There's a resocialization hour in Toronto to teach you how to interact with humans again
As Toronto reopens and proof of vaccine mandates lift, maybe what we need isn't so much a happy hour, but just a resocialization hour to learn how to interact with other human beings again.
If this sounds like a great idea to you, you're in luck: it's already a reality at one Toronto brewery.
Halo Brewery has announced they'll be holding "resocialization hours" from Monday to Wednesday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. throughout March.
This includes a communal table that's set aside for anyone comfortable with meeting new people, and for a little social lubricant, $15 flights.
Halo is a craft brewery that creates bold beers like sours, IPAs and saisons, and is notable for their funky, abstract style that encompasses the designs on their bottles and cans.
According to Halo Brewery creative director Sara Vinten, the team got the idea from conversations with "basically every human we've encountered in our daily lives."
"There is a serious, and rightfully so, shared anxiety around learning to be social again, after what's been two years of actively avoiding each other, keeping our distance, even crossing the road when you see someone walking towards you," Vinten tells blogTO.
"We thought it was important to openly acknowledge and embrace the awkwardness and loss of social skills that we're all feeling to varying degrees."
In the eyes of the Halo team, it's more important now than ever to stay strong as a community, as much when we're coming back together as we did when we had to stay apart. Vinten says they felt they needed to "create a space where it's safe to relearn how to be human together when the large majority of us are feeling rusty and anxious."
Halo has operated a patio, but be aware that the communal table would be inside and that the confines of the brewery are rather small. However, the space is fully accessible, washrooms are gender neutral and they're ok with pets.
"Too many amazing local bars, restaurants and cafes have permanently closed their doors, which is devastating. We truly are places that are built around community and conversation, we need it to survive, and we need it to rebuild the communities we love and miss," says Vinten.
"Feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to welcoming back our awesome regulars and newcomers alike."
Hector Vasquez
