Staying apart, eating together

Food matters in lots of ways. It’s not just about giving us enough energy to get through the day or getting the right balance of nutrients to attain and maintain optimum health. Whatever our background or faith, food and the sharing of food has the power to bring us together. Think of Christmas dinners, wedding feasts and birthday parties. At the centre of all these celebrations is the shared experience of enjoying special food, often prepared with considerable time, effort and love.

Now, when we are all confined to our homes, the importance of human contact has been brought into sharp relief. We are social animals, which is why, despite our enforced separation, we are finding all sorts of ways to come together, albeit virtually. Neighbours who have up until now only been on nodding terms are setting up WhatsApp groups and chatting daily. Sports teachers are using Zoom to coach from their kitchens and Facebook is full of inspirational quotes and images to help us get through the day.

The beautiful weather we’re having at the moment would normally be a cue to arrange picnics on the beach or barbecues in back gardens with friends. Neither of those is possible now. But technology can help here too. My dad and sister are still sharing Sunday dinner, even though at nearly 80 he has to be particularly careful to avoid unnecessary contact.

My brother-in-law prepares the food (usually a roast or a curry), and Dad makes sure he has his oven on to keep it warm when my sister or her husband deliver it, takeaway style, in separate boxes packed in an insulated bag. Dad decants it into serving dishes and pops them in the oven. When whoever has dropped off his food is back at home, just a five-minute drive away, they connect via Skype and they serve up simultaneously. They can talk and eat just as they would have done before the lockdown, all enjoying the same food and same experience. Instead of having his meal on his own, Dad can chat with his grandchildren and still feel part of a loving family. He could, of course, simply pick up the phone, but there is something about sitting down to share a meal with loved ones that is about more than food, and more than talking. It is about connecting. It is about saying you are loved and valued. That’s something we all need to feel more than ever during these strange and unprecedented times.