Your coronavirus guide to hosting a virtual dinner party
With restaurants and cafes now shut thanks to the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing the new normal, it’s time to bring your dinner parties, catch-ups and house parties online.
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Let’s party together, apart.
It’s a weird time in the history of the world. Never before have we been so technologically connected yet so physically distanced from one another.
Food is an inherently social thing – we meet, we greet, we eat. But what if we can’t meet up any more? It doesn’t mean we can’t take to the interwebs and throw our own party, 2020 style.
With restaurants and cafes now shut thanks to the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing the new normal, it’s time to bring your dinner parties, catch-ups and house parties online.
Here’s how to do it right.
Happy hour
Any good party starts with drinks and Japanese socialisers have already coined a term for doing it virtually, on-nomi, so it’s a totally legit trend to share a drink with friends via Skype, Zoom or FaceTime.
If you’re hosting a virtual dinner party, you might want to all have a go at making an Aper-solo (see what we did there?).
Be warned, though – free Zoom sessions only last 40 minutes, so if you’re planning on making a night of it, you may want to choose a longer-lasting option.
The food
Okay, so here’s the (slightly) tricky bit. How do you hold a feast without any guests actually present? You can get around this in a number of ways.
You and your dinner-party guests could support local restaurants and cafes by ordering takeaway meals for the ultimate night in. Or you could all cook the same recipe and compare notes.
But if you’re really set on being the host with the most, why not scrupulously prepare the food and drop it at your friends’ front doors, ready to pop in the oven?
The conversation
You’re having a party so why not download the Houseparty app? It has really taken off since people have started self-isolating – jumping from number 304 in the Apple Store to number 2.
The beauty of Houseparty is that you can not only throw a party with your friends, but you can also play games with one another, such as Pictionary, Heads Up! and Quick Draw. And if things get a little competitive, you won’t even need to go into another room to calm down.
Get the (Netflix on Foxtel) party started
There’s nothing better than a dinner party that winds down with a movie.
But instead of retiring to your couch alone, download Netflix Party. It synchronises video playback and, even better, you can group-chat with your friends as you watch. And, as everyone knows, the chat tends to be much more fun than actually watching the movie.
Who knew there would be so much scope for long-distance partying? It’s a good thing, too, because it’s going to be our (virtual) reality for the next little while.
AND NOW...
Introducing the Aper-solo spritz: the perfect drink when you’re self-isolating, invented by our “quarantini” specialist Phoebe Wood, food director at delicious.
Ingredients
1/2 orange slice, to garnish
60ml Aperol
90ml fresh orange juice
30ml chilled soda or prosecco
Method
1. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the orange slice. Pour Aperol, orange juice and soda or prosecco over the ice. Stir to combine using a cocktail spoon or long skewer and serve immediately.
Originally published as Your coronavirus guide to hosting a virtual dinner party
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