I do it often and am comfortable with it.
The only awkwardness about it lasts all of 5 seconds when the wait staff ask you if you need a table for two or are expecting company.
On eating out alone
81–90 of 103 posts
Re: On eating out alone
#82I have this weird thing where I don't eat at all alone. Eating is so social for me I'd rather not eat at all than eat by myself.
I have had terrible time to get over that with my current company, where everyone has different time slots for when they eat. I couldn't bear that and I will have to wait until I get back home so I can eat with my roommates.
Re: On eating out alone
#83Eating out alone really hurts. It makes you feel that much more _alone_ because nearly everyone else is with their SO, a party, friend, etc. Bringing a phone is only a distraction to get through waiting for the meal to arrive. I dislike it more than being alone at home.
It's interesting the disparity in our experiences. I absolutely relish the chance to have an hour entirely to myself, get a nice meal without cleaning up after, have a beer or two, watch Netflix! I also used to be a consultant, so there's that...
This is a pretty tone-deaf response. If you rarely get an hour alone, that means you're around others all the time, most likely a family and some good friends. While the poster you responded to is a solitary, lonely person. For you, dining alone is a respite, for him it is an amplification of his loneliness. Your inability to conceive of such a person and your brushing aside of his feelings is the exact thing that makes loneliness painful.
Re: On eating out alone
#84As I read somewhere recently: At 20, you worry about what others think about yourself. At 40, you don’t care what others think about yourself. At 60, you realize that nobody was thinking about yourself anyway. Pretty liberating when you face situations like these, which can be uncomfortable at first.
yet we're all wondering about others and ourselves :)
Re: On eating out alone
#85I love eating out alone, as well as watching movies alone, taking walks alone, even traveling abroad alone (/r/solotravel) and so on. It's so much more liberating to do things you want to do at the exact time you want to do them without having to wait for anybody to accompany you. At the same time, I'm not sure why there's so much anxiety from the author about doing things alone. As I'm not one of those people, perha…
> why there's so much anxiety from the author about doing things alone
Not only alone, but other to me quite absurd fears replace those when being "together":
> I don’t need to stress about the check, ordering the same thing as someone else, or being judged by coworkers. I’m free to read, write, eavesdrop, order, and eat as slowly as I please.
I can understand some.. fortunately aging really taught "noone gives a shit" - and if they do you often just should care even less!! ÷) (sure it depends, some etiquette makes sense.. don't disgust others etc..)
Re: On eating out alone
#86My depressing reaction to this was “wow look at all these people who actually have the option to not eat alone”
But seriously, it’s the best. No rush or delay in leaving, I can play a few chess games, and skim the occasional article or paper, and I can go for a walk in the park or drive around a bit after.
I try to get breakfast at least once a weekend, and though I sometimes invite friends I usually prefer going by myself as I find it to just be a great way to start the day. I barely even notice the strangers around me.
Re: On eating out alone
#87A nice meal is an experience, and the significance of experiences is amplified by sharing - instead of a taste and texture you had once, almost impossible to describe, it becomes a touchstone of a relationship which can be referred back to for comparison or to recall a time in one's life.
There's a way out. Sharing the experience soon after, possibly with contemporaneous notes, can turns it back into a shared experience. Call it a review if you like.
Re: On eating out alone
#88lol I'm single and I do this all the time, eat alone and watch movies alone, etc and I thought that was normal until I keep hearing people like this who's embarrassed to feel to do those things alone and thinks people who at alone are lonely. now I feel a little insecure eating alone cause I now know what people think about it. sigh I wish I didnt know
Nobody actually thinks anything about it other than the folk who're insecure about dining alone. I've been married for a decade and regularly dine alone simply because I'm travelling for work. Thousands of people do the same.
Re: On eating out alone
#89From personal experience, the most awkward stretch of dining solo is the time after ordering and before any reasonable part of the ordered meal is on the table. A drink can be an easy "company", but if night is busy, it's easy to get all wasted before seeing your appetizer. Of course, these days smartphone is a well-accepted company at any table, solo or not. Siri should really split the bill, come on! Enjoyed the am…
People watching. It's my favorite time. No drink (but tea); no phone. Become aware of the environment and experience.
Re: On eating out alone
#90I love eating out alone, as well as watching movies alone, taking walks alone, even traveling abroad alone (/r/solotravel) and so on. It's so much more liberating to do things you want to do at the exact time you want to do them without having to wait for anybody to accompany you. At the same time, I'm not sure why there's so much anxiety from the author about doing things alone. As I'm not one of those people, perha…
I don't get why going to movies is seen as a thing you should do with your friends. You're not supposed to be talking during it, and if you are, you're annoying everyone around you. Unless the plan is to go to the movie and then get a meal at which point you can discuss it after. But otherwise, I pretty much only go to movies alone.
Friends and I often went to a less expensive cinema in a lower income neighborhood. The culture there was to react loudly and whisper amongst the neighboring seats. No one felt cheated since tickets were $1 each and movies had been out for a while.
Good times. Now people spend $20+ per seat.