The pandemic has thrust the world into the throes of a collective traumatic experience, and some countries have handled the crisis better than others.
As difficult as it is to hear of the thousands of people dying each day and to feel frightened of the virus's economic impact, there are some positive stories to come out of isolation, believe it or not.
After Redditor GrootTheTree asked the online community, "What positive effects has the quarantine had for you?" people shared their stories, and it's nice to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel for many!
"I was burnt out..."
I was burnt out at work and with being social all the time. So spending quality time with myself has been great. On top of that, not having time to myself resulted in me not cooking my own meals and I've gained a bit of weight in the last year. I've been cooking my own healthy meals and going out for long bike rides. No idea if I have lost weight-I get obsessive over the scale. I have been living in sweats and leggings the last few years and decided it was time to put effort in how I look. I've started learning about how fashion works and sold/donated some of my clothes. My room was depression messy and I cleaned it right after my work shut down and have kept it clean since.
"My boss..."
My boss just said when he opens the office he's going to make it voluntary to work there (vs. Work from home), because everyone did such a great job working from home. Now everyone gets to pick full time from the office, full time from home, or split. So happy. :)
"I'm finally not exhausted."
GiphyI'm finally not exhausted. I've slept better than I have in years. I'm broke af, but at least I'm sleeping. Lol.
"I've been going..."
I've been going on daily walks in wooded areas, noticing things in nature I'd never paid attention to before.
"The quarantine..."
My wife has breast cancer, was pretty aggressive.
Was diagnosed back in August and finished chemo towards the beginning of the year. She has since undergone a few big surgeries (mastectomy/plastics/lipo/hysterectomy) and recovery since the quarantine started.
I'm a school teacher and had I been in school, I would've had to take a big pay cut (due to only having 4 sick days a year), gone on long term fmla, or quit. With the shut down, I've been able to be there for her, tell her how beautiful she is everyday, cook/clean, make sure kids are fed/active/engaged in activities/keep myself sane et al.
The quarantine could not have come at a better time and for all the hurt and death it is causing, our highly immuno-supressed family has been able to hold everything together through this.
"Due to my job..."
Due to my job, and the hours I work, I spend most of my time alone. There are days when the only people I see are the person who worked before me, and the one who works after me. But now my roommates work from home and I actually have people to talk to, and be around. I feel like it has been good for my mental health.
"It forced me..."
It forced me to change my business from catering big parties to serving carry-out dinners a few at a time. I made a decent living from catering, sure, but I'm making an absolute killing on these dinners and now I even get to take weekends off. Plus whenever large parties become a thing again, I will have introduced myself and my product to several hundred potential clients with a marketing expenditure of $7 - the cost of the sign I put by the side of the road that simply says DINNER.
"Oh man."
Oh man. So many positives. I bartend in a restaurant so I've been laid off and collecting unemployment and it's more money than I make in a week. I paid off my credit card debt, my carpal tunnel has healed, I have been drinking significantly less, quit smoking, I've been cooking more, saving money by not going out, I have a regular sleep schedule, I've been reading more, I've lost weight, I don't wear makeup anymore and my skin cleared up, I got a puppy and I've had all the time I need to train him, and so much more, this run on sentence could go on for hours. I think the best thing is realizing how important it is to make the most of time away from work and to establish a routine that doesn't revolve around a job.
"Loving..."
Loving not having the commute. I can wake up five minutes before work starts and I'm fine. And at five o' clock I'm instantly home.
"I'm still not convinced..."
I'm still not convinced it's positive, but I've probably gained about 10 lbs and have not made myself throw up since March 19th, the longest stretch I've gone in about 10 years.
My body feels so different and it feels like I have curves in pants that fell off my hips just a few months ago - terrified yet kinda proud of my new butt.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
Redditor Complete-Sweet5222 wanted to discuss the menu, so they asked:
"What is the most overrated cuisine?"
I won't do french cuisine. No snails. No way.
That's just me.
Fancy Schmancy
Chrissy Teigen Cupcake GIF by Billboard Music AwardsGiphy"Fancy cupcakes. Every ‘designer’ cupcake I’ve had has been incredibly dry. I just don’t get why they charge $5-$10 per serving, but the quality of the cake is below a Walmart sheet cake."
ThoseArentCarrots
"I make cupcakes sometimes. Over baking and day old baked products tend to dry out. A lot of the fancy desserts take time to build, which means the cupcakes have been sitting out for a while."
Stinkerma
Shock
"Not really a cuisine per se, but ‘shock food.' You know those giant milkshakes with whole slices of cake and candy on top, or quadruple cheeseburgers with so much cheese it’s running everywhere. It’s just not practical/tasty and really only exists to get a cool picture."
viillanelles
"I made the mistake of getting one of those milkshakes exactly once. It was fun to get and then you realize you just paid 20 bucks for a normal milkshake and grocery store sheet cake."
ceigetank
Be Simple
"Complicated burgers. Some a good but others have far to much on to eat without disassembly or using a knife and fork."
MedicalUprising
"Also I hate when they have overly elaborate names. I want to verbally order a cheeseburger, not the ‘big wet sloppy double daddy burger.'"
Guava_
"I totally agree. I hate being embarrassed to order something. There used to be an ice cream shop that had funky names for sizes. I had to stop going because I could not stop giggling at having to say 'no, I don’t want a zinger, I would like a zooper.”
bakay138
Premiums...
"Our family has been restaurant investors for 40 years. High end French cuisine using offal or organ meats."
"These dishes are pushed because the costs of these types of meats are very low and produce a huge profit margin. Also, the lack of experience with guests cooking these types of dishes for themselves mean very few patrons complain about authenticity. Usually a chef will throw his/her twist in the menu."
"Most customers can tell the difference between a great pizza and a mediocre one. They'll remember a great steak - but a restaurant may be paying huge premiums to fly that Waygu in from Japan or for your Flintstone tomahawk. Whereas, a local butcher shop will gladly unload offal and such with glee due to low demand. You'd be surprised as to how little we paid for cow brains for example."
rayrayrayray
No Silver?
gold GIFGiphy"Gold-flaked cuisine."
bushbeanbuddy
"God, why did it take me so long to realize you were talking about literal flakes of gold? I read this three times and thought, 'What a weird way to describe fried food.'"
bygollyollie
Gold is meant to spend not eat.
Price Point
Excited Winnie The Pooh GIFGiphy"The most expensive dishes. 'Yeah, man these diamonds sautéed in truffle oil and emerald dust are good, but do you have a cheeseburger?'"
gmen_forever
For All...
“'Something for everyone' restaurants. Anywhere where the menu has a ridiculously extensive offering. If I’m flipping multiple pages and not even halfway, I just know everything is about to taste questionable."
low_power_mode
"Several of my local Mexican restaurants have 8-page menus. All the dishes use some combination of tortillas, cheese, peppers, onions, avocados, beans, chicken, and beef, it's just the proportions and presentation that differ from one to another!"
MatttheBruinsfan
Pork Scents
"No cuisine, but I am sick of the whole 'bacon life' meme. It was funny for a couple of decades, but enough already. Bacon 'flavored' anything is disgusting."
SirReal_Realities
"One time in college I ordered bacon flavored popcorn."
"When I popped it in the communal microwave it smelled so awful that we had to open all the windows and evacuate until it had aired out enough for us to Febreze the rest away. It tasted like death. A couple guys threatened to beat me up if I popped any more. Some things just don't need to be bacon flavored. Popcorn is one of them."
Waffle_Maestro
Portions
"Rather than pick on a specific nationality or style of cuisine I'll talk about presentation."
"Any restaurant where portion sizes get smaller as the price goes up is the very height of epicurean pretentiousness. Like if they actually serve you enough food to be satisfied, it might as well be McDonald's."
"I spent a lot of years working in restaurants, and the ironic thing is what's on your plate is by far the smallest expense in serving that plate to you. There's no reason for tiny portions other than pretentious do*chebaggery."
McFeely_Smackup
Shrimp Then?
"Lobster. It’s fine, it’s just not really worth it’s cost imo. I also like eating it in things rather than by itself. The lobster rolls I had in Maine were much better than lobster straight up."
babythrottlepop
Food should be more affordable.
Do you have and foodie quibbles you'd like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Moviegoers offered examples of the things that don't fly in real life when Redditor qbl256 asked:
"What only works in movies?"
Courtroom antics are better left up on the big screen.
Anything Goes In Court
"Doing whatever you want in a courtroom as long as you are 'going somewhere with it.'"
– aperson7780
Ignoring Protocol
"Any random person being able to walk up and present new evidence."
– shegedep
Respecting Boundaries
"Also, yelling at a judge and invading the judges personal space always works out ok."
– Slytherian101
Action movies are entertaining because of its heightened sequences that are more convincing on film.
Violent Tactic
"Conveniently knocking someone unconscious so they're not bothering you for several minutes while you do secret stuff. Without killing them or serious brain damage."
"Actually lampshaded in Archer."
– yParticle
Piercing Glass
"Jumping through shattering glass windows and surviving without lacerations all over."
– Glock43xyz
It's Lit
"Shooting a gas tank so it explodes."
"Or removing a bullet from yourself and then you're fine."
– midunda
The Perfect Aim
"Shooting a lock to open it is my favorite. Sure shooting a lock will break it, but you just broke it in the locked position. Now it’s even harder to open."
– Studio_Life
It's Such A Blast
"Running away from an explosion and letting the blast push you to safety."
– ImInJeopardy
Certain elements are added to elevate a scene–which only proves, "yeah, that's not real-life."
Sonic Aftermath
"A hushed conversation immediately after shooting a gun indoors without ear protection."
– KyOatey
Street Vendor At The Wrong Time & Place
"Someone pushing a fruit cart across a street just as you’re speeding by. I’ve never seen a moving fruit cart otherwise. Or seen a fruit cart, actually."
– Double-Elevator619
No Time For Recovery
"Running for a very long time and then being able to talk normally."
– Ruminations0
What I always get a kick out of is when the distressed character attempts to flee from a knife wielding, masked home intruder by running up the stairs instead of going out the backdoor.
Like, why make the escape route that much more difficult by adding another obstacle like jumping out the window or being trapped in the closet until the inevitable moment of death?
Oh, right, it extends the tense sequence to prolong the final moments of the soon-to-be victim.
Ah, gotta love the movies.
