Table for One, Sir?
by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com
I’d say that pretty much all of us travel, some more than others. But if you’re traveling alone, how do you feel when it’s time to eat?
If I’m at a show, even if I made the trip by myself, I’m rarely dining alone. Honestly, I don’t want to go to a restaurant and sit solo. I love my own company, but it’s not my style to eat in public by myself.
I do, however, remember a busy Vegas show where I just wanted to have quiet night eating an In-N-Out burger, fries and a shake in my room by myself. And so that’s just what I did, grabbing a taxi at the front door. We went through the drive thru and then back to the hotel where a bunch of my friends on the taxi line were yelling at me about my In-N-Out bag. Earlier, I told them I already had dinner plans! It was great. I sat in my hotel room watching TV, not having to speak with anyone.
Instead of eating in public by myself, I sometimes order Uber Eats delivered to my hotel. In better hotels, room service is a terrific option, and breakfast is always wonderful served in your room.
I remember making an exception at Scoma’s in San Francisco, deciding to dine by myself. I gave my name to the maître d, and a moment later was called to my table, passing about 30 people. I guess that was an advantage of being a party of one! (If you ever dine there, be sure to have the garlic dungeness crab and an order of linguine and clam sauce…but don’t breathe on anyone else for about a week!)
It’s not uncommon to see many singles eating at the bar. I understand that, and it’s neat to see them all sitting with each other, eating, drinking and talking about whatever they’re watching on TV or the news of the day. It’s a great experience as long as you stay away from politics.
When I see an elderly person eating by themselves, I can’t help but wonder why. Perhaps years ago, this person was the center of a big family and never ate alone. Now, their spouse is gone, the kids moved away years ago, and all their friends may be gone too. I look at that and feel a little sad. At the same time, an older woman I saw ate a huge meal, then topped it off with a few scoops of ice cream! Good for her!
A few years ago, my wife and I were traveling on a European river cruise where there were no tables for two. We’d go into the dining room and just sit down at a table where two other people were already seated. Sometimes, they’d be halfway through their dinner when we arrived; other times they hadn’t ordered yet. It sounds funny, but it was a cool way to ensure people aboard ship met everyone else by the end of the cruise. It worked for Joanne and me, but I’d imagine it was a struggle for the introverts.
Some people I know enjoy sitting alone because they prefer their own company to anyone else’s! But not so for me. I come from a big ethnic family that gathered at Grandpa’s house for Sunday dinner with all the cousins, aunts, and uncles. I grew up thinking it was always better to eat with other people, especially in a big group. Fast-forward, I’m guilty of going to restaurants and having the waiters put tables together so our big group can sit at “one” big table together.
What is all this waxing philosophically about whether you dine alone, as a couple or in a big group? It’s simply to ask that you remember this: Life is short, so eat the ice cream. It’s always good – even if you’re alone – and, you know what? It’s even better when you can enjoy it with someone else!
Jack Guarnieri started servicing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the amusement game business since then. He was an operator in NYC, then began a distributorship in 1999, PinballSales.com, selling coin-op to the consumer market. In January of 2011, he founded Jersey Jack Pinball (named after his RePlay Magazine pen name), which builds award-winning, full-featured, coin-op pinball machines. Email Jack at jack@jerseyjackpinball.com.