Basically, I just miss gathering with people, I miss cooking for other people, I miss sitting

around a dinner table and sharing a meal, and I suspect you do too.

So I thought together we can all have a party.

You got the invite, right?

The big lasagna party?

I did.

I got the invitation as did all the readers of the New York Times and everyone who follows

the Samine on social media and I quickly put it on my calendar.

Make lasagna, join Samine Nussrat and a few thousand of her friends on Instagram live

to eat said lasagna.

I mean, what else is on our calendars these days?

Which is kind of Samine's point.

Back in the good old days, I used to have dinner with friends all the time.

At my house, their houses, at a restaurant.

My partner Tim and I would have people over probably twice a week most weeks.

And yeah, I also love going out with friends to restaurants and I have to say it's one of

the things I miss the most these days.

Hi, of course, I'm Cynthia Grieber and I'm Nicola Twilly and this is Gastropod, the

podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history.

And Samine's huge online car fest got us thinking, why do we love group communal meals

so much?

What is it about them that's so special?

...