"When you are comfortable with “eat lunch and run”, take yourself out for dinner; a restaurant with linen and Silverware. You’re no less an intriguing a person when you are eating solo dessert and cleaning the whip cream from the dish with your finger. In fact, some people at full tables will wish they were where you were." -Tanya Davis, "How To Be Alone"
I'm a foodie. I love food. I'm also not very picky. I love Taco Bell as much as any authentic Mexican restaurant. I love Hershey bars as much as any designer chocolate. So, as you can imagine, this blog will not be a review of the cuisine at restaurants.
No, this will be an exploration of the experiences of a solo diner.
Our society has groomed us to be afraid to be alone, especially when dining. To dine alone in public is weird, if not sad and depressing. Clearly there must be something wrong with a solo diner in a sit down restaurant. To spend that much time alone with one's thoughts has to be maddening.
I am here to challenge that.
I am a solo person. Or at least, my life has put me in a position to be a solo person. I realized that I was missing out on so many opportunities because there was no one to go with me. So I decided to start doing things on my own. Museums, the zoo, visiting cities, and dining. There is no reason why I should miss out on a great dining experience just because I'd be asking for a table for one.
And then I discovered that the most interesting things happen when you are "alone." Your waiter talks to you, and for a moment - or for an hour - you're connecting with another human being. You're learning about his life. He's learning about yours. You create a memory of that person and then you take it away with you.
Or, suddenly all the other noises around you are loud and clear. You hear bits and pieces of conversations going on, and you get glimpses into other people's worlds. You hear about their worries or their joys or about their everyday lives. It is amazing how rich the imagination can be upon hearing only a snippet of conversation.
And that is why I'm starting this blog. I want to chronicle my experiences as a solo foodie. A person who finds peace and joy in eating at a table for one while experiencing the finer, more subtle moments in life - connecting with perfect strangers.
