Asking for a table for one at a restaurant can be a rather daunting experience at first. Giving the impression to the restaurateur and the other patrons that you’re a “Sally no mates”. Dining alone whilst every other table surrounding us is full of joy, laughter and people conversing about a whole variety of things.
I would say that eating at a restaurant by yourself can be one of the most liberating pastimes. Going to a restaurant with nothing but a pen, a notepad and our thoughts. Especially if you go to a restaurant that you have frequented in the past and so know the menu backwards and forwards, and the minute the server/waiter arrives, you know precisely what you’re going to order and how you want it.
As much as I love to dine with others, there is a certain joy that only comes from taking some time for yourself. It offers up the opportunity to gain perspective and clarity of mind by being there with yourself in your own little bubble. Letting the world around you hum and vibrate in a chaotic orchestra whilst you’re sat alone with only your thoughts as company.
To write this, I went to one of my favourite restaurants in Monaco. That being Song Qi for an evening’s writing and dining, just opposite Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum and spitting distance from the world-famous and somewhat infamous Sass Cafe.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, I got a table outside. I chose to arrive when Song Qi had just opened, so it wasn’t too busy, and I could sit down and watch the world go by in relative peace. All I had to hand was my notepad and my blue ballpoint pen as my electronic devices had run out of battery. This happy accident, something I would normally find deeply annoying, had created the perfect distraction-free zone. A place where I could focus on my thoughts and not be concerned with the myriad of distractions these devices provide us with.
As I slowly enjoyed the glass of Ron Zacapa 23 the waiter had delivered, I began to think and put thoughts to paper on the joy of dining alone as I waited for my food to arrive. I fell in love with the perspective it had given to me, and more importantly, I enjoyed the time I had gifted to myself. In one of the most civilised ways, to quote an old friend of mine when I informed them of how I spent my evening. Once I finished my diner and paid my bill, I slowly walked home, enjoying the evening air, and reveling in the new found joy I had discovered.
This is how I will end this entry, and let me know if you would like to see a “Writing and Dining’ series of entries. Don’t be concerned about going to a restaurant by yourself and try a bit of writing and dining yourself. Turn off your electronic devices for a couple of hours of distraction-free thinking.
