I think of restaurants more than I thought I would. This came as a surprise to me because I have little interest in food, and often think of it as a chore that needs to be dealt with so I can get on with the business of living. What I did think about a lot was how casually I considered those lunch or dinner dates with family and friends. We would put out a message on WhatsApp, fix a date and time, choose a restaurant or cuisine, and simply turn up for a good evening. That act of gathering for a meal was upended, like so much else, by a virus that showed us just how little our desires matter in the larger scheme of things.

It has been a long time since I thought about meeting a friend for lunch or dinner. There are opening hours to consider now, and vaccinations, coupled with the possibility of crowds. Where once a crowded room could inadvertently be taken as a sign that there was something good about the place, the presence of too many people around now inspires fear and anxiety. How things have changed.