Dining out solo is often avoided but doesn’t have to be a dreadful experience. Considering the following advice may enhance your chances of enjoying yourself while eating out at a table for one. For example, you might feel that everyone is watching you. Show some confidence. Perhaps they don’t get to see a natural redhead every day, especially one with such an attractive tail.
Choosing to dine at less busy times might make you less self-conscious. Those pesky chickadees with all their twittering would certainly contribute to your sense of loneliness. Bring along a book to read but realize that reading The Nutcracker after the Christmas season is over may attract unwanted stares. Enjoy a glass of wine as it might make you feel more relaxed. Just make sure you can hold your liquor.
Once you’ve done it a few times, you might wonder why you ever dreaded eating alone in the first place. Spared the need to carry on a conversation, you might find yourself appreciating the tastes and aromas of your dinner even more than usual. Feel free to dig in.
Of course, if you choose to simply eat on the run, the loss is yours. There will always be those who are more than eager to partake in the delights of dining solo.
Scott at Views Infinitum has extended an open invitation to take part in his food photography assignment. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 26th at midnight. Bon appétit!
Flandrum Hill 
Giggle… that was the cutest story, Amy! I love the illustrative photos. As you say, eating alone isn’t all that bad, particularly if you have an entertaining book, or a nice view to marvel at. 🙂
Reggie, thanks for adding the benefit of a nice view to dining alone. Glad you liked the post. The red squirrels can be very cute and this one seemed like he really was eating at a table while admiring the nearby fir tree.
This is a very creative, entertaining and happy response to the assignment. I could read the text before I could see the images, and my anticipation built as I tried to imagine what would meet my eyes. Fun!
Pamela, it was also fun to create. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This was so much fun to read! It would be very pleasant to dine solo at that particular restaurant. I expect it would be even nicer to dine there with you and the wood sprite in the header!
Gerry, as chilly as it was, the wood sprite and I had a nice picnic in the woods on Saturday. Though it wasn’t easy to pick up potato chips with gloves on, we managed and would have been more than happy to share our lunch with you.
I laughed out loud reading this. Especially the part about the redhead. Barry just said, “What’s so funny?” I used to be much more self-conscious eating alone. Do you think it gets easier as we get older and more confident?
Kathy, I think it’s great how so many concerns are washed away with age. Maybe we take ourselves less seriously as we get older. Wonderful that you got a good laugh out of the natural redhead 🙂
What a wonderful Post in response to the Blog food photo challenge.
I was never sure whether to serve white or red wine with sunflower seeds. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me Amy-Lynn.
Sybil, though red was the wine of choice, I wasn’t quite sure about the temperature at which it should be served. You may have noticed how chilled (if not frozen) the wine appears in the photo with the chickadee compared to the first photo, so I think I covered both bases. It sure was a cold morning to be photographing food outdoors.
Fine wine, genteel company, excellent location… perfect I’d say!
I’d LOVE to share my lunch with these fellow patrons any day of the week.
Whilst they do not pick up the bill, they are happy to pick up the crumbs and they are peaceful fellow diners.
Please tell the natural redhead that she is definitely looking her most attractive, and that she’s now famous around the world on the internet so she may brag a little on both counts should she so wish.
Sante to you all!
kiwidutch, I’ll be sure to pass on your compliments to the natural redhead 🙂 She’s probably still recovering from all that wine, but will likely be back again soon.
Very creative post! Who doesn’t love the critters? Plus, really good advice! 🙂
milkayphoto, yes, it’s hard to resist these photogenic little critters. Glad you enjoyed the post and the advice 🙂
Dining out solo with a touch of class indeed 🙂 I love your creative story and the beautiful setting. I would not mind having a pic-nic there with you later in the year… knowing that we might well be conscious of some little observers nearby.
Isa, it’s these little observers that make the picnic experience in the woods so special. You never know when they’re going to join you in the hopes of getting a morsel or crumb.
Lol, I hope the bird and the squirrel are okay after the big feast. 🙂
Nye, they were into the sunflower seeds again yesterday so it looks like they made a full recovery.
What an adorable take on food photography! So cute!
The red squirrel is precious, and how sweet of you to offer a glass of wine, LOL.
May I ask how it is that you do not seem to have any snow in Nova Scotia while we in Massachusetts, hundreds of miles south of you, are buried in it?
Karma, yes those red squirrels are very cute. I’ve been able to handle a few of them over the years and they are even cuter up close. Unfortunately they also bite!
I have no idea why we have so little snow this year. We have had a lot of rain. It looks like today’s rain is going to melt any snow we have left.
ROFLOL, Amy! This is both cute and very creative of you. Thank you!
Scott, it was a pleasure 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity to participate.
This was a wonderful and creative way to approach Scott’s assignment. I very much enjoyed it. Thank you. 🙂
Thank you for visiting Robin. Glad you liked it 🙂
This reads like a squirrel’s horoscope and also like something I would have written myself. (I write about birds and… other things). So – I have subscribed to your blog!
🙂
Thanks Val. A squirrel’s horoscope eh? I will have to check out your birds and other things. 🙂
[…] from Amy of the Flandrum Hill blog and the Canadian maritime, with her photo essay entitled, Table for One. I do not want to spoil it for you, click on the link and […]
I love your choice of photos for this assignment, it seems so right comming from you, to think of the wild animals. The squirrel is so sweet. I think this one looks a lot like “mine” – the red squirrels. But you don´t have the red ones, do you?
Thank you Giid. Yes, these are the red squirrels we have in Canada – Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. They are arboreal and very similar to the Eurasian red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris. One striking difference is that they don’t have the ear tufts found on yours.
That was SO cute! The story, and the pictures, made me smile.
Thedailyclick, glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
You Rock, Amy-Lynn! I love the way you think and the way you see. Cheers, friend!
Thank you Cindy. Cheers to you too 🙂
Oh! How cute!! 🙂
Of course, the squirrel is cute…but so is the article, so lovingly written 🙂
Swaps, yes they certainly are cute and quite entertaining. I do love them.
now I remember, I did read this…. squirrels, okay, maybe they are cute..but just outside!