As people return to offices and business districts, old relationships are re-established
Mary Nkrumah, centre, who runs Mary's African Cuisine, hands a takeout order to a customer at the restaurant in Halifax on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Darren Calabrese/The Globe and MailAn impatient food delivery worker comes into Mary’s African Cuisine, greets owner Mary Nkrumah by simply saying, “DoorDash” – the name of his employer – and sits at a small table, scrolling through his phone.
“What I really missed was in-person talking,” she said. Sharing stories with people about life in Ghana, where she grew up. Discussing parenting with other mothers. Explaining what side dish to pair with the oxtail stew and how, exactly, to pick up fufu with your fingers. Mary Nkrumah, left, who runs Mary's African Cuisine, hugs Zahara Mokoena, 8, after having not seen each other in months.On a recent Sunday, Ms. Nkrumah’s eyes widened as she saw one of her favourite customers, eight-year-old Zahara Mokoena, come through the door with her father, Khothatso.
“Mary’s is the closest thing I can get to my mother’s cooking,” explained Mr. Mokoena, who is from South Africa. “Mary loves my kids, I have three daughters … but she has a soft spot for the little cutie Zahara. So every time we go it’s like, ‘Come back and give me a hug.’ … She’d been missing the hugs because of the pandemic.”Adam Findlay’s return to the office caused confusion at home.
Premier Jason Kenney lifted Alberta’s work-from-home order March 1, officially bringing office workers back to the city centre.Commuting consumes about an hour of Mr. Findlay’s day, cutting into sleep and family time. But he is glad to be back at his desk in Bankers Hall. He feels more engaged and a touch more productive. He is also getting to know colleagues in a way the pandemic did not allow, he says, as he stands in line at Hula, a poke bowl joint, with one of his co-workers.
Instead, Mr. Foster relied on long-time clients. The owner of a nearby custom framing shop continued to purchase his pieces for resale, displaying them in the shop’s window. Ms. McQuilter adjusted her wireless microphone headset and glanced at a stopwatch as a half dozen women took their spots on a line of treadmills, and another group of people settled at rowing machines for the warm-up.
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