Good food becomes great food when shared 🙂
But sometimes, you may be out and about on your own and want a bite, or just don’t have company for lunch or dinner and yet want to have a nice one. What do you do? Are you comfortable eating alone or do you prefer to just pack a takeaway and take it home to enjoy instead?
Some foods don’t translate well to a takeaway as they taste better made fresh for you. Like soupy noodles for instance. So, what do you do? 😀
I generally dislike eating alone. Its boring, to start, and if you are at a hawker stall or local coffee shop, you may have to end up sharing a table with strangers, which doesn’t quite make it better. It stresses me out more.
So on days when I don’t have company for lunch, I pack my lunches and eat at my desk. Helps me get some work done or I can spend a little time reading stuff online. However, although I used to be quite uncomfortable eating alone, I’ve learned to do it.
I’ve found that some places are more conducive to having solo meals. Sandwich bars or cafes are one, and Japanese restaurants are another, because you can sit at the sushi bar for a quick bite and not feel too uncomfortable about it. It is in fact quite common in Japan I believe, so the sushi bars are a great way to have a nice hot solo meal.
When I eat alone, I don’t gobble down my meal and run. Why should I? I should just enjoy it as I would if I were with a friend. So I have with me a newspaper or my iPad so I can read while I eat. I’ve learned to enjoy that little me time where you don’t have to contend with conversation or watching how quickly or slowly you eat. It also gives you time to people watch which is great fun 😀
Are you comfortable eating alone? Or would you rather just do a takeaway than eat alone?
Whilst I don’t eat solo very often, I can if I have to. Its quite relaxing sometimes, but don’t try it in a busy hawker place or coffee shop because then it can get stressful, especially if you have to share tables with a bunch of noisy strangers.
Paris B
Reese says
December 11, 2012 at 9:47 amsometimes I like to eat alone, but…preferably with a magazine otherwise I will be playing with my phone.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:05 pmMe too. I prefer to have something to read at hand too.
xin says
December 11, 2012 at 9:49 amI occasionally eat alone, and when I do, I usually eat my favorite and make sure that it’s not a place where I need to table share. I hate sharing with strangers esp when I’m alone
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:07 pmUgh table sharing, especially if a big group of noisy people come and see you eating alone and want to share >.< Urgh!
Victoria says
December 11, 2012 at 9:54 amIf I do eat alone, it is usually at a big food court like at KLCC or Mid Valley. This happens when I need to do some shopping after work and do not want to drag my husband along. But I would not eat by myself during lunch at my workplace since it would be too obvious to my colleagues that I am alone. I rather pack my food and eat it at my office cubicle. The problem with this of course is that I tend to eat my food at a faster rate than normal. I take a longer time to finish my food when I am with company since we would be talking and eating in between pauses.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:08 pmI sometimes find it hard to eat alone at big busy food courts, because its so hard to find a space while carrying a tray of hot soup! LOL But those are also one of the easiest places to eat alone without looking too conspicuous
KS says
December 11, 2012 at 9:59 amI enjoy the solitude of eating alone actually. I call it my “Me” time. I usually find a nice cafe or casual dining place, grab something light (usually not a hot item which is best enjoyed hot) and sit down with a book that I am reading now, or my phone. 🙂 It’s difficult to eat alone in food courts though, cuz it’s difficult to carry a tray of food while looking for a seat.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:10 pmI find it hard with a tray of food in a food court too. So I too prefer a place where I can have a sandwich usually, or maybe a bowl of soup. Its a good time to catch up on some reading too!
Rin says
December 11, 2012 at 9:59 amI am very comfortable eating alone. I don’t mind sitting at a table alone but prefer not to share with stangers. I mean, if I am eating alone at a table, I am surrounded by strangers anyway but to share a table with… Seems awkward XD
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:10 pmI know exactly what you mean, especially when said strangers are a group of friends, then you feel like the lamppost LOL!
Juan says
December 11, 2012 at 10:06 amI think with my tablet and humungous phone, being anti-social is easy. With the gadgets, i don’t mind eating alone at all 😉
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:11 pmhaha! Indeed, thank goodness for gadgets for helping us be more comfortable being anti-social? 😉
Esther says
December 11, 2012 at 10:14 amI hate eating alone if the restaurant/cafe is empty – I get terribly uncomfortable when the staff watches me like a hawk. It’s alright if I have a companion, but alone? Yeack.
Still, I’d go solo over eating with someone I don’t know particularly well. C:
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:12 pmOh yes! I don’t really want to have a meal with people I don’t know well or people I feel uncomfortable with. Been on more than a few of those meals and its just so awkward 😛 Unless its a cafe, I dont’ eat alone at restaurants. Never quite got the hang of it 😛
Janie says
December 11, 2012 at 10:14 amI am a slow eater and I always eat alone wherever I go.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:12 pmI’m a slow eater too! But I think most people I eat with have accepted it by now 😀
Evan Chang says
December 11, 2012 at 10:19 amI eat alone all the time, I don’t find it weird at all. =S
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:12 pmThat’s good to know! 🙂
synical says
December 11, 2012 at 10:22 amEat alone all the time; I use that time to catch up on podcasts. Hard to do that when you’re with other people.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:14 pmI usually take that time to catch up on the news 😀
Catherine says
December 11, 2012 at 10:29 amIf I eat alone I play with my iPad/iPhone or magazine. Anyway theres no rule, very often me and my boyfriend take away 😛
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:14 pmSometimes I prefer to take away too, if only so I can eat in peace at home 😀
Ting says
December 11, 2012 at 11:06 amYeah sure! Why not? It give me time to think about my stuff too. In my student days I was alone for a few years and those were great times because I had so much time to think about my life. Everything was moving in slow motion compared to now. I even watched movies alone, cooked alone, ate alone, went to the library alone. Fantastic times! Even 2 kids later, I enjoy my loner time even more. 🙂
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:15 pmHaha you reminded me of me as a student. I loved going on long walks around campus or into the nearby town. Didn’t feel too funny eating alone then. Don’t know how it became funny as I got older but now I”m back to not caring again 😀
shusheshe says
December 11, 2012 at 1:49 pmI eat alone all the time, especially back when I was a university student. I just whip out my handy phone and start browsing the ‘net or play a flash game!
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:33 pmHaha when I was a student and had to eat alone, it was always a book for company. Nice and quiet times, or just sitting in the park.
Sze Ling says
December 11, 2012 at 1:59 pmI don’t have a problem with eating alone at all. But if I were to eat alone, I’d usually avoid local coffee shops and hawker centers. Like you said, sharing a table stresses me out too. Just can’t get to really enjoy the food.
The best part of eating alone is, I can take all the time I want. As short or as long as I want to. 😀 And I love people watching. Hehe.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:33 pmPrecisely. If its a hawker stall or coffee shop, chances are someone would ask to share your table and its so awkward.
fanny says
December 11, 2012 at 2:04 pmI am comfortable eating alone, usually carry a book and it also would not waste time in waiting my colleagues ready to go out together/finish eating or making up decision on what to eat today.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:51 pmThat’s very useful, if there’s a place to go nearby. Part of the fun eating in a group is the variety if opting for a restaurant style meal, which is also fun 😀
Kay says
December 11, 2012 at 2:17 pmI have no problem eating alone, enjoying the solitude and my food. I also often people watch and/or listen to conversations when people talk loudly nearby. It’s interesting but you have to do it politely and not be obvious. On occasion, I’ve engaged in conversations with another person also eating alone and they have been pretty interesting. My husband, on the other hand, refuses to dine alone.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:53 pmLOL Listening in to conversations is fun teehee… I sometimes eat quietly and prick up my ears if there’s something interesting being discussed. Recently, I was in a restaurant at lunch, where there was an obnoxious person going on and on about local politics. It made me so uncomfortable, I requested for a change of table which the restaurant accommodated me with. I never do that, but some people really need to learn to keep their voices down and their opinions to themselves >.<
Kay says
December 14, 2012 at 4:32 amGood for you! I’ve only requested a change in tables when there is a smoker nearby totally oblivious to heavy smoke drifting my way. But I would totally change tables if there was a loud obnoxious inconsiderate person ruining my meal. Better to take preemptive action than be upset for the next hour.
Paris B says
December 14, 2012 at 10:09 amOh I can’t stand smokers too! I make sure I specify non-smoking with every dining reservation and if I can’t help it, I move. Some smokers are so inconsiderate. I’m fine with them trying to kill themselves but don’t kill me too!
bita says
December 11, 2012 at 3:26 pmI can eat alone when I have tablet or smart phone with me and the place is crowded. otherwise, I don’t like eating alone 🙂
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:53 pmIts nice to be absorbed doing something else 🙂 If I’m not meddling with a gadget i usually have a book or the newspaper to catch up on the news 😀
Honey says
December 11, 2012 at 4:04 pmNope. No problem at all eating alone. Even in those days when we do not have our gadgets to keep us occupied, I never have problem eating alone. Call me anti-social. Actually I don’t think about it, if I need to eat, I just eat!
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:54 pmNot antisocial, just very confident 🙂 I would still arm myself with a book or magazine back in the days pre-gadgets 😀
LeGeeque says
December 11, 2012 at 4:22 pmI LOVE eating alone. It is a true luxury. I usually read or people watch. I think I am lucky because most places here don’t have the culture of sharing tables. I usually request for a quiet spot by the window and people watch over a glass of wine. Or entertain my thoughts (how I come up with my hare-brained schemes) it is so liberating to do what you want, when you want and for how long you want it for.
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 4:56 pmI also think it takes great confidence to be able to eat alone and enjoy it 🙂 I am getting there but only in cafes, rarely in restaurants where a table for 1 still gets you a pitying look
kuri says
December 11, 2012 at 4:25 pmI like eating alone, because I can go to whatever restaurant I want, and order whatever food I want. But it is kind of lonely, so I like bringing a book or something. And indeed, some restaurants are conducive to solo dining, and others aren’t. In Tokyo it’s quite common to eat alone, so there are a lot of options, I find. Especially for soupy noodles! 🙂
Paris B says
December 13, 2012 at 5:02 pmOH yes, I appreciated that in Tokyo when I was there. It was so easy to step up to the ramen counter and no one gives you a funny look. I think the bar style dining helps in this regard because its just less obvious than a solitary person at a table 🙂