On Monday I stood in the checkout line for the last time at Central Square’s Daily Table. The line was long, almost to the end of the store, and mostly silent. When I asked how she was doing, my cashier told me she was doing all right. When she returned the question, I told her I was devastated.
When I was in primary school, I asked my best friend why she always brought lunch to school, since it was free from the cafeteria. She replied “only if your family is poor.” Growing up in a low-income, Vietnamese family meant that food insecurity and the shame we felt was a complex topic to be accepted but never acknowledged. I am now old enough to name this feeling and understand it was bigger than me.
In 1978, my grandparents and their 10 children, including my mom, immigrated to the United States as Vietnamese boat refugees. Upon arrival, they were told not to accept food stamps or welfare assistance, as it would bring shame to the refugee community and the church that sponsored them. Instead, they should work hard at their jobs in the turkey factory and live humbly out of their own means. Fast forward to my life as an adult, where the days of going to bed hungry and ashamed are behind me. As a young professional who is now financially stable, sometimes my childhood memories feel like a distant dream.
When I had first heard Daily Table was moving into my neighborhood, it took me a while to go. As soon as I did, I fell in love. Where else can you exist in a space where a man in a Patagonia vest inspects apples next to an elderly woman filling bags with ripe plantains? Every time I walked in and was greeted with the big sign that said, “Everyone Deserves Good Food,” I felt at ease. The way Daily Table and their staff made me and others from all walks of life feel happy, safe and unashamed in buying fresh food for ourselves and loved ones is one of the most successful examples of food justice meeting class solidarity that I had the honor of experiencing. Woven into the fabric of my everyday life, Daily Table became a third space in a way I had never experienced at any other grocery store.
Nowadays, the world is changing fast in ways that are heavy for me to hold. It seems like every week, another small business is closing down. Soon enough, empty storefronts will outnumber the flourishing ones. This particular loss stings. It won’t be the last unless residents like me do something to protect the places and institutions we care about. Although the store is closing, we cannot afford to be silent about Daily Table’s mission of food justice and community. From volunteering at your local food pantry, to donating to the GoFundMe for staffers who lost their jobs with the closing of Daily Table, there are copious ways of getting involved. Our neighborhoods and small businesses depend on us to keep them alive if we appreciate the value that they bring and the sense of belonging they create for our communities.
Lani Willmar, Norfolk Street, Cambridge
A stronger
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Lani willmar’s comment was very sweet & very moving. I’ll miss Daily Table not only for it’s inexpensive & healthy foods, but for the positive sense of ‘community’ it’s staff brought with them. While its selections were limited compared to nearby supermarkets, their produce, meat & staples were amazingly affordable & good. The staff was wonderful & I hope they soon find work elsewhere. It will be very much missed. Timo
Thanks for your kind note, Timo. Glad to know I’m not alone in appreciating the magic of Daily Table.