be used to meet this national emergency.

Our country has suddenly found itself in desperate times, and it's good to know there are real heroes out there - like Chef Jose Andres - who are prepared to stand up and meet the new threats that challenge us all.

Donald Trump would serve himself and our country well if he took the time to seek out actual heroes and pay homage to them.  They are out there struggling to make our lives better, and they deserve our country's recognition and support.

Chef Jose Andres and people like him truly make America great!

Thanks, Chef!

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