Dining Alone: Why Skype Dinners May Be the Cure for Loneliness by Laurel Herman

As a single person, I tend to either skip dinner or grab a quick snack. I suspect this is a pattern a lot of us have. Family dinners are now reserved for special occasions and holidays. I don’t know about you, but I know that when I am dining with someone, I will make better choices, set the table, take my time and digest.

I can’t stress enough the importance of the ritual of dining with someone. Eating is shoveling food into your mouth – dining is sharing with conversation, laughter and companionship. It is often something we take for granted.

One bowl, two spoons. Easy enough. Let's do this. Make a dinner date with a friend, regardless of time zones. Work out a plan to dine together via the internet. It is not quite the same as in person, but has the same powerful effect. We are meant to connect with each other. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, any time is the right time.

"One cannot think well, love well, if one has not dined well." – Virginia Wolf