I wanted to recreate this perfect conversational atmosphere in a safe, responsible way. Now that my pod has extended from my immediate family to include a few friends, I’ve started having people over to my patio for meals and feel comfortable visiting my other pod people’s decks and backyards for socially distanced gatherings, too. Now is the perfect time to start a supper club with your pod people. There are tons of ways to host a supper club: one person preparing everything, taking turns picking recipes, cooking whatever strikes your whimsy. For a while, I was cooking a full sized meal and inviting whoever was available to share it with me. Cooking for one can be hard and this relieved some of the pressure of using up leftovers. The way a supper club has worked for me best is basing the gatherings around a cookbook and taking turns making different dishes from the chosen book. Guests are responsible for side dishes, drinks, and dessert. That way there’s not too much work on any one person. The last thing supper club is supposed to do is add to anyone’s pandemic burnout. Supper club is supposed to battle the myth that we are facing life alone and only need to look out for ourselves. It’s made to foster community in a time of isolation. It gets us out of our own heads and into a place where we can do something tangible for people we love. Supper club is for deep conversations and connections, not another thing to add to American’s already long to do lists. So if you’re interested, here are some great cookbooks to get you started in making your own supper club. Or at least a few places to start finding new recipes to cook for dinner in a world where we feel like we’re stuck in the 283rd reboot of The Good Place. By the way, if you’re as crazy about The Good Place as I am and want to read some great romances based on characters from the show, check out this article. Or if you wonder what your points total would be based on your book life, check this out.