Thursday, May 5, 2011

I'll talk to anyone...

Last night I was dining with a friend at the restaurant that is, coincidentally, also my favorite place to dine solo.  I'm not revealing it yet as I plan do a write up of it in the very near future.

We were at the bar and seated near us was a man of over 40 (?) who was by himself.  My friend and I chatted, trying to determine why he was eating alone.  My guess was that he was on business.  He looked rather comfortable eating by himself.  He'd come prepared with a magazine and didn't appear to be in any particular hurry.  He wasn't watching the door as someone who was meeting anyone would.  Maybe it was the wine, or perhaps I was just feeling particularly outgoing, but I decided to find out.

I walked up to him, introduced myself and explained that I was starting this project (yes, This project, this blog...) and said I was asking people I saw dining alone what their reason was for doing so.  He quite readily responded and said that he was in the area on business, that this restaurant was his favorite place to eat when he was here and also one of the most comfortable to eat in should one find themselves needing or wanting to dine alone.  I thanked him, I returned to my seat and gloated just a tiny bit about being right.

I think I may ask others I see, should they seem approachable, what their reason is for dining out alone.  Perhaps I will even do a more formal interview of Solitary Banquet Superstars who eat out alone with some frequency and who can share their tips and tricks for doing so.

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