独自用餐的乐趣

你喜不喜欢一个人吃饭？虽然有不少人和文章关注讨论独自吃饭的消极一面，但这种饮食方式可能也有它积极的一面。

 

Should you eat to live or live to eat?... a question posed by French playwright¹ Moliere in his work ‘The Miser²'. While eating is functional³, and our bodies need the fuel that food provides, dining with friends or loved ones can be a wonderful experience. However, some of us often find ourselves reserving a table for one in a restaurant. But is dining alone really that bad? Maybe not.

 

We all have foods we like and dislike. Maybe it's a pungent⁴ cheese or stinky fish. We sometimes hold back on things that may offend the noses of others. When dining alone, we can consume whatever we like, with the added bonus that we might be able to eat more healthily. Often, if you want a salad and your significant other wants some less healthy cuisine⁵, you end up ordering the same. And if you don't get the same, you might end up with food envy as you watch someone chow down on a pizza while you're left holding the lettuce⁶.

 

Have you ever spent too long debating with people which restaurant to eat in or when to meet? If dining solo, you can make the choice depending on your culinary desires at that moment and get your nourishment⁷ at exactly the time you're hungry! And why does it have to be a restaurant? You could eat in a park, garden or even your bed – the point is, the choice is yours! That alone time also means it's a time to switch off. According to psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, a bit of solitude⁸ can help your brain to unwind and may help you concentrate more.

 

Finally, for some, dining alone can be a necessity. For those of us who suffer from misophonia, a hatred⁹ of sound, that can in some cause PTSD, the noise of someone else masticating¹⁰ can be unbearable¹¹. Eating alone can save you from the extreme anxiety that may arise listening to someone smack¹² their lips or the sloshing of saliva¹³ in their mouths! So, is eating alone bad? Well, it may not be for everyone, but there certainly are some benefits to it. Try it sometime – you might just like it!

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