Originally posted on CBS NEWS:
For Atlanta-based food writer Angela Hansberger, the coronavirus pandemic has been hard to swallow. She can't write about restaurants when they're closed.
"I
was facing a lot of anxiety. I kind of hid it," said Hansberger.
"Gosh, I'm crying. I was really sad for all the people in the industry
that I worked with."
Hansberger
said she had to get her mind off it. So, using ingredients from her garden, and
her encyclopedic knowledge of fine dining, she opened her own restaurant on her
front porch, where she now serves chipmunk.
The
little guy has had a standing lunch reservation for months now.
© Provided by CBS News A chipmunk sits in its own porch restaurant. / Credit: CBS
News
Whether
it's veggie pizza and a side salad, or imitation sushi with walnut wontons,
every day, Hansberger goes to remarkable lengths for her exclusive clientele.
"Took
a while to try and make little tortillas that I could fold to put the…,"
said Hansberger, as she started laughing. "I love the way that you're
shaking."
"Well,
I love how you're realizing how crazy it sounds as you're saying it," I
responded.
Today,
it's mini spaghetti with tiny date meatballs and a thimble full of almond flour
breadsticks. The chipmunk, who she named Thelonious Munk, typically arrives
within seconds of serving, eats his fill and packs the rest to go in his cheeky
doggy bag.
"And
the reviews have been good?" I asked Hansberger.
"The
reviews have been great," she replied. "One day he came up with this
little tiny bundle – waded up leaves – and put it on the table. So, I take it
to mean he brought a tip."
That
said, you get the sense that Thelonious is still a little skeptical – like
there's gotta be a catch. Her cat wishes there was a catch. But there will be
none of that because, for Hansberger, this bit of silliness has become her
daily sustenance.
When
asked what this has done for her, she responded, "It's brought joy. I have
more videos of this chipmunk than I have of my children. It's bad."
We
all need to find a way to cope during this pandemic, which is why I'm giving
Chez Angela my highest rodent restaurant rating: 3 stripes.
To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email
us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.
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“Some secrets should remain that way.” My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com
