Member-only story
The Rules for Having Lunch Over Zoom
I was Zoom-lunching before Zoom lunches were the only way we could lunch. These are my rules.
Social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t be distantly social. It doesn’t mean that you can’t connect with people or that you can’t be closer than you were before this, even with people you’re not stuck in the same house with.
In fact, our mental health depends on staying in touch with other humans. We are gregarious animals. This is why I’ve been having at least one virtual meal a day with a friend, colleague, cousin, or random business contact. It’s a powerful way to attempt something normal at a time when nothing is normal.
And oddly, in these times when every emotion is heightened, the connection feels more personal than it would be if you were face to face in the Before Corona world.
By coincidence, I have a ton of experience with touch-free friendships. About five years ago, I started a tradition of Skype lunches. I ordered lunch, my friend or business associate ordered lunch, and we ate that lunch together while chatting over Skype. Since then, I’ve done hundreds of Skype lunches or variations on the theme (Zoom dinners, Google Hangout coffees, etc.).
