:o Thanks! And here I thought you were mad at me about my location joke.
I go home for lunch every day, so I eat alone. On a rare occasion (once every 3-4 months or so) my dad or grandma will be in the neighborhood and we’ll go out for lunch.
Alone. But then I telecommute so there isn’t anyone else here anyway.
Water under the bridge, schweetheart. 
Alone. Working at home, I just about always work while I eat.
When I worked in an office, I ate alone at my desk, or went out to a park/restaurant/whatever and ate.
Having bosses or coworkers who expect me to eat with them every day would be hell on earth to me. I have to work with them all day; I have no desire to socialize with them either on my lunch hour or after work. Not getting an hour or so of alone time most days would drive me nuts.
Usually alone at my desk surfin’ the web although I will meet a friend for lunch once a twice a week. That’s pretty much my office culture: occasionally someone will get together a lunchtime dominos game but everyone else eats alone unless they go out to eat.
Alone in my office (which I am about to lose… sniff). I don’t play well with others.
Once in a great while I’ll go out to lunch with my friend/supervisor.
Alone. Everyone in my building usually goes out to lunch together, but that’s because they buy their lunch at the commissary and I make my lunch every day. Also, I tend to eat a late breakfast/early lunch, which means I chow down at 11 and the dining areas here don’t open until noon.
Which is all fine by me, btw.
At my previous jobs, where there was usually at least one or a few people I actively liked? I’d eat in the group.
In my new job, where the new cowokers are getting on my pecs (probably not their fault, they’re nice enough people, I’ve just got a lot of stress this week)? I prefer to eat alone, with a book. I’m trying hard not to snap at these people as it is, and none of them have the interests that I have so if I had to eat lunch with them as well I think I may go off my lolly at them. So I remove myself and at least when I go back after work I can choke down my own issues and make nice again.
I don’t really have much of a lunchtime - usually around noon I’m either teaching or madly dashing from one school to another - but when I did have an office job I’d usually eat with my co-workers … unless I was in the middle of a good book. Then I’d just have a sandwich at my desk and eat while reading. My co-workers thought I was showing off. Showing off what? That I read?
About once a week, I eat in the building cafeteria with two co-workers. However, I prefer to eat alone while listening to my favorite podcast, yeastradio.com. Not something my co-workers would understand if they heard it.
Eric
Since we’re allowed to work thru lunch, thus making our 8-hour day truly 8 hours, I will have my soup or sammich at my desk, while reading any number of documents or reports that make up my career at this point. I’d rather do that than hang around another 30-60 minutes.
I eat alone.
Yeahhhh, with nobody else.
'Cause you know when I eat alone,
I prefer to be by myself.
Seriously. In my cube. Been like that for oh, 8 years or so. I used to – at a previous job – have a bunch-o’ buddies to eat with. Not any more. Although today I called one of those old buddies up and we had pizza and beer. Good times.
Alone. I need a break from my desk. I’d rather eat in peace without interruptions.
I retired years ago, so it is no longer an issue with me, but in all the years I worked (in an office), I don’t think I ate with co-workers more than a few dozen times. It always struck me as a good way to ruin a lunch hour, which is supposed to be a break from work and far as I was concerned was the best part of the workday. And as far as working at my desk through lunch, yuck! Why, given a choice, would you want to do that?
When I was in the classroom, I would eat my lunch in the lounge with other members of the faculty and enjoy it. Once I switched to the Media Specialist job, I ate lunch in the library because I’m required by the department of education to keep the library open during lunch hours for student and faculty use…but nobody ever came in during lunch, so I was alone. I enjoyed that, too.
This year is a little different. I’m still required to be in the library during the lunch hours, but I have a standing date with a handsome young man who joins me for lunch. My youngest son started Kindergarten this year, and he brings his lunch down to the library to eat with me.
It depends for me. I use to hang out with a friend during my allotted lunch slot, but that got the axe after it was determined that “he doesn’t work while I am with him”. I can understand their thought process about it… So for now I have been having lunch with my boss (and very good friend)… if we end up ordering out… I eat and work at the same time…
I eat lunch with people almost every day. The only time I don’t is when everyone else has plans. That is very rare.
I’d rather eat with a group of people, and when I was working I pretty much always did unless whatever we were working on forced us to have lunch earlier or later than usual (not uncommon when you’re a chemist!)
Now I’m a student, and I just switched departments, so the few people I met and occasionally hung out with last semester, I don’t see at all, and I don’t know anyone else. I dislike it, but I bring a book or do homework, and it turns out ok. I’m sure I’ll start getting to know people, but as a transfer student, my schedule is somewhat all over the place, rather than following a set curriculum like everyone else, so it’s unlikely I’ll end up seeing the same people next term too!
Alone, unless we have a party or a lunch meeting. Our workgroup also goes out to lunch just for the heck of it a couple of times a year. I usually like to eat earlier than most people seem to.