The Good, The Bad, And The Pureblood – January 18, 2022

There have been 29,830 new COVID cases in New South Wales today.  The Australian performance to contain COVID-19 infections is a far cry from the 1,099 COVID cases on November 29, 2021 when Omicron reportedly broke onto the world stage.  Not even travel bans on African nations were able to contain the spread of Omicron.  

For some reason, I feel less concern with Omicron than I did with the Delta strain.  The reason could be because pureblood unvaccinated me has skin in the game, having been able to dodge the original novel coronavirus when living in China during Chinese New Year 2021, only to fly back to a burgeoning quasi-communist Australia being constructed by the continual failures of our feckless political leaders.

Today is my birthday.  The chore to purchase a birthday cake left me somewhat disappointed today.  

On the drive to Narellan I keyed “Cake Biz” into Google Maps.  I drove all the way into Narellan from Campbelltown just to visit that particular cake shop.

Usually I would give Cake Biz a good review.  They have a cool selection of birthday cakes.  I often visit Cake Biz to have a coffee with Imad.  I enjoyed coffee seated inside the grounded train slash caboose behind Cake Biz.  

Enter The Healthy & Unvaccinated Pureblood

I drove to Cake Biz, parked the car in the side car park, and decided to pop out of the car without wearing a face mask.  I noticed two elderly males in their 60s seated together in a car, both wearing face masks, peering over at me once or twice.  I could feel their looks.

I tried to enter into the back of Cake Biz where all the birthday cakes are displayed.  Oddly, the doors were locked, with a marquee inside the glass door that completely blocked entrance to the public.  I thought they must have done that because of their own COVID-19 restrictions.

With my pureblood reputation intact, I came through the front entrance.  Behind the counter were the usual young female staff that I see inside.  

Serving the drive thru window was a sleepy-mouthed blonde girl who looked about 20 years old.  

Another blonde girl in her 20s behind the counter looked to be new.  I saw her eyes bob up over the counter to look at me sometimes.  I could only see from the crown of her nose up.  She was giving me, the healthy and unvaccinated pureblood, this weary look from behind the counter.

The Unvaccinated Pureblood Asked To Comply

I’m a healthy person. I don’t have COVID.  I’ve walked in, to meekly browse the cakes behind the front display near the entrance door.

There were no other people inside Cake Biz.  It was just those two young girls behind the counter and this mask-free unvaccinated pureblood.  

The girl bobbed her head up to look at me.

In passing I mentioned, “I’m looking for a cake to buy.”  

Then she asked me the anticipated, “Do you have a face mask that you can wear?”  

I answered leisurely,  “No.  I don’t have one. I didn’t bring it in.”  

The Cake Biz girl was a bit flustered and didn’t know what to say.  

Then she told me, “You will need to wear one if you’re inside the store.”  

I repeated firmly, “But I don’t have a face mask with me.”  

I had to repeat it two more times for the 20 year old girl to understand.  I was getting a bit annoyed with the Cake Biz girl.  Looking around, there were absolutely no people in the store.  How could a healthy, COVID-free pureblood possibly endanger himself?  

Finally, the girl that works for Cake Biz in an uppity voice remarked, “If you don’t have a face mask, you have to leave the store.”  

I told her, “Alright then.”  

I turned around and left Cake Biz.  

Staff Need Better COVID Training

I was disappointed with the COVID policy.  I’ve come to Cake Biz so often.  These young girls suddenly turn into robots.  They don’t see the person that’s been coming into their store for years anymore.  They instantly see danger and freak out.

As a healthy, vaccine free pureblood that has survived not catching COVID since I lived beside the novel coronavirus in China, I was disappointed at the level of bullshit that passes for safety in Australia.

These girls that work for Cake Biz are 20 years old.  The science shows that if teenagers get COVID, or more specifically Omicron, teenagers will not die.  They will get some sniffles.  I know from experience, the younger generation I know that have contracted COVID get mild COVID symptoms.  Also, with me being a healthy pureblood individual, you’re not going to get COVID from me.

Getting The Novak Djokovic Treatment

This level of discrimination is what happened to Novak Djokovic. He got pilloried for being a healthy, super fit tennis player who happened to not take a COVID vaccine.  

Novak Djokovic does not want to give away his bodily autonomy. I respect him for that.

That’s exactly how I feel in Australia.  I’m a healthy, unvaccinated pureblood individual. If you’re not healthy, you should not go into a store, period. You should not work at a store either.  Only healthy people free of COVID should be walking around in business.  It pissed me off.  

I walked out of Cake Biz.  I was disappointed because I had to drive ten kilometers to get to this familiar cake shop, only to be refused service when I arrived.  But I made the best of it.

The Consumer Has All The Power

Consumers make the decision about what business they choose to give their money to. If I’m a healthy and unvaccinated pureblood that does not think he needs to wear a face mask, then I shouldn’t be forced or coerced by a business to wear a face mask.  

Why do I need to wear a face mask for a business if I’m healthy?  I’m not going to give COVID to anyone being healthy.  It should be my choice whether I want to take the risk of getting COVID from someone else.

I get that people in business might be scared of catching COVID.  In that case, business should ask consumers to show a negative rapid antigen test result or negative PCR test on entry.  Don’t assume people have COVID.  It is like assuming everyone has cooties.  It’s rude.  

Besides, a consumer should also feel protected.  There should not be a risk of COVID transmission in a workplace or a business.  To minimize risk, if staff are sick with COVID, follow common sense rules and do not work, otherwise you will spread COVID.

The onus should not be on healthy individuals to keep health and order in society.

It should be up to the sick individuals to stay away from businesses so that we can minimize infection and spread.  That goes with any transmissible disease.  

Unfortunately, Cake Biz lost some business today.  I might not go back to Cake Biz for a while. Cake Biz gets a bad review from me.

The Liberal-Minded Cake Decoration Shop

From Cake Biz I came to a cake decoration shop nearby.  Inside was one middle-aged, polite humanitarian lady behind the store counter.  There were no customers also in the store.  She saw I had walked in without a face mask on.  I looked up to see her put on her black face mask.  

I offered, “Oh, don’t worry.  I’m completely healthy. I don’t have COVID.”  

She just smiled at me.

Then she asked me what I was there for.  

I answered, “I just have to buy a cake for my birthday.”  

She told me, “Just have a look around.  See what you like.”  

I had a look around.  I am trying not to cough even slightly to clear my throat, because I don’t want people to think that I’m sick.  I have to come across as this completely healthy individual that has never coughed in his life. It’s quite funny.  

But there was a stark difference in treatment between Cake Biz and this cake decoration shop. Here, the woman assessed the situation and took her own precautions, allowing the customer to browse.  She didn’t care that I didn’t wear a face mask.

I bought candles, a pirate ship display for the cake top, as well as purple and blue sprinkles.

Finally, when I went up to the counter, I paid $35 for these products. Cake biz is going to lose out on $85 dollars worth of business, $50 for the birthday cake I had hoped to buy, and $35 dollars on these cake accessories.  

The Pureblood Is Served Without Discrimination

Fresh from the cake decoration shop, I searched Google for any other cake shop in Narellan.  I found The Cheesecake Shop.  As I made my way over, I hoped they would not refuse this unvaccinated pureblood service for entering without a face mask. I could buy a birthday cake from them, be done, and return home to prepare the table, food, balloons, and party games.  

Before I popped into The Cheesecake Shop, I saw one girl inside being served. She had a face mask on. I waited outside until that customer was served. When she walked outside, she looked to pass me.  She looked somewhat peeved with my face-mask free countenance.  

I had to sidestep out of her way in courtesy so that she could pass me on that small path outside of The Cheesecake Shop.

Once she was gone, I popped into The Cheesecake Shop.  There were no other customers inside. Inside an older male in his late twenties served me. He had a face mask on.

I declared to him, “Just to let you know, I’m completely healthy. I’m not sick. I don’t have COVID.”  

He looked somewhat surprised by my news, but shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing to him. He did look somewhat nervous about the situation, as if he was dealing with a dangerous felon.  

But in a calm voice, with a smile, I told him, “I just need to buy a birthday cake.”  

He invited me to browse the cakes on display.  

The Pureblood Consumer Buys A Cake

The Cheesecake Shop respected consumer dignity quite well.  I picked out a nice, blue cake with lots of sprinkles that said Happy Birthday.  

He asked, “Do you need any decorations?”  

I said, “Oh no, I went to the cake decoration shop next door and bought some.”  

He nodded his head. His eyes went up and to the side.  Then he turned into the back room to prepare the cake box.  

Every time I said something to him, he always had the same kind of nervous reaction, like he was hiding a kidnapped person in the back of the store.

The Cake Shop Staff Sounds Sick

Finally, I came to pay.  As I scanned my bank card, I heard him cough out a slight, wet, gargling cough.  

I thought to myself, “Wait.  Could this guy actually be sick?”  

We had a fair distance between us. Cold or flu smells like stale snot circulating in the air with a tinge of spiky, musky odor in the air.  I have this sharp sense of smell where I’ve always been able to smell the staleness of a cold or flu on someone else. I couldn’t smell the cold or flu on him.

In the past, whenever I smelled the flu in the air, I’d quickly turn my head away, stop breathing, cough out forcefully, breathe out through my nose, and get out whatever came inside my nose and throat. Most of the times that would work.  Sometimes I would still get sick.

I am like a police dog.  I definitely can smell the the musky odor of a cold or flu. Nonetheless, I couldn’t smell it on this male.

The short, sharp visit to The Cheesecake Shop took me two minutes.  I was happy to have bought a birthday cake for $45.  

In the end, whether an unvaccinated pureblood who chooses not to wear a face mask is denied service came down to good old probability.  I went to 2 businesses that did not enforce the face mask mandate.  I was able to buy all the things that I needed for my birthday.  I won best out of three.  Cake Biz missed out today big time!