The great re-emergence is upon us and if you are like me you are slowly inching your way back into society. My vaccinated self has done all sorts of exciting things the past few weeks including train rides, indoor hangs (with other vaccinated peeps), an in-person cooking workshop and a whole lot of hugs.
Of course the vaccinated experience is not the normal one. While most of the world’s population will wait months, our privilege is on display with our access to vaccinations unmatched. And with inequity in distribution, widespread vaccine refusal and COVID still raging in other contexts - well, we are not quite out of the woods yet, folks.
Which is why this beginning of a return to some sort of normalcy feels jarring at times. This year has fundamentally shifted what I think to be normal and after months of masking up, beginning to take down my mask, in certain contexts, now truly feels strange.
One positive of our changed normality is that once ordinary experiences have become quite novel. Take eating in a restaurant indoors, for example - in the “before times” it was an activity that I took for granted. Fourteen months later, however, it went from slightly terrifying to incredibly joyful when I was reminded of how wonderful it was to share a meal with friends in close proximity and in a place where I would not have to do the dishes.
Beyond our limited eating out this past year, so much of our normal experiences around food have shifted. Though many of us may have embraced our culinary creativity, the daunting reality of having to cook for ourselves so much was sobering at times. We also, simply put, could not eat together - which meant that every tradition with family, friends and food was disrupted. And though Zoom has been great, it can never replace the feeling of eating with thirty-five of your closest relatives around a cramped table.
What is normal anyway? Many of us have had moments in our lives where we longed to fit in and perhaps wished we were more normal. But in my experience, just when you think you have mastered being normal in one context - you may find yourself in another where you will completely stand out.
So what do you eat normally and has this changed at all in the last year? Also, is there any food you love that some might consider a little strange? As society opens up, what are you most excited about going back to? And what about the last year do you want to hold on to?
If anything, this year we have learned that in the new normal, nothing really feels normal.
Our next Virtual Gathering’s Theme is: Normal
When: Thursday, June 17th, 8:00PM ET / 5:00PM PT
How: Sign up here. Zoom details will be sent on day of the event.
What: Please join our call with a favorite food or beverage that connects to the theme (and if you don't have time to cook just come with a story!)
Cost: $15 to secure your spot (Venmo @Ellen-Cosgrove)