If I’m alone and eating out, I invariably bring a book. I bring a book qwhen I’m eating alone at home, too.
Perhaps this is the crux of it, then: I live alone, so I have no need to “escape.” I do sometimes feel the need to just get out of the house, but in those cases I’ll generally call a friend or something – or, I’ll run some errands. But I’d never do something social all by myself just to get out of the house.
How do you turn the pages? 
With the nose, of course. How do you turn pages? 
Stranger
Don’t you get a faceful of consommé that way? Or is your nose Pinocchioan?
With practice, turning pages with the thumb of the hand holding the book gets to be really easy. Obviously this doesn’t work with anything really big, but then those tend to stay open on the table anyway.
Oh, I’ve done that, too!
On an unrelated note, I should dispel the idea that this is a frequent thing, Misnomer. It’s not that I eat out alone a lot. It’s just that when it happens that I do, I have a book along.
(Actually, this year, it has been more common. Between my job and an impending move, I’ve spent a lot of time in a different city than my family, so I’m doing more things alone than I normally would, which no doubt helps me contribute more to this thread.)
A minor quibble:
See, here’s the disconnect you’re having (with me, at least). To my mind: 1) There is no such thing as “doing something social all by myself”, since if I’m by myself, it obviously isn’t social. and: 2) Eating (even eating out) is not inherently “social”. Social is about spending time with people (preferably family and friends). Eating, you have to do every day whether you are spending time with people or not. Eating out with people is social, I agree - because of the people, not because you are eating out. Eating at home with people is equally social.
Eating out vs. eating at home, alone either way, is not a social question. It’s only a question of resources (my time and effort vs. my money) and the quality and type of the meal and environment.
If, in your mind, eating out is something only to be done socially - well, that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with thinking that way - but to understand other people in this thread, you’ll have to start with the fact that we don’t feel that way.
Another illustration of how everyone is different:
If I want to get out of the house, I just do; I don’t need to find a friend. If I call a friend, I want to talk to that friend. I don’t just call someone that I would not have otherwise because I need to get out.
Oh, and pages: whether you’re reading or not, surely you set the fork down sometimes. Perhaps your mouth is full, or you are savoring that last bite. That’s a good time to turn a page. The rest of the time, one hand can easily hold the book open. (I don’t read a lot of hardbacks over meals…)
Just in this past month or so I’ve been to see Krafterk, Armin van Buuren & the first day at Coachellal by myself. I actually think I prefer going to movies alone. I’m not going to miss out on something fun just because I can’t find someone to go with me. So, yeah, I’ll eat (and read) alone.
I never had or expressed that idea.
I have to “understand” and “start?” Dude, I’ve done nothing but acknowledge the fact that I’m the only one in the thread who feels this way!
Why can’t I ask about how people view something, and express my own opinions about it, without you getting defensive? I have never even implied that doing things by yourself is in any way wrong, crazy, etc. (except in an obviously joking way, using 
and smilies). Nor would I! There is no “right” or “wrong” here. I find it interesting to see the reasoning of people who have a completely different take on “social” than I do, and we’re all figuring out together where our disconnects are. Why make it sound like I’m trying to villify everyone?
This is the second time that you have effectively put words in my mouth (the first time was when I had to point out that “someone” does not equal “anyone”). At what point did I say that I need to find a friend in order to get out of the house? If I feel like getting out of the house, it’s because I don’t feel like being alone anymore – what is wrong with calling a friend in such a situation? Isn’t that what our friends are for? You seem to think that I’m somehow incapable of leaving the house by myself, to the point where I will ask a friend to drop all of his/her plans so that I can relieve my cabin fever. Please. :rolleyes:
I call my friends when I want to talk to them, I call my friends when I want to see them and hang out with them (just them), and I call my friends when I’m feeling kind of generally social (them + the general public). Is that ok with you?
You’re very concerned with my ability to understand where you’re coming from, but you seem unwilling to meet me halfway … what gives?
Misnomer, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to put any words in your mouth, express hostility, or imply that there was any hostility or lack of understanding in your posts. I was just trying to communicate how I felt. I apologize if I’ve offended.
No offense taken; I may have come across as more defensive than I intended. It just started to feel like you were determined to make me be defensive, and I couldn’t imagine why. Glad that isn’t the case. We’ve never interacted before, and you seem like a decent enough guy to me!
Even if you do have warped ideas about socializing.
Well, I have warped ideas about everything else, why should that be any different?
Although, if I need a defense, I want a poll taken in this thread. I can identify with this set of people.
Being a poor college student with poor college student friends, when I eat out alone, usually it’s because I want to go to such-and-such a restaurant (or even just “go out to eat”), but no one else wants to pony up the dough. I can see those people any time I want to; I’d rather have good pasta and a good book.
FWIW, I love going to plays by myself, because I always meet new people. My regional theater attracts a lot of tourists, and I love to hear what plays they’ve seen already, where they’re staying in town, what they thought of the shows they’ve seen, and so on. Just because I didn’t go with someone doesn’t mean I have to spend the night alone.
If I’m eating out alone I always take a book or newspaper.
I have season tickets to our local hockey team, and I go alone. Mr. SCL works weekend nights, when most of the games are scheduled, and really isn’t that much of a hockey fan anyway. I decided years ago that I was going to stop missing out on things I wanted to do because there was no one to go with me. I have made a lot of friends at the hockey games, and have a great time. When Mr. SCL is off work, sometimes he’ll go. I, however, am not going to miss it!!
Use the pad of the thumb to pull the facing page slightly away from the next page. Pinky finger then goes into the gap created between said page (which needs turning) and the pages one wants to read next. Move thumb under the now seperated pages, and fold over. I can do this with any paperback book up to 6 in by 9 inches with no real strain. (Not that I read often one handed, or anything.) 
Your pinky? Really? I find my ring finger works better for that.
Hey, whatever works for you. I don’t suspect mine is the only workable one-handed technique. (Og, that looks bad, doesn’t it?) Generally my middle fingers are all involved holding the book upright. Also, well, I’ve been told I have all the dexterity of a pregnant cow in labor while suffering a bad trip. And those are the people trying to compliment me.
I always have something to read when I eat alone. And I usually like to have something to read when I’m eating with other people providing I know them well and they me. I’m not a social person by nature, if I have something to say (or somebody something to say to me) I’ll pause my reading… engage in conversation until it’s over then resume my reading. Nobody talks much while the actual eating is going on anyway, with mouths full ect and eating uses zero brainpower… I get bored otherwise. A restaurant is one of my favorite places to read actually, I have somebody bringing me drinks on demand… food if I’m hungry, I always make sure to tell the server that I will tip very well in compensation for taking up their table. After a few visits from me the regulars LOVE to wait me… I tip well and I’m less work than successive tables of multiple people. I also read in bed, on the couch and on the computer, in fact I have a two magazines and a book in front of me right now if the mood strikes me to stop using the computer and read something else.
My husband says I’d read the label of an aspirin bottle if that’s all I had available…:rolleyes:
I’m an avid reader, particularly when eating, keep the emergency stash in the car (not in the trunk, either. Og forbid I’d need it and couldn’t get to the trunk!), have gone to the bookstore to get a book for lunch, and always have a book or magazine when I dine alone.
You’se is my kind 'o peoples!
To answer the OP, I also pretty much always have a book with me, especially if I am going to be eating by myself. (And a much-neglected “emergency” book in the car.)
And to add my two cents to the “why do you (prefer to) do things alone/with others” hijack…well, I guess I’ll just address this to misnomer, because she’s the one feeling like the odd woman out here.
misnomer, I used to have very similar feelings to yours with regards to doing things with others as opposed to doing them by myself. There was something that was just inherently right about having someone close to me (ideally) having the same (generally pleasant) experiences as me. Just the nature of people being social creatures, I suppose.
But then, through a relatively lengthy series of events, I found myself with fewer of my friends around me, especially ones with similar interests or tastes (or schedules!) as myself. And so, at the time, I saw fewer movies, did fewer of the things I enjoyed, because I had nobody to share them with and didn’t really see the point. After a while, though, the privation grew to a point where it started to bug me, and so I did more things by myself—mostly movies, but occasionally eating at a restaurant, and often going down to a coffee shop to read and people-watch.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m at least a little anti-social in my activities, but for me it was a matter of not wanting to deprive myself of good food/restaurant ambience, entertainment, etc. just because nobody around me wanted/could tag along. Given the choice, I share as many of the things I enjoy as possible with others, but I don’t feel quite as limited as I used to by the need to do so.
I don’t think this will give you any insight into anybody’s behavior besides mine, but, hey, take it for what it’s worth.