dish
L
By Angie Palmer
e h t n i e v o
Last week, my friend Caleb messaged me about his latest romantic fling. He met a girl on Tinder who shared his passionate interests in techno music, Tempelhof Field in Berlin, and obscure films. She was also a student in New York City, he learned, and so naturally they began to discuss their favorite New York nightlife spots. They took shots together, smoked a few cigarettes, and already started planning their next date. Hours, and half a dozen gin and tonics later, they finally ended their ravenous conversation at 4am when his laptop died. Oh yeah, this was all done over FaceTime. I find it almost comical how so many of my friends are going on virtual dates during one of the biggest crises of our lifetime. The world as we know it may cease to exist (at least for the time being), but this hasn’t stopped people from coming up with creative ways to continue furthering the agenda of their romantic lives. One of the most creative stories I heard comes from Jessica Riley, who also lives at the epicenter of the pandemic in New York City. She told me about a first date that consisted of a guy who biked through Brooklyn and stood on the opposite side of the street from her. The two faced each other and made conversation while sipping coffee they had each separately brought. And this is only the beginning.
Jessica then continued to tell me about a second guy she had started seeing. One of her closest friends organized a daily Zoom hangout, “I didn’t know their other friends” Jessica explained to me over the phone, “but they kept including me and requesting that I join these group (Zoom) sessions, and as time went on, I started to get to know their friends better and one of them I started talking to on the side.” Jessica then explained to me how her and this guy have started talking to each other daily, sharing virtual coffee and checking up on the vegetable plants he taught her how to grow inside her apartment. When I asked her how she felt about the whole situation, she was slightly torn. “It’s been a really interesting way of getting to know someone without distractions but it’s also tough because you don’t necessarily get a person’s vibe, per say, or you can’t experience more of that visceral connection that you might feel if you meet someone (in person). But it’s been really nice to have someone to talk to and to look forward to seeing.” After talking to Jessica, I started to understand why so many single people are in search of some level of intimacy during this pandemic, even if it’s strictly virtual. And isn’t it normal, even on a biological level, for humans to turn toward companionship when confronted with catastrophes like a global pandemic?
Perhaps this can begin to explain (or hopefully alleviate some embarrassment) why so many of us have started binge watching cringey dating shows like Netflix’s Love is Blind or Too Hot to Handle in quarantine. I’ll admit, even I’ve dabbled a bit in these awful shows. But if you’re a single person during COVID-19, you may benefit a little from vicariously living through a bunch of ridiculous reality stars on their quest for love. But what about those of us who aren’t single? Many couples have recently transitioned into a 24/7 relationship in the confinement of their homes. I talked to Emily Berry about her experience with being in a relationship during COVID-19. Emily and her boyfriend’s transition is about as extreme as it gets. “They started their relationship with four months of long distance, then moved into a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment together, and within two weeks, New York...”. But Emily was very adamant about defending her relationship’s unique trajectory, “doing four months long distance made us appreciate our time spent together in person even more.” She did admit the biggest struggle so far has been the fact that she lost her job due to COVID-19, so while she is trying to find things to do to pass the time, her boyfriend is still able to work from home and stay somewhat busy, “we’re having to learn how to
