This is yet another example of something that can be really cool or really pathetic. If you simply can’t be with the ones you love, virtual meal technology gives you a way to participate in their life. However, if you’re using this just to save you the effort of actually visiting people, you need to have your priorities checked.

Harvey Bumpus doesn’t like to eat alone. But his wife died more than a year ago and his family is scattered across the country. Most nights, he heats up a simple meal of oatmeal or hot dogs and eats alone.

Now, the technology consulting company Accenture is developing a system called “The Virtual Family Dinner” that would allow families to get together — virtually — as often as they’d like.

The concept is simple. An elderly woman in, say, California, makes herself dinner. When she gets ready to sit down and eat, the system detects it and alerts her son in Chicago. The son then goes to his kitchen, where a small camera and microphone capture what he is doing. Speakers and a screen — as big as a television or as small as a picture frame — allow him to hear and see his mother, who has a similar setup.

The only problem is, how do you take home your Mom’s delicious leftovers?