More than just an act of supplying your bodies with energy and nutrients, sharing a meal has been considered as a unique bonding experience for families — whether you’re cooking your own food or ordering from food delivery companies. And for families lucky enough to stay together at home while the world battles COVID-19, dining together is one of the precious moments they are privileged to have.
But given that there’s an ongoing pandemic, how do you actually safely host a family gathering?
Staying Safe Amid The Pandemic
As of writing, the COVID cases in the United States have already tallied up to 1.7 million, with around 100,000 deaths. With still no vaccine available and threats of a new wave of infection coming, one of the things people can do is to strictly follow the government’s stay-at-home order.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to reduce the spread of COVID is to limit face-to-face contact. Therefore, gathering in groups is prohibited. If you are to go outside of your home — to get some essentials, for example — you need to practice social distancing (or staying a least 6 feet from other people).
“Limit close contact with others outside your household in indoor and outdoor spaces. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay away from others when possible, even if you—or they—have no symptoms,” the CDC advised.
Getting Creative With Your Family Gatherings
With the guidelines set by the government, holding family gatherings now require utmost precaution and a tad bit of creativity and resourcefulness (from ordering from food delivery companies to making use of technology). Here are some tips to help you host a safe family gathering.
If you live in the same house. In this ideal situation, it is much convenient and safer to dine together. You can use this lockdown season to rediscover or learn the joys of cooking. You can even use it to bond with your loved ones. And if you suddenly crave for food from your favorite restaurant, you can still enjoy it by ordering and paying online.
If you are neighbors. If, luckily, the homes of your other relatives are adjacent to yours, you can “dine together” without compromising each other’s safety. In some communities, neighboring relatives commune in their respective lawns (where they can see each other) and enjoy the time of seeing and being able to talk to and eat with each other albeit the presence of some physical distance. After all, love for relatives can be felt even with a hindrance to distance (no matter how small or wide it is). To make this “family gathering” more memorable, you can even cook or order the same meal.
If you’re located in different cities or states. There are relatives and family members that live apart, even before the pandemic came. But unlike the situation before, you can’t simply drive your way to a loved one’s home during a special occasion and dine with them. For now, what you can do is to do gatherings virtually. Like in the previous bullet, you can also prepare the same meal (or order them from food delivery companies available).
Saint Germain Catering is one of the top food delivery companies today catering to Fortune 500 event planners and local party designers. Contact us today and let us know how we can help you.