It’s been a tradition for a long time for me to go out to dinner with my friend Joanna to Cheesecake Factory around the new year. Some years we are closer to January 1st and other years it can take us a bit of time to plan when we can meet up. But just like our birthday dinner tradition, this is one that we have been able to keep up for quite a while.
But for our cheesecake outing at the beginning of 2021, we knew we couldn’t go in person. It just wasn’t safe for either of us, especially since neither of us were vaccinated at that point. So we decided to each order delivery food and we ate together over Zoom. It wasn’t the same as our normal dinners, but it was a way for us to keep our tradition going.
This year, it’s debatable if things are better or worse. And as I’ve said before, it can be tough to know which risks are acceptable and which ones are just too much to do. So we tried to find a way to make our cheesecake dinner happen but be as safe as possible.
Instead of going to dinner, we went for lunch. We knew it might still be crowded, but we thought lunch would hopefully be better. We also agreed we would only be willing to eat outside. We normally sit outside, but we were going to let the host know when arriving that we would be willing to wait for an outside table instead of being seated inside. And of course, both of us are vaccinated and boosted plus we had our masks for when we weren’t eating. I also had forgotten until we showed up that you also have to now show proof of vaccination in order to eat there, so we know the others there were vaccinated as well.
And I think we made some smart choices. Normally, we do have to wait a bit to be seated when we go, but this time we were able to be seated immediately. And even though it was right as lunchtime started, the patio didn’t have too many people on it. I also think they reduced the seating on the patio so the tables weren’t as close as they normally are. While these are all good things, I also know I was a bit more on edge than I normally am when we’ve gone to get cheesecake. I have rarely gone out to eat in the past 2 years, and it has gotten a bit easier each time. But it’s still something that makes me nervous and I know that feeling will probably last for a while.
But even though I was a bit nervous, going out to hang out with a friend made me so happy! I know Joanna and I try to see each other more often, but it usually doesn’t happen (even in non-pandemic times). So having our traditions twice a year are really special for us. And I also just enjoy any time I get to see someone in real life instead of on a screen.
We both ordered a lunch special (instead of me getting my usual salad) and then we had a lot of time to catch up on life. Both of us are going through renovation stuff with our places (although hers is due to a leak at her building), so we shared stories of what we’ve both been going through. And this was the first time we had hung out since I bought the condo, so she wanted to know all about it! And because we were seated outside and the Grove had quite a few people there, we also had a great time people watching and noticing all the interesting things happening around us. I never realized how much I could miss something as simple as people watching, but it’s something I haven’t gotten to do much in the last 2 years.
And of course, any outing to Cheesecake Factory has to include cheesecake. Normally we get 2 slices and split them in half so we each get half a slice of both flavors. But we were both full after lunch so we only got one piece to split (which honestly is more than enough).
I know I’ve said this almost any time I’ve seen a friend in real life, but I needed this time. I want to try to be better about seeing my friends, but it’s not easy. It’s not easy in normal times when I’m tired after work, but it’s that much harder when we have to consider how safe certain things may be to do. But I am trying to be better about it and I’m glad Joanna and I were able to schedule our cheesecake outing so we got to have this time together.
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