Eating Alone

Just got home from a conference in Charlottesville...even though it isn't terribly far away I stayed up in C'ville so that I could be alert for the morning sessions! I know myself well enough to know that waking up at 6:30 to leave at 7am for a drive will not make me a useful (or pleasant) person at an 8:30am workshop.

Although Lynchburg certainly has developed a diverse group of restaurants - I was excited to skim through the Yelp restaurant listing in C'ville to decide where to eat dinner each night! The only drawback to traveling alone is that I generally ate dinner alone. I realize that I'm one of those people who isn't really comfortable eating alone. Sometimes I can embrace it - sometimes I even pretend that I'm a famous restaurant critic dining incognito. (I don't go so far as to make notes or drop hints to the wait staff that I'm a famous restaurant critic...I just pretend with myself) Most of the time I have a magazine or newspaper with me.

In fact, I pick my lunch spots in town by the availability of newspaper boxes! But the reading material is just a cover...I usually find myself listening to other people's conversations. Not exactly eavesdropping - well...I guess it is.... I just get distracted by what is going on around me!

I have asked friends about eating alone and the majority of my friends don't like to do it either. But I didn't find anyone who also created fantasy roles as undercover critic or spy. At least they didn't admit it!

Speaking of food - now for the THIRD year in a row I've been entrusted with the command of frozen foods for Centenary UMC's Bazaar. Read last year's post to get an idea of what we're doing! But this year's Bazaar is November 10!! And this year's offerings will include the Sausage Breakfast Casserole, Pasta Bake and Chicken and Rice Casserole. The corn casserole and green bean casseroles we offered last year weren't good sellers (tasty...just didn't sell well) so we have eliminated them. I thought we had scratched the Sweet Potato Casserole too...but have gotten several requests, so it's back too! Let me know what you want and I'll reserve your favorites!