Loner and loving it

I am first to admit that I'm a loner. And I love it!
Sure, I love my quality time with friends and family, but sometimes it's just such a wonderful feeling to be on your own doing whatever you want to be doing, whether it be taking in the world, or just staying warm under a blanket in front of the TV.

This past Sunday night, after the Cirque Eloize, I dined out alone.

I have been waiting for the perfect moment to do this, and it just worked out that it would happen that night.
Some of you may think this is not a big deal, but I was anxious about this. It's the whole, "worrying about what people think of you" thing.
I wanted to conquer this fear. why should I care what people think? I'm enjoying good food and the company of...myself.

Now, when dining alone, you need to be prepared. I had thought the whole meal through, go to a familiar restaurant that I enjoyed, where I knew the menu and the ambiance and bring a bag full of tricks.

My pick, Brasserie du Theatre of course. I love this restaurant for so many reasons. The location, the feel, the food, the staff.
I picked a table sort of in a corner, where I'd have a great view of the rest of the restaurant (I'm a people watcher...plus, I wouldn't have anyone across from me to stare at).
I ordered, felt pretty good about myself, and let my mind wander. I did pretty good until my soup arrived. It was really hot, so I let it sit for a bit, and I started daydreaming again, but I was little bored of daydreaming. I'd already judged everyone in the restaurant (okay, I admit it, I sometimes judge people just by looking at them...what else am I to do? I'm getting a little bored.) so what else could I busy myself with?
Out comes the bag of tricks. I think...do I want the book? The magazine? Ah yes, I'll pick the marking. Marking's actually really fun for me. And you've got to do it sometime, so why not while you're waiting for soup to cool?
The rest of the meal went splendidly. I ate good food (moules were extremely salty for some reason that night...not a good thing) and enjoyed my chocolate Viennois. And I finished some marking, felt very comfortable dining alone.

[Sidebar: Along with moules & frites being my main course which I sample at each restaurant, I've also added chocolate Viennois to my arsenal. Do date, Brasserie du Theatre has the best moules - although, as I've said the cook seems to be making them more salty as of late - and a cafe in Bruges, Belgium that I can't recall the name has the best chocolate Viennois - tasted like they'd taken a piece of chocolate and just melted it in a cup for me.]

It was a lovely experience. One that I would like to have again soon. Therapeutic isn't the right word, but often when I'm doing stuff on my own, a really great feeling washes over me. I can't really describe it.

I've also noticed that many people here in Europe dine out alone. I mean, for some reason I remember ever seen people eating alone in restaurants in Canada, but maybe that's because I never noticed. I just don't think it's as widely accepted that people eat out alone in Canada, but here, it's not that big of a deal.

I've decided that I'm going to find a restaurant or cafe to become a regular at. Brasserie du Theatre and Cafe Floridita are both high on the list right now. I'm going to go there quite often to have a lovely evening where I can have some down time, watching the world and people go by as I enjoy the company of myself. It'll also be a nice place to do my marking (which is often therapeutic as well).