Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Self Portrait Challenge: food and me (week 2)



i love eating with my fingers. as you can see i'm simply holding my fork, which my kitter elliot is taking interest in!

this is the company i keep while i eat. i live alone, so my cats often sit by my side while i enjoy my dinner. i do miss eating with other people, but with my multitude of allergies, its actually easier to just cook for one!

i had a funny experience this week (well, not so funny at the time, but in retrospect!)

while on a bike ride along the seawall i stopped for lunch at a cafe on granville island. i had a lot on my mind so i was looking forward to some delcious food and time to ponder life.

i first noticed something was awry when the staff, who all looked strangely like paris hilton, walked past me like i was invisible. after working hard to catch their eye, someone came over to me.

'one?' she said 'just for one?'

then she passed me to another lady to be seated.

'just you?'

it was like these ladies had never pondered, let alone gone out for lunch by themselves.

then another came over.

'um, can i....bring you a magazine or something to do?'

i accepted the magazine, but was so shocked at the way these people were acting. i felt a bit sad at first (taking on someone elses opinion...that i should be embarassed to be alone...which i so don't believe!) and then decided that perhaps i should feel sad for them as they haven't discovered the beauty of enjoying your own company!

thank goodness this has only happened one out of the hundreds of times i've gone for a solo-dinner-date.

i eat alone and am proud of it!

7 comments:

amy said...

This scene looks very familiar. I also live alone with a cat. Funny, I have gone to the movies and to concerts by myself, but I have never gone solo to a restaurant. For some reason, I just can't bring myself to do it. It makes me feel weird. Maybe it's really the Paris Hilton lookalikes that make me feel that way.

By the way, those socks sure are cute!

Kimberley McGill said...

I don't live alone, it's me an my husband. But I love to go out to lunch, visit a museum . . . so many things by myself. I know what you mean by reactions people can have - they especially seem to "pity" me because not only am i alone, but I need a cane to walk which in their mind must be why I am alone. But, like you said, most of my experiences have been good. And, BTW, I LOVE your socks!

Rebekah said...

When you were describing the waitresses, I thought you were going to say you realized too late you were at a Hooters-type establishment :)

I like eating alone too... this probably comes from having kids & a husband who make me *wish* at times I were alone!

gretchenaro said...

alone? are you some kind of leper or something? :)

cool shot - great sock

adriene crimson said...

great color treatment of the image.
eating alone is joyful!

Rachel said...

I started eating alone when I had to go on a business trip. Then I went on vacation solo. I found it was a bit weird at first but I began to like it. You can be meditative and quiet or interact with the staff or other people nearby. I think everyone should give it a try. Good for you.

Michele said...

nice shot especially the cat and your bowl and fork. you don't feel alone here to me.

how silly of them to ask if you want a magazine.

i don't live alone but eat out by myself sometimes. my preferred way to do it is to eat early at the bar of a really nice restaurant. never get too much unwanted attention or too many comments this way.

the other thing i love about this post is your mention of granville island. i lived in vancouver for close to 40 years and miss it.