This Guide Makes Dining Solo a Little Easier for Extroverts

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
published Nov 17, 2015
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As an introvert, I’ve always loved eating at restaurants by myself. Just me, a book, a glass of wine, and a spot by the window where I can people-watch. Perfect. So when I read a post on how to enjoy solo dining on the Huffington Post, I had to laugh. (It was clearly written by an extrovert.)

At first when I read through Kimberly Kohatsu’s list of advice, I was extremely confused. Bring a book, but don’t read it? Sit at the bar so you can easily chat with strangers? Avoid awkward alone time by eating while the restaurant is still busy? This is basically the polar opposite of my ideal solo dining experience: I bring a book because I want to read it, I sit at a table for two so I don’t have to talk to strangers, I go when the restaurant is quiet so I can be in the quiet. What the … ?

And then I realized this was a guide by an extrovert for other extroverts. And this was fascinating to me. I spend a lot of time defending my introvert world and feeling awkward in extroverted situations — I’ve rarely stopped to realize that extroverts might feel just as awkward and uncomfortable in the situations where I feel most at home.

Of course, I know that not all extroverts respond exactly this way to solo dining, just as not all introverts enjoy eating alone as much as I do. Even so, this article gave me a new window into the world of extroverts, and I’m grateful for it.

Read more: How To Enjoy Dining Solo by Kimberly Kohatsu via The Huffington Post