VOA慢速英语--餐饮业的失业威胁到纽约的创意经济

Loss of Food Service Jobs Threatens New York’s Creative Economy

Many creative people move to New York City in hopes of one day getting a job in show business or the arts. They often work as waiters in bars or restaurants while hoping for a big break as a performer, painter or writer.

But the coronavirus health crisis¹ has put many servers out of work in recent months as eateries were forced to suspend² their in-house dining services. And the future of what restaurant dining will look like is unclear even as New York City reopens.

Some people wonder whether there will be enough business for bars and eateries to stay open and even have server jobs to fill. This raises questions about what that will mean for New York's creative class. Many servers fear the jobs that helped them live in the city and add to its artistic³ culture are no longer readily⁴ available.

Travis McClung grew up in Texas. He told the Associated Press: "It really is a part of the artist's life in New York, so I don't know what that's going to look like if it's just suddenly not an option anymore."

McClung moved to New York in 2009 to study theater in college. Now 28-years-old, he has spent close to nine years serving food while doing theater, singing and more recently, trying to build his career in video production.

The virus has been especially damaging for the city's restaurant workers. The New York State Department of Labor⁵ reports that restaurants and other eateries employed just over 273,000 people in February 2020. But that was before the city started closing down in March to fight the spread of COVID-19. In April, as case numbers jumped, the number of employees had fallen to under 78,000.

As the city began reopening in May, the number rose to close to 100,000, still far below where it had been.

New York has permitted outdoor dining service in recent weeks. Around 6,600 of the city's restaurants have requested permits to feed people on sidewalks and streets. But the return of indoor service has been delayed over fears that enclosed⁶ spaces would make virus cases rise.

Rachel Berry⁷ moved to New York City from Maryland in 2004. She tried several different jobs like dog walking and childcare before moving to food service in 2016.

Berry even spent some time at a traditional office job. But she found the structure too rigid⁸ to give her enough time to work on her creative interests. These have included painting, performing and most recently, interior⁹ design work.

She worries now about what will be available in restaurants, as social distancing restrictions¹⁰ require eateries to limit crowds in the weeks to come. She also worries whether she would have to work even more in other jobs to make what she has been able to in food service.

"Am I going to have the same opportunities afforded to me financially, or, you know, am I going to be stuck in this, I need two to three jobs to get by," Berry asked.

Jen Lyon is the owner of MeanRed Productions, a company that organizes arts and music events. She worries that creative people may leave New York, or choose not to come there at all, because of the high cost of living.

As someone who spent years bartending, she understands the importance for food service jobs and what they offer creative people.

They are the best jobs to have when you need to focus on your art, especially in New York, she said.

But now, if many of those jobs disappear, "What happens in my world is suddenly I don't have young artists to work with because they can't afford New York," she said. "You don't have people creating art in New York anymore."

Losing creative people is also a "huge threat" to the city, said Eli Dvorkin. He serves as editorial¹¹ and policy director at the Center for an Urban Future, which supports policies that make New York more equitable¹².

"As a city we can't afford to lose our creative edge. It's been one of the ... drivers of the city's economic growth over the past decades," Dvorkin noted¹³.

I'm Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

bar(s) – n. a building or room where alcoholic¹⁴ drinks and sometimes food are served

break – n. a lucky situation or event that makes success possible

option – n. something that can be chosen

rigid – adj. not easily changed

opportunities – n. amounts of time or situations in which something can be done

afford(ed) – v. to supply or provide something needed or wanted to someone

bartending – v. serving drinks at a bar or restaurant

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

equitable – adj. just or fair

decade(s) – n. a period of 10 years

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 suspend   

vt. 推迟, 悬挂, 暂停, 取消; vi. 悬挂, 中止, 停止偿付债务

参考例句：

• Balloons suspend easily in the air. 气球容易浮在空中。
• I request them to suspend their decision until they have read my narrative. 我请求他们没看完我写的故事之前,别轻率地先下断语。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

4 readily   

adv.欣然地，容易地，很快地，立即

参考例句：

• I promise all costs will be readily returned.我保证所有的费用会迅速偿还。
• Most plastics do not readily conduct heat or electricity.大多数塑料不易传热或导电。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 enclosed   

adj.被附上的；（用墙等）围住的；封闭的；与外界隔绝的v.（用墙、篱笆等）把…围起来( enclose的过去式和过去分词 )；把…装入信封；附入；（尤指墙、篱笆等 ）围住

参考例句：

• The yard had been enclosed with iron railings. 院子用铁栅栏围了起来。
• Do not use this substance in an enclosed space. 切勿在不透气的地方使用此物质。

7 berry   

n.浆果(如草莓等)

参考例句：

• This kind of jam is made of berry.这种果酱是由浆果做的。
• Every berry and cherry carried in the ferry is very merry.渡船里载运的每一颗草莓和樱桃都很快乐。

8 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

9 interior   

adj.在内的，内部的，内地的，国内的；n.内部

参考例句：

• There is water in the interior of the cave.在山洞的内部有水。
• They went into the interior room.他们进了内室。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

11 editorial   

adj.编者的，社论的；n.（报刊的）社论，重要评论

参考例句：

• For a full hour they argued over the wording of the editorial.他们为社论的措辞争论了一个小时。
• We now bring you the full text of the Renmin Ribao editorial.现在全文广播《人民日报》社论。

12 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。