Dining....it's so much better when you do it with others |
When
you refer to your husband as “The Flying Dutchman” as I do because of his
numerous jaunts around the globe on business (which consequently leaves you at
home alone to a) have mindless conversations with the dog, b) brush up on your
laundry skills, and c) wander around the house like a lost soul in purgatory
aimlessly searching for your other half) you learn to live life as a part-time
spouse.
Don’t
get me wrong . . . it isn’t as bad as it seems. I get the added benefit of a)
having more “me time” than I ever imagined or know what to do with, b)
experimenting in the kitchen and he never has to know when I’ve had a
monumental disaster, and c) watching horror movies non-stop, 24 hours a day if
I so choose.
However, since my husband is in Bremen on business, last night was one of those nights that I simply felt I needed to be around
people. Not my dog; not myself; not my alter ego. Other people. So after a
quick bite, I headed out, solo, to Kona Grille for a cold draft beer and a bit
of people watching.
When I arrived at Kona Grille, I made
myself comfortable in the bar area, where the music was loud and some of the
patrons were even louder—and it wasn’t even a Friday night (don’t these people
have homes to go to?!? Pffttthhh... I should talk . . .). A high top table for three was
calling my name so I slid into one of the empty chairs, made myself at home and
waited for the waiter to arrive so I could order a Bud Light (Disclaimer: You must be of legal drinking age to enter the Bud Light site) draft.
How cute....a couple on a blind date with food! |
As I glanced
up at the television to the right of the bar, a Chase Sapphire commercial came
on and the words, “Not every meal is
about food” flashed across the screen. Although not verbalized, these words spoke louder to me than someone shouting to be heard at a rock concert. How telling. Although I wasn’t at
Kona to dine, it dawned on me at that moment just how wonderfully fulfilling it
is to share a meal with those that you care about. Friends. Family. Lovers. Hell, even total strangers at times.
A meal
certainly isn’t all about the food (although good grub does run an extremely
close second). The greatest benefits that can be garnered from sharing a meal
with people are the companionship, the laughter, the connection, the camaraderie.
And there I was . . . perched upon my bar stool . . . solo. It wasn’t so much that I was feeling sorry for
myself; I was simply envious of the benefits that everyone else around me were reaping.
Aside from
two lone guys sitting at the bar nursing beers that had long since gone warm,
everyone else was part of a party of two, three, four or more. There were two
beefcake looking guys sitting across from me on the other side of the indoor/outdoor
bar sipping daintily on their colorful martinis with fruit hanging from the rim.
Further down to my left was a table of six laughing uproariously and having a grand old time. In the
corner, three young women cackled like the witches from Act 4 of Macbeth. I half
expected one of them to mention something about eye of newt and toss a frog’s toe
or something on the floor.
The
point of all of this is that these people were out . . . dining . . . with
benefits. Those wonderful benefits mentioned earlier. I like to think that most
people have some subtext of social outreach purely by nature. It’s intrinsic to
want to reach out to others. What better way to socialize than with food? We
all need it to survive. Sure, we need air, too, but can you see yourself saying
to your buddies, “Hey, let’s get together this weekend and breathe,”?
Food
is the great equalizer. Yeah, being a lover of cuisine, I can say that. But I can
also say it because I believe it to be true. Hey, would I lie to you?
My circle
of friends in Stamford is far from that which I had amassed after nearly 21
years in Atlanta. At times [TISSUE ALERT: sappy emotional moment approaching in a
nanosecond], it does get lonely, not having that type of support system,
especially for a person who likes to think of herself as a social butterfly. So when
I do get the opportunity to dine with others, I jump at it. Hmmm…that could
probably explain why I’m on a diet . . .
Anyway,
I welcome the social aspect of dining with benefits. Good food shared with good
people…it’s one of the things that makes life so much fun.
So when
do you plan to engage in dining . . . with benefits?
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