penningtron wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:33 pm Business travel, airport or office cafeterias etc. pffft. That stuff is socially accepted plus there's nothing to lose away from home. Go find a cute trattoria in your neighborhood, maybe go there 7pm on a Friday night and just fuckin' sit there by yourself and eat. Like really draw it out with a bottle of wine and shit. That's next level.

I've done this on business travel as well. One doesn't need to limit their business dining to the airport, cafeterias or hotel restaurants. I try to find at least one or two good dining experiences when I travel for work.

When I had a project outside of Folsom, CA, I went to The Waterboy in Sacto and enjoyed a couple glasses of Lillet Blanc, Cassoulet Toulouse, a gold beet and white anchovy salad, and a good coffee by myself on the client's dime.

When in Thousand Oaks, CA, I had a wonderful meal at an extremely authentic Hunanese restaurant in Newberry Park and spent a good while after the meal learning from the waiter/owner about finding recipes for the food - including a YouTube channel hosted by his business partner in Orange County.

I really miss this. An occasional treat before the kid arrived, especially on random weekdays off work. Watch the world do its stuff with a plate, a coffee, or maybe a beer in front of me. I don’t have to hear myself talk. Lovely.

I've always enjoyed dining alone. Any time I ever went to Popeye's, I think I was alone. It might be a little sad to go get fajitas by yourself though.

Love it. Big fan. Did it last night and got to enjoy my shish tawook in full serenity.

Obv a luxury for parents, so that colors my take here. Have yet to give one shit about what anyone else in a public space thinks of me or how I look doing something, so that's a foreign concept, truly.

I love this. I do not get to do it very oftten, but I dig posting up to the bar, ask the bartender to make me a sweet or sour bourbon drink depending on my mood. Order an appetizer. Drink. Order a steak, keep the beers coming. Chat up the folks next to me or the bartender, or just watch whatever sporting event is on the TV. Can't beat it.

penningtron wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:33 pmGo find a cute trattoria in your neighborhood, maybe go there 7pm on a Friday night and just fuckin' sit there by yourself and eat. Like really draw it out with a bottle of wine and shit. That's next level.

Only thing here is I'd get bored. It'd be too far from my normal eating rhythm and I'd just not know what to do with my eyes and hands. I get antsy even when having a beer while waiting for a friend.

I did this last night for the first time since my wife separated from me nearly six months ago. Very, very sad in that context.

zorg wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:00 pm Sad? Try eating dinner with three screaming children who all want to eat a different kind of bland junk food. Now that is sad.

Word. The only time I get to eat spicy (or any dish with actual character) is when I dine alone! Actually, the kids are getting better, but for years I was going through bottles of chili sauces like crazy because we made everything so bland.

Dining alone is not crap. I enjoy eating at the bar when travelling for work. It is extra enjoyable when the bartender engages in conversation. It seems like that type of bartender is rare these days.

Not crap.

Totally not sad, if you eat at places that serve great food.

There's something to be said for a quick meal by yourself, say, a plate of noodles at an excellent Cantonese place, a couple slices of pizza or a panino while standing at an Italian lunch counter, perching w/equally hurried souls around a taco truck, something like that.

Also having a long dinner at a nicer place on your own, especially somewhere you're a regular and can chat w/the staff, maybe enjoy a few drinks, is usually a really good time. Even dining out as a total stranger can be wonderful; I once walked into a place in Belgium, loved the food, ended up in the kitchen after service, then went drinking w/the chef. There's the potential for some interesting human connection in these situations.

I love convivial dining w/good company more than most things in life, but dining alone can be just fine. Largely depends on how you, yourself, are feeling and what you're eating.

Granted, I can imagine eating by yourself being pretty depressing at some shitty chain or poor-quality family restaurant. But company would only make those experiences only slightly more bearable.