Folks are starting to get used to the idea of self-isolating if they think they’ve been exposed to COVID-19. Still others are in outright quarantine. Measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus are taking an emotional toll on people who are used to dining and drinking with others…
Even if you do manage to find a bar open this St. Patrick’s Day,
you may find going out is just as lonely as staying home…
The down side
This will be the first St. Patrick’s Day in my memory that the downtown streets in my town won’t be awash with revellers drinking Green Beer. Some bars and restaurants are still open, but folks aren’t going out to them.
It must be tough for those who look forward to going out to eat or spending time at their local watering hole with friends to weather the current social lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. If they do venture out, they’ll find many of their usual restaurants and bars closed or operating under reduced hours. And if they do find a spot to get a Green Beer today, in honour of St. Patrick, they’ll probably have to sit at least a metre away from their nearest fellow celebrant.
In fact, the current official guidance from virtually all health officials is, ‘STAY HOME!’
What’s a social animal or to do?
The up side
If you must eat alone, arrange to Skype at an agreed meal time with somebody else who’s in the same situation and be together apart.
If you’re not symptomatic and just staying home from work and school because they’re closed, get the whole family involved in making meals. A friend suggests you get the kids looking up recipes on the Internet. It’s as close to a constructive food ‘game’ as I can imagine, and it will keep the little and not-so-little ones busy doing what they would usually be doing – immersing themselves in their personal technology.
If you’re staying home by yourself, rejoice in the fact that you’ll have lots of time cook! Try new recipes, resurrect old ones you’ve been neglecting, or indulge in menu items that require intricate prep or long cooking times.
Kick back and have a Quarantini!
That’s what some mischievous types are calling a new concoction made with Vodka and Orange Juice which lets you get your jollies with a dose of Vitamin C. The original ‘recipe’ calls for a packet of Orange-flavoured powdered Vitamin C supplement (see photo, top of page); the kind you take for colds. However, the makers of one such product have posted that they do not recommend mixing it with Alcohol. Of course, there’s no evidence whatsoever that taking extra Vitamin C does anything to mitigate COVID-19, but you can at least tell yourself you’re doing something responsible to support your immune system.
And that Green Beer?
You can make your own by simply putting one or two drops of Green Food Colouring in the bottom of your favourite chalice and pouring your Beer the usual way – tilting the glass and letting the Brew run gently down the side of the vessel to preserve the sparkle and restrain the head.
~ Maggie J.