The Zoom party can definitely be disappointing, especially when we are all robbed after months of isolation. For Thanksgiving, Erica Dumas, a publicist in Wood-Ridge, NJ, tried to replicate a big holiday get-together with her extended family. Seven households participated. Mrs. Dumas, her mother and her sister came with the dishes, sharing the menu with the other households. The three-course meal with ample sides included traditional Haitian and American dishes such as joumou soup, stuffed turkey, fried red snapper and Haitian black rice.
In the end, the food was good. Party? Not so much.
Once each household finished frying and satisfying, the night became uncomfortable. The individual tables did not know whether to talk to each other or turn their attention to the screen. Mrs. Dumas’ daughter, who is 3 years old, has always been distracted by the video, just like her other cousins. Finally, Mrs. Dumas stopped her and focused on the quiet night at home with her daughter and boyfriend. “There was so much planning for that day that, in a way, it was kind of disappointing, “said Ms. Dumas. “Like, is that all we’re getting this year?”
At Christmas, they plan to call each other a household on FaceTime and post photos of children opening gifts via WhatsApp.
A piece of Thanksgiving, however, was a success. After dinner, Mrs. Dumas called her mother in Massachusetts and toasted the night with a glass of Cremas, a Haitian drink. Usually, the two share the creamy drink personally, so the moment felt like a passing connection with what is normally a special day. “It was delicious,” said Ms. Dumas. “It was like being home again.”
Maybe for this to work, we need to check our expectations of the keyboard and accept that none of this is normal. “If you try to imitate real life, you will be disappointed,” said Ms Turk, who is also a feature editor at Wired UK.