Covid -19 has now become the most spoken word ever to be used across the globe at one time. As a global pandemic has swept across nations with massive impacts to economies and lifestyles, the reality has set in that this pandemic has completed shifted how we live out our public lives.
The New Normal has become a term of the times, and as such, has completely reinvented the ways in which we operate at work, at leisure and in any mundane activity that involves using public services and occupying spaces other than a domestic one.
As such the implication this has on mental health is rather startling. Considering a conversation I had with chef and journalist, Peter Dvorak, he brought a shocking sense of realisation to the situation. In simple terms, he defined the measures of social distancing and what this means for people who, in their own predicament, are living alone. In essence, it’s the amplification of what you have. If you live among friends or family, they will have a bigger impact on you. If you are living alone, you are very much more likely to feel lonely and cut off.
Covid Community Cooking Club
As such, Peter, an avid chef who finds the everyday ingredient and fuses it with some kind of magic meditation twist, has considering the important of not just making great meals but the importance of not eating alone too often.
With this realisation. Peter’s Covid Community Cooking Club offers a modest membership fee to join a network of budding chefs as they plan and execute their daily dinners inside the safety of chatroom sites. With a pre-recorded teetotal, groups of up to 12 people can form a community for that meal and enjoy a conversation over their dinner. All in the safety of their home.
Peter, outlines three key areas as to why his cooking club is not just a nice idea but in its function, a perquisite to the uncertainties of modern living.
No man is an Island
The most striking importance of Peters concept is to connect people.
With a genuine concern for those lockdown inside their homes without the sense of being connected to much more beyond their work, this club offers members a chance to meet people and talk openly about their experiences.
Healthy Eating
Considering the usual lifestyle of commuting to and from work, the idea of spending more than 30 mins making dinner wasn’t the most appealing proposition. Now the new circumstance means that people are able to commit more time to consider their meals and therefore a renaissance of home cooking is now viable. To this end, fresh ingredients and more considered diets are possible through guided tutorials.
Affordable Foods
With the looming recession lurking for the UK economy, cutting back on expenses could be one of the most vital things we do to keep a control of our situation and support out mental well-being in doing so. Learning to prepare cook and store foods can inform better dinner schedules and leaving leftovers covers expenses for other meals.
In a very altruistic manner, Peter has covered some essential basic areas for peoples well-being. As such, his cooking club now makes for a perfect perquisite for these times.