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solitary dining

we belong to a pretty amazing species. somehow, finding food to survive, for most of us, has become so easy, that it's become strictly social. but, as far as i know, the vast majority of people eat two or three meals a day, with probably a snack here or there. i don't know about you, but if i don't eat, i get very grumpy, and have learned that i best not talk to anyone about anything except baseball until i've had a bit to munch on.

so why is it, then, that restaurants -- in nearly all countries i've been to -- are strictly social?

i live alone, very happily, and have for the last two years. perhaps i should repeat that: i live alone very happily. i am still a social creature; i check peterdot and twitter and email obsessively (when i'm not at a social gathering which requires my attention), and i get a genuine thrill every time a message pops up for me. i miss you all like hell, and can't wait for the time we can get back together again.

but i need to eat. and i like eating. and i like eating delicious food. and sometimes, the peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and dumplings and noodles and soup and fruit and eggs i make for myself just doesn't cut it. so i go out. and eat delicious food, and don't need to wash the dishes, and don't need to worry about whether i have enough of this or enough of that. i just sit back, order my pizza, sip on a beer, eat my pizza, sip on a beer, maybe read some RSS feeds, write in my journal, whatever. and i am happy.

my question, more specifically, is this: why is it that so many people appear to feel sorry for you if you eat alone? tonight, at dinner, i felt happier than probably 75% of the other people looked. i need to eat, you need to eat. i can't always go out to dinner with friends, they have lives too. so what's the big deal?

really, don't get me wrong. i know that a few of you are probably saying i'm full of shit and am only writing this because i feel uncomfortable and lonely and am trying to justify it. maybe that's true. but i don't think it is. i really like eating alone on occasion.

i remember going to a place in houston alone, eating delicious food and drinking great wine. the only reason i felt strange was because i couldn't wipe the fucking smile off my face. but the waiter kept coming by to see how i was doing. sitting at times to chat with me. don't feel sorry for me, man. i'm having a far better time than you are.

so hear this: if you want to eat alone, kudos to you. you'll get no judgement from me. and if you want to go someplace delicious but your friends have previous engagements, then go someplace delicious. you'll get no judgement from me.

June 24, 2009 @ 5:59am . 43 views . 3 comments