Dr. Fauci Approves of Takeout, Calls It a "Neighborly Obligation"

As much as we'd love to have Ina Garten on speed dial, the human we'd most like to be able to text, call or Zoom at a moment's notice during 2020 is Anthony Fauci, M.D.

He's just a little busy making press appearances, sharing guidance about the latest research and how his own family is handling tough pandemic decisions, oh yes, and making monumental decisions for his job as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and part of the White House coronavirus task force. But none other than Kim Kardashian West was able to track Dr. Fauci down for a Zoom call with about 36 celebrities at the end of April, CNN recently revealed.

Also on the about hour-long chat: Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, 2 Chainz, Gwyneth Paltrow and other musicians, actors and athletes, Dr. Fauci told CNN. The stars were able to pepper the M.D. with questions about face masks, safe distancing and more.

"It was a whole bunch of movie stars and some sports figures and they wanted to know about what they could do to stay safe, about wearing masks and avoiding crowds. I was impressed by the questions they asked, by their level of sophistication," Dr. Fauci told CNN, adding that he agreed to the call since the celebs "could get the word out about staying safe" through their large social media followings.

Perry and Bloom were clearly such fans of their new virtual friend that they represented on Instagram soon after:

Among the questions, Kunis popped in to ask Dr.Fauci if he had been eating takeout during the pandemic.

"I told her I feel badly about restaurants losing business, and I feel it's almost a neighborly obligation to keep neighborhood restaurants afloat, so even though I can cook at home, several nights a week I go out for takeout purely to support those places," Dr. Fauci told CNN, explaining that he sometimes eats it straight out of the container and sometimes puts it on a plate.

Instead of worrying about the service vessel, Dr. Fauci suggested that Kunis made sure to wash her hands.

A source privy to the call told CNN that "Fauci, who's such a wonderful guy, said 'Mila, listen, don't be paranoid! And then her husband, Ashton Kutcher, said 'That's it—I'm ordering a pizza—finally!' And then he took out his cell phone and pretended to order a pizza."

Many of us have been cooking a lot more at home this year. So if you could use a night off from the culinary duties and need another excuse to order from your favorite local restaurant for dinner this weekend, Dr. Fauci (and we) fully approve of you doing just that. Just be sure to skip the third-party delivery app, tip generously and wash your hands!