A few weeks ago, I was discussing with Daisy about eating in restaurants alone. She did it often, preferring to go to places by herself, a characteristic of her loner side. Me, always seeking acceptance, ate out only once alone, because my friend never made it and I wasn\\’t going to waste a 40 minute trip to a nice restaurant.<\/p>\n
Yet why is it that the world is almost made for couples? Why is it that when a single diner arrives at a restaurant that they are shown to either the counter (where they must share with other single diners) or a two person table (where the host takes away one set)? It had always bothered me and that\\’s why I was so reluctant to eat alone…but being forced to in Boston since Karen couldn\\’t eat out and was working.<\/p>\n
So the other day, I reluctantly ate at American Joe\\’s Grill and Bar (because I couldn\\’t find any other restaurant near the Aquarium – apparently I didn\\’t know that Faneuil Hall Marketplace was nearby until later), a sit-down type restaurant. After 20 minutes of waiting, I was finally led to a 4 person table where the hostess allowed me to choose a seat before she took the other 3 table settings away. It was strange at first. I am used to idly chit-chatting with someone until the server returns to take my order. But after awhile, I noticed how beautiful the nightsky was as well as the Boston harbor from my outside table. It was nice, and it makes me wonder how other diners would notice when they\\’re engaged in obligatory conversation.<\/p>\n
The last time I ate with one other person at an upscale restaurant…I had felt so awkward. But I couldn\\’t absorb the environment around me because we were forced to make conversation because we hadn\\’t seen each other for awhile (our fears\/habits\/beliefs had changed so much that we had little to talk about). Would I trade an awkward dinner for a dinner alone? Probably. Still, I wouldn\\’t go to an expensive restaurant by myself, because one of the great things about restaurants is to share the joy of a satisfying meal (and eat other people\\’s food of course).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A few weeks ago, I was discussing with Daisy about eating in restaurants alone. She did it often, preferring to go to places by herself, a characteristic of her loner side. Me, always seeking acceptance, ate out only once alone, … Continue reading