Eating Alone, Written by Brian Sell

Every once in a while I like to drop a sample of my son Brian's writing. He is in New York City right now, so I thought I would post this small piece that he wrote for a New York University writing course he took in the Winter of 2010. What do you think?

Eating Alone

Eating alone is an intimidating idea.
By eating alone, I guess what I really mean is dining out alone. Not just eating alone, everyone does that once in a while in their homes and cars.

Walking into a restaurant alone, sitting down alone, ordering alone, eating alone, paying alone and leaving alone is not an attractive idea.

By restaurant, I guess what I really mean is a real eating establishment. One with menus, servers, a wait time, appetizers, desserts and a check. Not just the local fast food “restaurant.”

It is understandable why most people would not want to do this. Eating brings people together. It is something we do with people we love, people we want to love and people we fake that we love. Having to sit down in a nice restaurant to a meal alone means no conversation, no small talk. The only dialogue is the mind’s silent racing.

By most people, I guess what I really mean is me.

Alone in New York, so much to do, so much to see and so many restaurants that must be visited before I leave.

Yet, I am alone in New York.

That means, if I want to visit the foodie places I have to go to every time I’m in New York, I have to do it alone.

Scary proposition.

For more, check out Brian's blog: Sell Your Soul