Dinner for one – now that’s my kind of date | Nell Frizzell

Solo dining is a singular joy. Alone, you can eat what you want, when you want, as fast as you wantI was recently joined on a bench in O’Connell Street, Dublin, by a man in a sludge-green coat and wide-brimmed hat who methodically pulled out, wiped and pocketed his false teeth, before bending down to the large plastic bag at his feet and pulling out a yoghurt. He turned to me, smiled, and then asked: “Would you ever find me a spoon?”These things don’t happen so easily when you’re in a group: you’re much less approachable when eating as a couple; and none but the truly determined would approach a munching threesome. Which is why, at least once a week, I take myself out for a well-lit meal for one. I am, at this very moment, sitting in a cafe beside a woman with hair like a well-crafted plum duff, eating a cheese sandwich. At my other elbow a woman in pale blue headscarf and tweed jacket is pecking at a bowl of granola like a sparrow. In the corner, a man in gently darkening photochromic lenses is chewing through a plastic tub of what looks, from here, like gravel. We are all eating alone. And so, of course, none of us is eating alone. Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 13, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Nell Frizzell Tags: Food & drink Older people Psychology Restaurants Mental health Source Type: news