My Experiment With Eating Alone

Few days ago, I came across a twitter meme which clearly depicted two sides of the same coin. For some, it is a nightmare, others look at it with a chance to show off.

This got me thinking, have I ever had a meal alone?

In my 25 years of life, I have had meals with people around me all the time. Living with this belief that  food tasted much better with family and friends over endless gossip and instagramming pictures, eating alone as the last thing I wanted to do in my life. Opening of a new eatery and I’d persuade people to join me to explore the same.

There was this one nice fancy dinner date I was enjoying with a loved one and I saw a woman, very pretty and dressed to the nines, seated across my table. Interestingly, the woman was sitting by herself, clearly not waiting up for anyone. After a while it was made clear to me, that the woman was actually enjoying her meal out… on her own.

I could not quite picture myself walking into my favorite restaurant and saying, "Table for one, please!" I'd rather have a cute dinner date at home, and pair my spaghetti with my favorite sitcom on Netflix.

So, as comedian legend Harry Hill famously once said: “There’s only one way to find out…”

Considering this as an adventure, I decided to visit my favorite Italian Restaurant - all by myself. The first and the foremost thought that hits you is: ‘I’m insecure about looking lonely and anxious about not having something to do while I’m sitting there whilst people staring at me’. For once, I did not listen to the insecurities in my head.

I slipped into my new fancy dinner dress, and when i was about to leave, My parents asked me casually who I was going out with - When I hesitantly told them the truth, they actually got worried as they know this is not me. But my papa smiled and said, ‘I hope you have a good time’. Wait what? Did he just say that? Maybe he too wanted me to have this experience.

I choose not to sit in a corner and picked a center table. Curious eyes around me? Yes. Whispering ears about why am I here alone? Oh yes. I shifted my focus to the decor and music. Overheard faint conversations, of an awkward date, a corporate meeting talking of numbers and the other mindless chatter - this kept me occupied until my food came.

When the waiter came in with my food, for the first time in my life, without any hurry, ate my food with utmost ease, enjoying every bite of it. The food had never tasted better here than it was at that time. I realized, the waiters were a bit too nice to me the whole time - brownie points for me!

As a woman, there is still an imbalance in society about seeing a woman on her own eating.

There are so many social stereotypes of ladies who, for example, that if you’re a lady lunching on your own, you’re sort of subverting your stereotype. With all this in mind, why am I – and other women – drawn to it? It’s definitely an act of self-care. I think you can be so mindful when you’re eating because the focus shifts on your surroundings and what you’re eating. It’s a practice of being mindful about your body and what you’re putting in it as much as it is an act of affection for yourself; it nurtures everything at once.

What I’m saying is, hitting up a restaurant without a crew is a king move.

It’s a chance for you to do you. Nobody’s going to look your way and think, “Wow, what a loser, gorging on a whole pizza without a friend to ask them how it tastes.” Like a movie or a concert, food isn’t something that has to be enjoyed with a companion. Sure, a good meal brings people together — but it’s also a fine solitary indulgence.

So the next time you're at a restaurant and you see, at another table, someone on their own, reading a book, a plate of Chocolate Cake and Coffee in front of them, look upon them not with pity but with pride, for theirs is the dream experience, the only meaningful source of food envy.