I was originally going to write a long resource post about how to share food safely and what to make in this time of cautious life. I hold by an ethic of harm reduction: I take it as given that you will socialize and that food will be a part of that, and not always “bring your own.” How to do that safely is something that is useful to know.
I dithered on this post, which was handy, because other resources came out! So in this brief post I will share a few resources, a few foods, and then the blog’s first ever video: a sharing mechanism.
Good Resources
Yes, it is probably safer to “stay home” or to not share food, but realistically, I know that that is not going to happen. So do public health departments. I found the Washington DC guide for cookouts to have a lot of broadly applicable information:
Also, take a look at the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance here. (Yes, I know they got some things wrong early on. But many epidemiologists have said the same things as this.)
Today’s guidance on outdoor cookouts (and travel) is good!
Some great highlights: centralize serving, use individually portioned things, and of course, wash your hands.
Tasty Food to Share
Here are some blog recipes that I find are easy to share in outdoor settings and portion well individually.
- Sambusak
- Zucchini pashtida
- Potato kugel
- Potato frittata
- Maple spice cookies
- Cinnamon babka
- Marble cake
A Serving Video
Here is an awkward video I made with two of my friends to demonstrate a safe way to serve and share a food at an outdoor picnic. The food is chocolate babka. Thank you to Joe Jeffers and Hannah Cook for starring, and to David Ouziel for filming! The video is captioned. A transcript with or without descriptions of what is on the screen is available on request.
If you prefer a text description of what to do, here it is:
- Have one person serve the food. Let’s say it’s you.
- Wash or sanitize your hands.
- Put on your mask. Wash your hands again.
- Put on gloves if you wish – it is helpful for reducing anxiety, and for avoiding things other than COVID.
- Set out your serving tools – knife, cutting board, etc.
- Cut/make a serving and place it on a plate or napkin.
- Step 6 feet/2 meters away.
- The other person should come and take it.
- Step back. Repeat steps 6-8 for each person.
- Remove gloves, wash your hands.
- Remember to wash your hands between removing your mask and going back to serve any more food. Don’t reuse gloves!