Is the Lessened Lockdown a Letdown?

Not that much in my daily routine has changed with the partial lifting of the lockdown. I still do my food shopping at the same nearby supermarkets, go for a daily walk around the City Centre, and wear a facemask on my chin that I can pull up inside stores if I get too close to others. On the high street yesterday, very few people had facemasks.  

Who is that masked man?

A lot of restaurants in Liverpool have reopened for takeaway and deliveries. Is this new model working? One place near me had special, large boxes made up that look as if they're expecting to feed an infantry battalion. I pass this place every day and I've never seen anyone collecting food there. On the other hand, the nearby McDonald's has a steady flow of bicycle delivery people moving in and out. I'm not planning to have food delivered, especially a Big Mac. 

I want the full restaurant experience. 

I want to go in and get a table by a window, play with the menu, pretend deep thoughts as to which glass of inexpensive house wine to order, and exchange surface charm with the server. How enjoyable would it be to sit so far away from other dinners that I could not eavesdrop on their small talk? And what about the servers staring over their masks at masked customers? Does any of this sound like fun to you? 

Too close for comfort?

Also, I like to cook—not in this miserable, tiny kitchen I have now, but I do like to cook. I mean that I don't need to eat in a restaurant just because I'm hungry. 

An empty Mercado de Feria in Seville.

I have no family in Liverpool and I'm not part of a social group. So in restaurants, I'm usually on my own. That's not painful for me. I'm used to it and I'm comfortable in my own company. I wonder if in this brave new world I will be able to get my twice-a-month cheeseburger (Five Guys) or my Pizza Margarita (Rudy's on Castle Street)? Or will they stay a takeaway-only thing?