COCKTAIL HOUR
One of the nastier aspects of the pandemic is that it turns your friends and all that you do to show them affection — hug and kiss; share meals and drinks — into a deadly threat. And yet, in this appalling moment, we need our friends more than ever, and it is probably true that our immune systems do, too. Isolation is bad for a species addicted to social intercourse.
My solution has been to start a cocktail hour on a video conferencing site, sending one or two friends every day an invitation to drinks in front of their laptop (or phone) at a time when we might normally meet in a pub or at each other’s homes. It’s surprising what a difference it can make to a day of isolation, and to your spirits in general, to see your friends’ faces in the evening and hear them talk and laugh.
Photo: Reuters
The scale of COVID-19 and what it’s doing to us is very worrying, but an hour with different friends every evening really helps reduce anxiety, and of course you can make much more effort than I do — dress up, light candles, provide nibbles (crisps make too much noise).
Whatever joy is released when you see your pals in the flesh is also present in these video cocktails, and the beautiful thing is that for a small charge the host gets unlimited conference calls and guests pay nothing.
Clearly, this can be expanded to talking to neighbors you may not know very well, or people you believe are really suffering from enforced isolation and loneliness. It may even be a good way of meeting people.
Each participant might invite a person no one else knows. It’s certainly great for new mothers, book clubs, football supporters — anyone who is missing out on regular contact.
Despite the remoteness of the interaction and the occasional annoyances of the technology, I find that people really talk in the video cocktail hour. Maybe that has something to do with the ambiguity of the interaction — you are neither alone nor really in company. You are half-way between the two and perhaps that makes you more candid.
Sites I have used include Zoom, BlueJeans and Whypay? And my daughter has just introduced me to the Houseparty app.
— Henry Porter, novelist and Vanity Fair editor
GROW HERBS
I genuinely think gardening is what will keep us sane through this. It connects us with the outdoors and the gentle satisfaction of watching things grow brings a unique positivity. If you’ve no garden, there are plenty of ways to grow indoors.
You’ll need a sunny windowsill, inside or out. I always advise beginners to grow herbs. They’re easy and delicious — and when supermarket supplies are low they become increasingly worthwhile. The plastic trays that tomatoes and mushrooms come in will do — just make some holes in the bottom for drainage.
Fill with, ideally, peat-free multipurpose compost (most nurseries deliver and will be grateful for the custom). Parsley and basil rub along happily next to one another, but mint’s a bit of a thug and better in its own pot. You can also chuck in some salad leaf seeds: pea shoots, rocket and nasturtiums germinate quickly and are tasty at any point in their growing cycle. Sow according to packet instructions: you’ll need a fraction of what’s in the packet.
Keep the soil moist — an old spray bottle is perfect for this — before and after shoots appear. If you harvest no more than a third of the plant at a time, all should bounce back.
— Alice Vincent, urban gardening columnist and author
EXERCISE
We are creatures of habit in what we eat, when we work, what TV shows we watch. Right now, all those habits have been shoved out of the window.
There’s a lot of confusion, but this is an opportunity to create new habits. So what to try? What’s your new routine? It may be fluid and can change, but what do you want to try?
There’s lots of great online content available. Equinox’s Furthermore platform offers a variety of workouts, but search the web to find a trainer or teacher you like and trust. John Berardi, a nutritionist I work with, is often asked, “What’s the best vegetable to eat?” His answer is that it’s the vegetable you like and will eat regularly. Exercise is the same.
There is a run on home gym equipment right now, but dumbbells, ropes and other useful products are still available online. Choose what’s right for your space. I’ve just ordered some competition kettlebells because they’re something I really enjoy.
There’s copious anecdotal and scientific evidence showing how important fitness is for mental health: so during this very stressful time, it’s even more important. It also boosts the immune system.
But exercise isn’t just about health — it’s often a social activity, too. I’m using FaceTime more than ever before because I’m not having regular social contact. Work out with a friend on FaceTime or have an online dance party with your family. Last night I watched a band I like called Sofi Tukker DJ live on Instagram. That was a new experience. Find something like that and dance for half an hour and your cardio will be done.
— Justin Jacobs, manager, Equinox fitness clubs
PICKLING
In times of food scarcity and uncertainty, we have to make do with what we have. I haven’t been so much panic-buying — not having a car limits that — but I have been guiltily hoovering up scraps from the reduced cabinet late in the day, to save them being discarded. This week’s haul included three boxes of chestnut mushrooms, a withered bunch of wild garlic and a pile of French purple garlic, a little battered around the edges.
I will dry the mushrooms, peel and pickle the garlic cloves, and knock the wild garlic with some nuts into a sauce aillade. This will keep for a month past the sell-by date that consigned it to the bargain bin in the first place. Preserving food is not going to get us too far in a pandemic, admittedly, but pickling what we have now is an investment in future dinners. I am also pickling a slow cooker’s worth of dried white beans in oil and vinegar, to use until tinned ones come back into stock.
Sweet-sour cannellini beans
Makes a large jar
400g dried cannellini beans
a small onion
100g frozen peppers
80ml vinegar — red, white or cider
1 tbsp white sugar
100ml oil (any)
Soak the dried beans overnight and then rinse thoroughly. Drain and rinse your beans, then pop them in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes then drain thoroughly then return to the pan.
Add the onions and peppers, along with the vinegar, sugar and oil.
Thoroughly clean and sterilize a large jar and its lid. Bring the pan to the boil very carefully. Do not take your eyes off it for a moment as you are dealing with hot oil, which poses a fire risk if unattended. As soon as bubbles start to form, remove it from the heat immediately.
Allow to cool for a minute, stirring well, then pour into the sterilized jar, filling it as full as possible. Turn the jar upside down and allow to cool completely before placing in the fridge. Resist sampling them for at least seven days, as the flavor will develop in this time. In a clean and sterile jar, these can keep for a few months unopened.
Once opened, use within a week.
— Jack Monroe, food writer and activist
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