Having been sequestered for more months than I am frankly willing to commit to paper and risk grappling with what that number truly means, I can say that the thing I miss above all else is grabbing a drink with a friend. Any drink, so long as it pairs well with a couple hours of aimless conversation and no set end point. Growing up, before all-night diner coffee took over, it was bottomless chai tea lattes at Cosmic Cafe (fun fact: Cosmic Cafe as well as the Oak Lawn home in which it presides were at one time owned by Kumar Pallana, better known for his many appearances in Wes Anderson movies, as Pagoda in the Royal Tenenbaums, Mr. LittleJeans in Rushmore, and as simply Kumar in Bottle Rocket). We’d eat samosas, probably smoke a clove cigarette or two, and drink the spiced sweet elixir of life for hours on end.
While that particular experience has been left wistfully for the past, the core of what made it so great—hanging out with friends over a seemingly endless supply of a warm beverage—is still very much possible, in some form or another anyway. And to help facilitate my very specific brand of drink-based-mutual-rumination, DONA has created the Virtual Chai Date, where online orders of their masala chai concentrate come with the ability to gift a chai to your BFF, no matter how far apart you may be.
With this holiday season being especially distanced, the Virtual Chai Date is a chance to replicate the in-person experience as best as possible in a time when a semblance of normalcy is most badly needed. Fire up the Zoom machine, drink literally the same beverage, and just have a chat for minutes or hours. Let the time get lost, but in a good way for once. Might I suggest filling up one of those top-pump carafes full of hot chai latte for the complete Cosmic Cafe experience.
No codes or coupons are needed for the Virtual Chai Date. Simply add a two-pack of Masala Chai concentrate to your cart, then click the “add” button in the “Chai with a Friend” pop-up window. Then at check out, you’ll be asked to input your address and that of your chai’ed up BFF. The chai for a friend (as well as the shipping cost associated with it) will be picked up by DONA.
For more information or to get a Virtual Chai Date for you and your bestie, visit DONA’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Disclosure: DONA is an advertising partner with the Sprudge Media Network
